Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog

The promise, which commits the organization to continuous training, teamwork, and communications to delivering great customer service, is simple, but its effects are far-reaching.

That is evident in yesterday’s Q1 2008 customer satisfaction rankings by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which scores companies based on customer expectations, quality, value, and intention to re-purchase. The ACSI’s rankings place FedEx at the head of the Express Delivery industry with a score of 85 out of 100. The industry average for 2008 is 82. The ACSI overall score is 75.2.

FedEx has been rated Number One in its industry for 11 consecutive years and for 13 of the last 14 years. The latest ranking solidifies the importance of The Purple Promise and the significance of employees delivering “wow” stories.

Other companies in the index are improving as well. Overall, the ACSI reversed its course of year after year of declining customer satisfaction to register its first gain in a year. The index jumped 0.4 percent to 75.2 on ACSI’s 100-point scale.

Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI, says this may represent hope for the economy. “The smart move for companies in this economic environment is to make sure they keep the customers they have by shoring up their customer relationship,” Fornell said in a press release.

The best-in-class companies that I’ve interviewed over the past few months have told me the same thing--they are staying true to their customer-focused efforts. The worst thing companies can do in tough economic times is to trim or cut out any efforts, technologies, or strategies that enhance customer service or loyalty.