Without customers, no business could exist. Every organization is dependent on its customers, and managing customer satisfaction can be a difficult task. Retaining new customers is much easier and more cost effective than identifying and recruiting new prospects. Delighting customers has an additional affect; they will provide recommendations.

Every organization is different. There is no standard approach to customer satisfaction and it is a process that should be continuously improved.

How ISO 9001 can help

The ISO 9001 quality management certification standard aims to enhance customer satisfaction by embedding effective organization processes.


ISO 9001 defines customer satisfaction as to a customer’s perception of the degree to which their requirements have been met. Satisfaction can vary from organization to organization and is subjective. Understanding a customers’ requirements and expectations will vary significantly depending on the type of organization (for example, product manufacturer or service provider), industry, country, approach to its customers and competitors in the market place.

By having effective customer feedback processes in place, customer complaints are handled well and improvements can be made, preventing loss of existing customers and turning them into advocates. Useful indicators can include: improvement in the number of responses and scoring of feedback, increased new business leads, greater gathering of information, reduction in complaints and the opportunity to make improvements such as adapting products or services. 

Managing customer satisfaction is a time consuming task; however, having a quality management process in place will ensure processes are regularly updated and improved.

