Improving Business-to-Business Customer Satisfaction Programs: Assessment of Asymmetry, Heterogeneity, and Financial Impact
研究识别了影响B2B客户满意度的八个关键战略属性，发现这些属性在满意度的维持、平衡或提升上存在不对称性，且这种不对称性因行业和客户群体而异，最后证实了满意度与财务绩效（如销售额）之间的关联。
Business-to-business (B2B) companies devote significant resources to measure customer satisfaction but lack guidance on critical aspects of implementing satisfaction programs. Accordingly, executives ask: (1) What are the key strategic attributes driving B2B customer satisfaction? (2) Are the strategic attributes satisfaction balancing, satisfaction maintaining, or satisfaction enhancing based on the pattern of asymmetry? (3) Do the sign and magnitude of asymmetry vary across industry and customer subgroups? and (4) Is there a generalizable link between satisfaction and financial performance for B2B firms? Study 1 uses qualitative and secondary research to identify and validate eight strategic attributes pertinent to B2B companies: quality of product/service, pricing, safety, sales process, project management, corporate social responsibility, communication, and ongoing service and support. Study 2 examines industry-subgroup heterogeneity in the nature of asymmetry across industries, then links satisfaction with performance (i.e., sales). Study 3 finds customer-subgroup heterogeneity in the nature of asymmetry within the customer base of a B2B service provider, then links satisfaction with performance (i.e., dollar value of purchase).