Customer Surveying: A Guidebook for Service Managers

"Customer Surveying: A Guidebook for Service Managers" is written to assist the services manager to effectively plan and manage a survey project. It is not an encyclopedia on the subject of surveying or a textbook on survey theory. Rather, its 256 pages aim to provide the tools the survey novice needs to collect real and useful information about customers’ perceptions of service quality. The Survey Guidebook introduces theories and concepts, but always with a focus on practical application.

The term "guide" is used very explicitly here. A guide in the classic sense helps show the path through unknown territory, helping the journeyer to avoid pitfalls, but also answering questions along the way and pointing out features that enhance the value of the trek. The Survey Guidebook plots a path for the surveyor from planning the project, designing the questionnaire, administering the survey, to analyzing and reporting the results using standard desktop software. Tasks for each stage are described and the pros and cons of various options are outlined. The Survey Guidebook pays particular attention to options for questionnaire design and techniques for survey administration, including web and email surveying techniques. 67 charts and figures are included in the book to help explain the concepts, and four exercises help readers practice their new-found skills.

Dr. Van Bennekom is Principal of Great Brook Consulting. He is also a Lecturer at Northeastern University's College of Business Administration where he teaches Operations and Service Management courses in the graduate and executive programs. Fred's business practice examines the use of customer feedback for organizational improvement, with a special focus on the strategic linkage between customer support and product engineering. Fred has co-authored a major research report on "Best Practices in Design for Supportability: Gaining Competitive Advantage from Customer Support," with Keith Goffin of the Stuttgart Institute of Management & Technology in Germany. Fred’s has also authored many surveys used by service organizations for service program development and quality control purposes, and he serves on the Board of Advisors of MarketQuiz with whom he has partnered to deliver a complete customer research solution. Fred recently authored, "Customer Surveying: A Guidebook for Service Managers," published by the Customer Service Press.

Prior to his academic career, Fred served ten years as an information systems consultant for Digital Equipment Corporation's Field Service organization, developing management reporting systems for field management. He received his A.B. from Bowdoin College and his masters and doctoral degrees from Boston University's School of Management. Fred has published in both industry and academic journals and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences worldwide. He is president of the Boston chapter of AFSMI and vice president in the Boston Chapter of the Association of Support Professionals.