WO2010094092A1

WO2010094092A1 - Method and device for registration and assessment customers satisfaction

Info

Publication number: WO2010094092A1
Application number: PCT/BG2010/000001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Simeon Apostolov Kostov; Georgi Valentinov Jadkov; Nikolay Teodosiev Georgiev; Yuri Elizer Alkalay
Original assignee: Simeon Apostolov Kostov; Georgi Valentinov Jadkov; Nikolay Teodosiev Georgiev; Yuri Elizer Alkalay
Priority date: 2009-02-20
Filing date: 2010-01-21
Publication date: 2010-08-26
Also published as: BG110331A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for the registration and assessment of customers' satisfaction during purchases and can be applied for implementing customer opinion studies, respectively, taking action or elaborating market behavior strategies. The invention can be used in institutions and organizations, where the service offered is consumed the same time it is provided, e.g., in banks, stores, hotels, restaurants, state institutions, gas stations, etc. According to the invention, the collected information is processed for each article or service separately, comparing with the already collected information database, and after that it is summarized, visualized and sent immediately to control and/or management staff in order to make management decisions.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REGISTRATION AND ASSESSMENT CUSTOMERS' SATISFACTION APPLICATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method and device for the registration and assessment of customers' satisfaction during purchases and can be applied for implementing customer opinion studies, respectively, taking action or elaborating market behavior strategies. The invention can be used in institutions and organizations, where the service offered is consumed the same time it is provided, e.g., in banks, stores, hotels, restaurants, state institutions, gas stations, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

WO 0225511 relates to a goods and services customer feedback system, whereas the system includes one user device placed at a location visible to the user and used as feedback media, and one device located on the side of the attendant, which is used to make various adjustments to the user device - for instance, selection of the questions to the customer, specifying the type of cus tomer and/or type of the service being rendered. Both devices include a display, which visualizes the various questions and messages, as well as a sub-system consisting of buttons, touch-screen, used to access the system and enter information by the customer and/or attendant.

US 4345315 relates to an electronic terminal to collect customer opinion regarding their satisfac tion of the service being rendered. The terminal includes a display, where multiple-choice ques tions are indicated. Each of the possible answers is represented by a separate button, which being pressed records the answer selected by the user into the terminal and sends it for storage to a remote database.

US5038367 relates to a voting device consisting of a body with a display, which visualizes a question being asked and a set of keys establishing the various^'possible answers to the question being asked. The device includes an electric circuit to record the number of each separate answer, as well as a timer, which is activated by pressing any of the answer keys and blocks all following presses of any of the keys for a specific time period, thus not allowing the selection of several answers to one and the same question. EP 1845486 relates to a method for recording and reporting customer satisfaction from the provided services, through which it is possible to establish various satisfaction levels, whereas the method includes visualization of data about the attendant delivering the service, for instance name, picture. The user is able to select any of the graphically indicated satisfaction levels, whereas the collected information is stored in a database. The method is realized with a device to collect the incoming information from the user for the received service via a set of keys or a touch-screen.

A disadvantage of the known method and device for reporting customer service satisfac tion is related with the fact that the collected information is stored in a database, which after that is transferred to other units of analyzers, who process the collected information. Another disadvan tage of the inventions specified hereinabove is the insufficient reliability of the obtained feed back information, due to the possible abuse by the employees or multi pie selections by the customers. In addition, when several types of services are offered at the service provision area, the opinion of the customer must be compared to the specific type of the received service.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Taking into account the background of the invention in the specified field, the task of this invention is to establish a method and device for the registration and assessment of custo mers' satisfaction, which are distinguished with a very simplified design to obtain the opinion of cus tomers, allowing a precise reflection of customers' opinion for a specific article or service, as well as possibility for quick, precise and correct processing of the results, which can be drawn out simultaneously for a specific article or service, and as a whole in relation to the satisfaction of the service, including their drawing out for the purposes of making correct management decisions.

The task of the invention is solved with a method to register customer satisfaction, which includes the collection and registration of customer opinion, whereas the information is pro cessed and stored on an information medium.

According to the invention, the collected information is processed for each article or ser vice separately, comparing with the already collected information database, and after that it is summarized, visualized and sent immediately to control and/or management staff in order to make management decisions.

The task of the invention is also solved with a device to apply the method, which consists of a device registering the opinion of the customer, made as a body including "n" number of keys on its front panel, whereas each key has a graphic image on it, and the device con tains a memory medium.

According to the invention, the device is connected simultaneously online with an external communication and/or information system and with the payment processing device for the goods and/or service, whereas the information resulting from the spontaneous reaction of the customer is combined with information about the type and nature of the delivered ser vice, contained in the external information system(s) and it is recorded in an adjoining database. On the front panel of the device, the keys are ordered in an ascending order according to the satisfaction level, and each key has an image on it, e.g. a symbolic one, which can easily be recognized and related by association by the users with an emotional reaction, that is initiated by the choice and purchase of a specific article or the use of a specific service. The device also includes an indicator connec ted to the payment proce - ssing device; the function of this indicator is to urge the customer to express their opinion immediately after registering the payment. It is preferable that the quality of the images mentioned hereinabove includes symbols expressing various degrees of satis faction. The satisfaction degree can be established through a scale defined in advance, depending on the opinion of the customer who expresses its evaluation of the quality of the received service by using the respective key. Immediately, or at a later stage, this information can be used to retrieve various analytical reports, which can serve as a basis for management decisions.

The method and the device for registration and assessment of customers' satisfaction, sub ject of the invention, is characterized with improved conditions and possibilities to estab lish the satis faction of customers when making purchases or using various types of ser vices. The method and device are distinguished with the quick obtaining and processing of the customers' opinion, which are facilitated as much as possible by the intuitive method to register their opinion. Compared to other traditional feedback collection methods, the use of the described invention does not require the customer to spend time, as he should only select and press the respective key. The use of emoticons to express the various satisfaction degrees supposes easy understan ding of the device's purpose and how it should be used. Through the universal connection of the device for data input from an external information system, the registered opinion of the customer can complete the delivered service by provi ding additional data related with the background of the service - date and hour, type of ser vice, customer, attendant providing the service, etc. The connection with the external infor mation system can be used after pressing any of the feedback keys, and as a filter, which can establish the validity of the obtained information and the avoidan ce of possible misuse by the employees or repeated selection by the customer. Another characte ristic of the device's connection with an external information system is that the customer can be urged to provide his/her opinion immediately after the end of the service by an audible signal, light signal and/or electronic display. Besides the general perception of the customer, the device allows for the measuring of more than one separate components of the delivered service, whereas the measured components are represented via separate series of keys, or by presenting the measu red components to the customer sequentially via a display, light or sound signal. After reading the opinion of the customer, the studied component, subject of assessment, is changed on the display, urging the customer to express his/her opinion again.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further down the description, an implementation example of the method and device to register and assess customers' satisfaction will be provided, which can be explained in more detail with the assistance with the drawings attached to the description, where:

Fig. 1 - Schematic diagram, describing the processing method for the data obtained by the device in an active operation mode

Fig. 2 - Schematic diagram, describing the processing method for the data obtained by the device in a passive operation mode.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With this description, we will introduce an implementation example of the method and the de vice for the registration and assessment of customers' satisfaction, which does not delimit the usage of other operations or components comprising the device, having equivalent action regarding the results and the effectiveness of using the method and the device according to the invention.

The device for registering customers' satisfaction includes an enclosure, which envelopes an electronic unit, for instance a printed circuit board, comprising a microcontroller connected to keys, located on the front panel of the enclosure. The keys are made with a graphic image on their top surface, whereas the image of each key represents a various satisfaction degree. The keys are arranged in the left to right direction, respectively, from the lowest degree to the highest degree of satisfaction, or vice versa, whereas the quality of the graphic image can use standard and practical images - emoticons; for instance - smiling, neutral or frowning face. Depending on the design shaping of the enclosure, aiming to facilitate the usage of the device by consumers, additional text instructions can be attached to it, as well as signalization components - electronic display, sound indicator or light indicator. The back side of the enclosure contains a power sup ply input and an output to connect the device to external information system. Communication with the external information system is performed via a standard interface, including, but not limited to: Ethernet, RS232, USB, 802.11, Bluetooth. The device is installed on the location where the services are provided or close to it, connected to the workstation of the respective employee, for instance with a payment processing device. Depending on its settings, it can func tion in an active or passive mode. If the device is set up and switched on in the active mode, the implementation of the customer opinion registration method is performed in conformity with the illustration of fig. 1. In this mode, the device is connec ted to an external information system, which is in the same time used as a system to register the purchases of goods or the delivery of services. By default, the device is locked, and it does not receive, respectively it does not per form any processing of the incoming signal, for instance by an accidental press of any key. After completing a specific service (or respectively completing a stage of the service) and its registra tion (for instance, at the time of paying for it), the information system transmits an incoming signal to the device; when this signal is received, the device is unlocked and it automatically enters into an active mode. At this time, a timer is activated, which counts a time interval during which the device remains active and accessible. Immediately after that, the customer is urged via a light signal, sound signal or electronic display to express his/her opinion. If he/she does not press any of the keys during the time period defined by the timer, after the time period is elapsed, the device is locked until the delivery of another service. When any of the keys of the device is pressed, it initiates a procedure to record the submitted information into a database, which recor ding is initiated by sending a signal from the device to the computer connected to it, where it is compared with the preliminary entered model signals and addi tional information is collected about the nature of the delivered service received from external information systems. The infor mation received this way is processed and joined with the data about the customer's opinion, and after that it is recorded in the respective database. After the successful completion of this proce dure, the device signals to the customer that his/her opinion is taken into account by sending a light or sound signal, or by activating an electronic display. On request, the recorded information is extracted from the database and after the respective processing it is represented into the form of various by type statistic or analytic reports.

The method related with the passive operation mode of the device is illustrated in the schematic diagram of figure 2. During or after the delivery of the service, the customer presses any of the keys reflecting his/her satisfaction with the service. If the device is not locked by a previous pressing of a key, it is locked and a timer is activated, counting the time period during which it will remain inaccessible. Each key press during this time period will be ignored, aiming to avoid the incorrect usage of the device. Then, a signal is sent to the computer connected to the device, where it is compared with the preliminary entered model signals and additional information is collected about the background of the delivered service, received from external information systems. The information received this way is processed and joined with the data about the cus

tomer's opinion, and after that it is recorded in the respective database. After the successful completion of this procedure, the device signals to the customer that his/her opinion is ta ken into account via a light or sound signal, or an electronic display. On request, the recor ded information is extracted from the database and after the respective processing it is rep resented into the form of various by type statistic or analytic reports.

More specifically, the application of the method and the respective device can be reviewed in the context of providing administrative services in the municipal/state administration. The method is implemented in the following sequence: The customer goes to the service desk and states to the attendant the service he/she would like to receive - claim, duplicate, filing a declaration, etc. The clerk registers the respective service into the information sys tern, which, at completion of the ser vice (or a certain stage of the service, e.g. an applica tion for issuing a document) sends a signal to the device, which in turns urges the customer to provide his/her opinion via any of the keys. In the same time, a timer is activated, defi ning the period of time during which the device will be active. In case of a customer reac tion, expressed in pressing a key, the device is deactivated and the obtained assessment is recorded into a database with the date and time of the service, the specific type of the service and data about the respective attendant. The assessment from the va rious stages of the lifecycle of the service can be aggregated or analyzed separately. The various stages of the service can take place in different physical locations - e.g., the application for a service can be performed in the administrative building, and the very service - consumed at the location of the applicant. In these cases, the customer's assessment can be supplemented with his/her opinion provided through other channels as well - e.g. the internet, survey, etc. The connection between the various stages of the service is implemented through a unique number issued at the time of delivering the service. The information received in this way allows for the visualization of the service quality assessment, divided for each type of service and employees, whereas after processing the provided information conclusions can be drawn as well as the trends related with the changes of service quality over time.

The method and the device are also suitable for use in stores. The device is placed on the cash- desk, connected to it and to an external information system. The device is activated for assess ment and urges the customer to provide his/her opinion after starting the printing of the receipt.

The cash-desk attendant, the type of the sold articles, the amount of the trans action and other parameters provided by the IT system of the organization are recorded into the database. If the business process in the store includes consultation at any depart ment (e.g., furniture stores), the name of the consultant and the type of the provided con sultation are also entered into the data base. In the same time, via the connection with an external information system, it is possible to additionally include a component that would notify the store manager immediately after recei ving a negative evaluation by customers (e.g., via a sound or light signal, SMS, e-mail or an IT application at his/her computer). The obtained data can be used to establish the service level of cashiers, the competency of the consultants, as well as a base for comparison between the various stores of a store-chain. The method and the device are suitable for use in various types of organizations, where the service (or part of it) is delivered at a single desk, e.g., at gas-stations. The device is placed on the cash-desk. After the service is received by the customer (buying fuel or a product), and its marking into the information system of the site (e.g., cash-desk, terminal), after printing the receipt, the customer is urged (via a signal - light, sound, or on a display) to express his/her opinion by pressing a key regarding his/her overall satisfaction with the service.

At the time of pressing the key, the information about the opinion of the customer is filed and sent to a computer, where it is combined with the information from the IT system of the gas- station (e.g., a cash-desk attendant, an employee attending the customers at the fuel pumps, type of fuel, gas-station number, etc.), and it is recorded into a database. The custo mer can be urged (via a sound or light signal, or via a message on the display) to provide his/her opinion more than once - e.g., for the various components of the service - service at the pump, service at the cash-desk, attractiveness of the store, cleanliness of the gas station etc.). In those cases, where there is more than one component, the selection of the various components can be performed in one of the following methods: via a 'skip' key (e.g., the customer has not pumped fuel and does not wish to assess the service at the pump), duration (e.g., the component changes every 5 seconds), selection of assessment components by the customer - via a touch-screen or additional keys.

The method and the device are suitable for use in various types of sites, where the service is provided to the customer for a longer period of time, e.g. hotels. The device is installed at or close to the reception desk; when the customer leaves the hotel, the device is activa ted. After the check-out at the reception, the device is unlocked (this can be done with printing the receipt, entry into the IT system that a customer has left his/her room, or by the receptionist pressing a button - a hardware one of a separate device, or software controlled one). Via a sound or light signal, or via messages on a display, the customer is urged to provide his/her opinion about one or more components of the service he/she received (e.g., environment, reception service, housekeepers' service, etc.). After the customer provides his/her opinion, the collected information is sent to a computer, where it is combined with additional information from the IT system of the hotel (e.g., housekeeper/s attending to the customer, room number, etc.). When receiving an explicit negative customer feedback, the manager (or another authorized person) of the hotel can receive a notification and go talk to the customer.

The described implementation options do not delimit the application capabilities of the method and the device in various types of sites, where it is possible to register and assess customers' satisfaction with buying a specific article, with receiving or using a specific service. The quick processing of the filed information, as well as its sending to the managing staff allows for a reliable control, tracking the processes in any store, workshop, administrative institution, as well as for a swift reaction to the opinion expressed by the customers. Provisions can be made to inform a specific person (persons) regarding the assessment and the data about the service context immediately after receiving a specific type of opinion at the exit of the system via a visual signal, e-mail or SMS.

In some cases it is necessary for the attendant to make adjustments - language selection, selection of service components or issues, activation of the device, entering additional data about the status of the service - e.g., leaving an audio note via an input audio recording device, video via an input video recording device, or entry of explanatory text as a note.

In some cases the customer can activate the device and provide his/her own assessment - e.g., via a card, fingerprint, etc.

Claims

1. Method for registering and assesing customer satisfaction of the received service, characte rized in that the obtaining of information about the customer opinion is performed via an electro nic device, and consists of the following consecutive actions: selection by the customer of a satisfaction level following a preliminary defined scale, establishing the validity of the asses ment depending on whether there was an actually performed service at this point, aiming to avoid incorrect feedback information, supplementing the assessment with additional data from the service delivery context and recording the aggregated information into a database.

2. Method according to claim 1, which includes consecutive registration of customer satisfaction of various components of the delivered service.

3. Method according to claims 1 and 2, which includes consecutive registration of customer satisfaction at the different time stages of the delivered service.

4. Method according to claims 1, 2 and 3, which includes the urging of the customer to express his/her opinion immediately after the performance of the respective stage, or in the end of the service, via a light signal, sound signal, or electronic display.

5. Method according to claim 4, where the urging of the customer, the filing of additional data about the service context, and the definition of service components is performed automatically via an external information system.

6. Method according to claim 4, where the urging of the customer, the filing of additional data about the service context, and the definition of service components is performed by the attendant.

7. Method according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 including the generation of a unique identifier during the registration of customer satisfaction, via which the customer can supplement his/her assessment at a later stage, by entering additional data about the context of the performed service.

8. Method according to claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, which allows the transmission of the received customer feedback and the data about the context of the performed service in real time, via e-mail, SMS, display, or a computer system.

9. Device for registering and assessing the satisfaction of a customer opinion in conformity with the method of claim 1 , consisting of an entry in the form of keys, characterized in that the keys are at least 3 and their top surface includes graphic images.

10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the graphic images on the keys are arranged linearly and express the satisfaction degree of the customer from the lowest to the highest degree, or vice versa.

11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the graphic images on the keys are emoticons.

12. Device according to claims 9,10 and 11, where the keys are represented by a touch-screen.

13. Device according to claims 9, 10, 1 1 and 12, allowing video input and audio input.