In the battle for pizza-chain dominance, it was Papa John's International (PZZA) that took the cake (or rather the crust). The Consumerist reports that the latest results from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index -- tracking points on customer expectations, perceived quality and value, customer complaints, and customer loyalty -- show Papa John's topped its peers in both the pizza business and the fast-food sector overall.

The chain improved its score by 6.7% from last year, hitting 80/100.

Continue reading Papa John's Wins Customer Satisfaction Poll - Really?

Papa John's Wins Customer Satisfaction Poll - Really? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jun 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Google, Apple top customer satisfaction list originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Does eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY) still have the image of a popular and friendly place to sell and buy everything from cars to beanie babies to cell phones to wrapping paper? The sheer amount of stuff on eBay for sale (from junky coffee cups to Hummers) still makes the company's website exceedingly attractive to millions of Americans, as well as millions of other consumers and sellers across the globe. But not all has been rosy for the world's largest online auction house in recent years. Rising fees, growing customer dissatisfaction, and an exodus of certain sellers all have been highly publicized and have given eBay a few large black eyes. The auction website keeps on churning though, and listings seem to be as plentiful as ever. Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) even announced that is would discontinue its Yahoo! Auctions website soon. My guess? All auction customers were using eBay instead.

For a "newbie," trouncing around eBay looking for things can be a somewhat daunting experience. Does this make it likely that a transaction may not take place? After all, there are hundreds of Nintendo Wii accessories on eBay right this second -- what makes one better than the other? Are customers shopping on price alone, or opting to not shop at all? The auction juggernaut is reaching middle age, and it seems the stagnant strategy that was once darling to its customers and visitors is getting an overhaul. It's time for that midlife-crisis Corvette to spruce up its image, yes? What can eBay do in the next twelve months to grow beyond its past as an "online auction?" Meg Whitman, eBay's CEO, has a cryptic answer for that one.

A recent point Meg tried to make is that the company she leads needs to provide an easier experience when buying products from its auctions and make inroads (and off-ramps) to the online marketplace seem more like a physical shopping experience. Remember, eBay does not make money from browsers and lookers, but from transactions and listings. Anything that ups the number of transactions (which drives more listings) is a good thing for eBay and its investors. With that, eBay CEO Meg Whitman recently said "'Our user experience has always been fantastic, but it didn't keep up, in my view, as well as it should have ... you will see more changes to eBay's buyer experience in the next 12 months than you probably have seen in the past three or four years.'' Let's hope so.

eBay's next 12 months: Major changes ahead? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 23 Jun 2007 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading IRS rated better for customer service than airlines

IRS rated better for customer service than airlines originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 May 2007 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I wasn't sure what to make of this study when I read it: Americans don't get emotional support from their banks. It seems that Americans don't feel that banks understand them, nor appreciate their business. I didn't think anyone needed a study to determine that; ever since I can remember, consumers have been complaining about banks.

There's another side to this study that concludes that bank customers can be hostile because of their dissatisfaction. Well, that isn't surprising either. Have any of these researchers ever stood in a bank line, ever needed to perform a transaction that took hours to complete, ever been charged an arm and a leg for a service that seemed routine?

Well, despite its predictability, it seems that International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) has decided to study this via its IBM Global Business Services consulting division. While the study found that 52% of the respondents thought their banks' technical abilities were good, only 26% gave that rating when it came to "emotive attributes" such as "values my business" or "employees listen and follow up" or "makes relevant offers."

IBM wanted to see how happy customers are since they assumed that customers would be more wiling to stay with the bank and expand their business if they were happy with it rather than if they were not. But I say that it doesn't really matter since all banks are pretty much the same -- whether it be Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), Wachovia Corp (NYSE: WB), Citigroup or JP Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM). I would expect to get the same "non-appreciative" service in all banks. The hassle of opening up more accounts in other banks or moving them around would usually make me stick with my long-time bank despite my issues with my bank. And of course, the study supports that too, with only 24% considered "advocates," while 39% are "apathetic" and 37% "antagonistic."

For some reason, it seems IBM was surprised by these last results and the lesson for banks the consulting service would recommend is to re-evaluate customer satisfaction and what brings it about.

I wonder whether IBM's recent foray into the banking industry in China along with Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C) has anything to do with IBM's decision to study the matter. I hope that China's Guangdong Development Bank's customers would be more satisfied than their American counterparts (should IBM and Citigroup win the bid of course).

Americans don't feel appreciated by banks - what a shocker! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Nov 2006 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Apple after the bell 08/16/06: stock options issues seem contained originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.