Factors affecting customer satisfaction for Ayurveda Anti-ageing soap for women.

Customer expects certain product of service and utilize the specific product or service and if they satisfy with the certain product, they buy again as well as recommend to others too (Kotler 2011). The variation in between customer expectation and customer perceived quality known as customer satisfaction (Kotler 2009). If there not satisfy with product they will switch to competitor’s brand or an alternative product and criticize the product to others. Customer satisfaction is an indicator that forecasts the future of customer behavior (Hill, Reche and Allen, 2007). An overall evaluation after purchase is known as customer satisfaction (Fornell, 1992). Consumer evaluation happen after utilizing the product or service. After utilizing the certain product customer will evaluate the particular product and end up satisfied or not satisfied. Customer who satisfied with particular product will intend to purchases again the same product as per Philip Kotler Earliest statement.

Particular product features and perception of quality influence the customer satisfaction (Zeithal and bitner, 2003). Always perception of the particular product quality influences in the customer satisfaction. Positive perception gives good return to the company. By the way negative perception is hard to change it. If customer have negative perception towards a particular product it may lead to negative word of mouth.

Satisfied customer purchases the particular product as well as other products from the same company (Riewchheld and Saser, 1990). Satisfied customer willing to buy same product again and again may also buy more in quantity same product to save the money from future price rice or any other personal benefits. Also, customer willing to buy the other product from same company cause of the positive perception which they perceived from specific product or service. If a customer satisfied with a particular product, they buy the product again and again also recommend to their friends and family members as well as.

Importance of the customer satisfaction

To run the business successfully, there are many elements affecting its success. At the point of successful running business all the factors need to run effectively and efficiency.  In customer satisfaction quality of the product play main role. Quality of the product significantly influence the customer satisfaction. One of the most difficult part is to build the brand awareness. Through the expected level of quality product and efficient customer service can achieve the customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the one of the main keys of the brand loyalty.

Retaining customer is cheaper than acquiring a new customer (RC Blattberg, J Deihton, 1996). In this era it very difficult get a new customer.it very cost effective. To obtain new customer companies invest huge amount of money through advertisement and other marketing strategies. Customer need to be satisfied to retain the customer. Dissatisfied customer will no buy the product again as well as negative word of mouth spread out through them. Customer satisfaction more important in positive word of mouth. Satisfied customer spread positive word of mouth. Positive word of mouth can spread by customer to their friends, family member, colleagues. also, positive word of mouth can be spread out via social media, google review etc. in this modern era customer more often look into google review before purchasing a product or service. Customer keener about what other says about particular product service. Most positive reviewed product gain the positive perception.so customer satisfactions very important to sustain in the market. Nowadays its easy to switch to another product since competitors are more awake and noticing the competitors mistake and converting the customer to purchase their product or service.

Brand Reputation

A specific brand that how it viewed by an individual or an organization is known as brand reputation (Hassan Afzal 2010). A favorable brand reputation signifies that customer lay on the particular company product or service and it intend to repurchase the product or service again and again on the perceived trust which customer have on particular brand. Brand is a face of business. If a product or service has been a reputed brand reputation sustainability in the market will be higher. Brand reputation denoted as customer perception of perceived quality of particular product or service accompanying with the brand name (selnes 1998). Brand reputation is intangible asset to a company. Recent study that cast there is significant competitive advantages in brand reputation (Gennady and elena Mayorova, 2015). Favorable brand reputation ease to introduce the new product. In this modern era consumer acquire brand reputation of particular product before they purchase. Building brand reputations very important to sustain the marker. To maintain the brand reputation customer expectation, need to be fulfilled, quality of service needs to be in expected level of the customers, brand awareness needs to circulated in social media, blog, e books to easy to read and understand.

Brand reputation is very important in a business. To increase the customer loyalty brand reputation, need to be well maintained. To be market leader confident must build in the target market. Content marketing is most influencing factor in brand reputation management (J Rowley, 2008). Content marketing takes a major place in brand reputation in this modern business world. Content market educate the customer and more informative to customer. Content marketing always solve the common problem of target audience. Rather than being sales oriented, content marketing is more affective factor that increase the sales and retain the customer through the brand awareness. Content market influences in the brand reputation. Through the content marketing target audience gather information via blogs, eBooks, graphics etc this help to increase the brand awareness. Once content start circulates among the target market, customer take notice about it and share among their friends and family as well as.

Customer service

Customer service is an act accomplish the customer needs and want before the sale, during the sale, And after the sale. Customer service play quite significant role in customer satisfaction. Good customer service accelerates positive word of mouth. To attract a new customer is cost effective, providing better service to existing customer archive to gain life time customers. To ensure the customer satisfaction business must focus on customer service quality. Exceeding customer expectation maximize the customer service (Jenny C.Hoekstra, Eelko K. R. E Huizingh , 1999).

Let’s take an example of restaurant chain whose average transaction value is 450 Lankan Rupees. If a customer visits the restaurant three times in week, 48 weeks per year, in twenty years customer spent nearly 1.2 Million Sri Lankan Rupees. If the customer walks out and never return due poor customer service in reality business will lost millions of Rupees.

Employee happiness affect significantly on customer service. Employee happiness correlates to customer happiness (Schwepker, 2001). Employee happiness depend on a good paycheck, proper training, well equipped infrastructure of work place. Business revenue increases with customer service. Better customer service influence positively retention of the customer (Mc Dougall, G, 2001). Business must ensure the better customer service to their customer to stand in the market. In today’s competitive business retention of customer is very competitive. Providing better customer service may help to retention of customer.

Product Quality

It is important to note that quality of the product or service will influence to repurchase the particular product or service. Product quality known as value of particular product view compare with other product by customer (Kotler, Armstrong 2012). Offering quality product to customer lead to receive loyalty positive word of mouth that allow the company to grow. Product quality is very important factor that influence the customer expectation. when consumer perceived the expected product quality it will lead to reach positive word of mouth among the target market.

maintaining the product quality help to build positive brand reputation in community. If customer not happy with the particular product customer will not satisfy. If a product doesn’t meet the customer’s expected quality that was promised by business entity, people will hear about it on social media, from their friends, from review sites. Quality of the product comprehend of several indicators such as features, reliability, durability, compliance, namely performance (Garvin 1987). A company reputation depends on the product quality. If a customer feels the particular product worth for what they pay or it worth more than what they pay in that point they will be satisfy and they will purchase the product again and again also recommend to their friends as well as.

Cosmetic products are more sensitive and if very important to test the quality of the soap before introduce. Some ingredient may rise side effect to skin. So clinically testing the product before it launches its very important to avoid legal issues. Company must ensure the product quality before it launch.

Customer Expectation

Customer expectation know as perceived value or return that the customer pursues when purchasing a particular product or service. It replicates past and current evaluation of a particular product or service and consumer experiences. To run the business successfully product or service need to meet the customer expectation. Poor level of customer satisfactory level which lead to not achieve the customer expectation (Rust & Zahorik 1993). Understanding the target audience expectations very important to run the business successfully and sustain in the market. Identifying the exact customer expectation and fulfill the needs and want of the customer with run the business successfully.

Customer dissatisfaction occurs when a customer’s expectation doesn’t happen as expected. A dissatisfied customer may cause huge effect business. Dissatisfied customer lead to negative word of mouth as well as recommends the competitor products too among their family and friends. In order to run the business successful, it’s very important to meet the customer expectation most of the time. Customer expectation are preliminary principles about a product or service (Olson & Dover, 1979). When business fail to meet the customer expectation, customer will be dissatisfied and switch the product to competitor’s brand.

A review of the literature recommends that in the customer satisfaction evaluation process consumer may use multiple type expectation (Tse & Wilton, 1988). Customer expectations are based on their past experience and the experience that their perusing during the utilization of a product or service. Customer research can help to identify the customer expectation. To satisfy the customer need to find the exact target market and what is their expectation is very important. Customer’s expectation is created on their gained knowledge and past experiences (Kenneth C, David K, John O, Beng s, 1997). In this Era information are reaching the customer in various method so customer knowledge is upgrading every single minute. Product information are reaching the target segment in various methods and product knowledge is upgrading simultaneously. So according to the information which customer gather customer expectation also may change.

Customer Complaints

Customer complain is a report from a consumer which states the problem of the product or service (BJ Gallagher, 2011). Customer complaints are very useful to business to improve the quality of the product or service as per customer expected level. Increase of customer satisfaction will increase the customer loyalty and decrease the customer complaints (Fornell & Wenefelt, 1988). Customer compliant directly influence in the customer satisfaction. Customer complaints need to monitor very cautiously in order to maintain the brand image. Poor customer service rises the customer complaints. Sales forces need to be well-trained and polite to reduce the customer complaints. At the very first stage customer may complaint of the company if not resolve in the reasonable time frame customer may starts complaint to their family and friends about particular product. This affect the brand image and influence in the brand perception. customer complaints need to be resolved in timely manner to satisfy the customer.

Customer complaints need to view as a gift by business (Bleuel, William, 2010). Customer complaints are more precious information to a company. Complaints raises at the point of the time when customer expectation fails. So, customer complaint needs to be view as a gift, chance to rectify the mistake and understand and evaluate the customer dissatisfaction. Resolving the customer complain may scope to deliver the product and service to customer as their expected level. Achieving the expected level will be full fill the customer need and want towards a particular product or service. Once the customer complain resolve and delivered the product or service to customer at their expected level will intend to purchase the product or service again and again. Customer who purchase the product again and again there the satisfied customer as per Philip Kotler’s statement. So customer complaints reflect in customer satisfaction.

Conceptual Framework

Based on the literature review, which was carried out to find that factors affecting customer satisfaction of a Men’s Ayurveda anti-aging soap, Brand Reputation, service Quality, Product Quality, Customer Expectation.

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