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Permalink Reply by Philip Zelinger on September 8, 2013 at 1:23pm

Hi Rick,

In my humble opinion, the answer to your question lies in the processes you use during the sale and delivery vs. any efforts that you might institute after delivery to improve your CSI.  For example, if both online and printed references from satisfied sales and service customers are used during your "Why Buy Here' section of your sales presentation - hopefully you have one - then you have established their importance to you and your customers and planted the seed for asking for theirs when it is their turn to pay it forward for you and your future customers. 

If your goal is limited to CSI Survey results, no problem since inserting references into your sale process will set the stage for when the forms are received after delivery.  However, that brings to mind a challenge that I have for a single minded objective to increase your CSI score vs. the real goal which should be to improve customer satisfaction and retention.

To achieve both goals you should employ state of the art sales tools at your facility- such as iPad based sales presentation platforms that incorporate a section directly linked to online social networking sites - and online references and solicitations for customer comments on your website and other digital marketing media coupled with your request for customer comments before, during and after the sale.  Your CSI scores will be improved as a result of improved customer relations and online reputation vs. a direct solicitation for what might appear to be a self serving report card.

Of course CSI based emails and follow up calls after delivery incorporated in most CRM's and other more customer centric automated digital marketing platforms will also improve your CSI response and results.  However, you will still be building on quick sand if the sales experience didn't exceed your customer's expectations. 

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