For nearly forty years, J. D. Power and Associates has been synonymous with measuring customer satisfaction and helping businesses understand what customers really want. Its trophy has become as recognizable as the Oscar, proudly advertised by companies that have earned it, in categories ranging from cars to cell phones to health care to hotels. A high rating from J. D. Power and Associates is the surest sign that a company is truly listening to its customers, and responding with outstanding service. But hearing the voice of the customer is easier said than done, as you'll learn from two of the company's senior executives. This is the first book that really explains how great companies like Lexus, UPS, JetBlue, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car get it right, delivering consistently high customer satisfaction and translating it into profitable growth. Authors Chris Denove and James D. Power IV unlock the vault on decades of closely guarded research data, surveys, and feedback-including insights previously available only to clients of J. D. Power and Associates. They explain, for instance, how to:

* Understand the financial link between satisfaction and profits

* Turn customers who are simply "satisfied" into vocal advocates for your business

* Build a culture of customer satisfaction from the top down

* Empower frontline employees to do the right thing

* Use problem resolution as an opportunity to make new fans

Satisfaction offers tactical advice for companies large or small, for product manufacturers, service providers, and retailers alike. It delivers not just a stockpile of customer research, but a road map to developing specific policies and processes. It also tells fascinating stories of companies that don't just talk the talk, but walk the walk every day-and of other companies that ignored the voice of the customer, with dire consequences. As company founder J. D. Power III writes in his introduction: "The consumer is no longer the passive recipient but has been transformed by the Internet and the availability of knowledge into a powerbroker for him or herself. Buyers in auto dealerships, patients in hospitals, travelers in hotels are now unwilling to compromise. They have high expectations and the data to back them up. The customer's voice is louder and clearer than ever, and attention must be paid."