Many of these organizations are searching for practical ways to improve customer satisfaction with both tangible and intangible products and services. The anticipated result of improved service quality is an improvement in the bottom line of the organization (Schmit and Allscheid 521). Kazanjian emphasizes these same elements and also cites various specific ways a business can empower its employees so they are better able to serve the needs of customers. In addition, he notes certain other elements that contribute to customer satisfaction in less direct ways. For instance, as he writes, "Uncommon success comes with uncommon approaches to business" (Kazanjian 27). Customer satisfaction might be seen as an uncommon approach when it is not being addressed well by American business in general. Kazanjian states, though, that "Enterprise has tried to be different from everyone else in the car rental business" (Kazanjian 26). This can contribute to customer satisfaction first by giving the customer a choice as to how to do business, a choice that draws in customers not happy with the traditional approach followed by others.

With a retail establishment, stock is important. If a customer does not find what he or she wants, he or she will not return. All employees have to have a working knowledge of the store and of where to find all items that might be requested. This should be part of their training, and they should also be required to familiarize themselves with new items as they come in and to answer such questions at any time. Only in this way will customers feel that they can come to the store and be satisfied in the future. For a service establishment, a full line of service is needed so the customer always receives the service he or she requires. This also requires flexibility in order to meet the variety of needs that may be raised. A car rental company needs a line of vehicles to satisfy customers, of course, but also needs the flexibility to provide these cars on a schedule that...

This principle applies to any business and applies throughout any business, bringing the entire staff into the mode for listening to customers and then heeding what customers say and providing what customers need. The emphasis Kazanjian places on customer satisfaction is actually a call for better treatment for employees as well. The cost of employee turnover includes the actual cost of replacing the employee but also includes the loss of institutional memory and loss of potential customers as customers deal with inexperienced employees. Institutional memory, which is directly related to corporate culture, involves how employees interact with each other as well as with customers. When employees leave an organization, they take knowledge about the informal structure of a company with them, and that valuable information is lost to new employees. At the same time, customers, particularly those who deal with customer service employees, can be frustrated when they deal with inexperienced employees who have difficulty in answering questions, and they may take their business elsewhere. Because of this, minimizing employee turnover can be a strategic business decision, as can all decisions related to improving customer service.
Works Cited

Kazanjian, Kirk. Exceeding Customer Expectations. New York: Doubleday, 2007.

Khalil, Omar D. And Talha D. Harcar. "Relationship Marketing and Data Quality Management." SAM Advanced Management Journal 64(2)(1999), 26.

Maier, Timothy W. "Customer Service Is an Oxymoron." Insight on the News 17(1)(1 January 2001), 20.

Schmit, Mark J. And Steven P. Allscheid. "Employee Attitudes and Customer Satisfaction: Making Theoretical and Empirical Connections." Personnel Psychology…