Most companies pay lip service to customer satisfaction, noting it in their annual report and the CEO's speeches, but few companies put in place the business processes and rigorous metrics that are necessary to deliver on the promise of their words. ShoreTel is an exception.

“It's no secret to anyone that we are obsessed with customer satisfaction,” says John W. Combs, ShoreTel president and CEO. “We are also big fans of metrics - of taking measurements - to ensure we are delivering the best product in the industry. We place equal emphasis on our customer satisfaction metrics as we do our revenue and profit. Our passion is to work with our partners to ensure that our customers are not only satisfied - but they are delighted with our products and services.”

ShoreTel consistently achieves a score greater than 90 in customer satisfaction – a ranking that's world-class by any measure, especially considering ShoreTel’s very stringent measurement process. ShoreTel launched its customer satisfaction program in 2004, using a methodology similar to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The ACSI is an indicator that tracks the quality of products and services from the customer's perspective. Top ranked companies in the ACSI study include Toyota (87), Pepsico (86) and Apple (83).

How Does ShoreTel Do It?
ShoreTel does it the old fashioned way: they earn it. ShoreTel's customer satisfaction program is based on an extensive survey process and rigorous metrics, which are translated into real action by ShoreTel employees and reseller partners alike.

"You can't manage what you don't measure," says Combs. An independent research firm surveys every ShoreTel customer 60 to 120 days after the phone system is installed, either by telephone or via a Web-based survey. Customers are also surveyed every time they touch ShoreTel regarding technical support and assistance.

The interview consists of more than 40 questions that cover areas such as:

Overall satisfaction with the ShoreTel telephone system
Willingness to recommend the ShoreTel system to a friend
Customer intent to re-purchase ShoreTel
Satisfaction with the distribution partner
Satisfaction with the partner's sales force overall
Training satisfaction
Resolution of technical and other issues
Timeliness of resolution of technical issues
Partner's technical ability
Overall satisfaction with ShoreTel

At ShoreTel, an obsession with customer satisfaction may start in the executive suite, but it permeates product development, channel programs and customer service. ShoreTel's employee performance is measured by the customer satisfaction results, so they are incented for continuous improvement in the scores.

The customer satisfaction program creates a direct channel of communication to ShoreTel's product management team, which they can use for new product enhancements. "We view the customer satisfaction program as a great way for us to communicate directly with end-user customers," says Steve Timmerman, vice president of marketing at ShoreTel.

“We provide our partners with world-class support that becomes a competitive advantage for them,” says Walt Weisner, vice president of global support services at ShoreTel. “ShoreTel’s customer satisfaction program is the catalyst that drives the changes in our business processes and support offerings that allows our partners to differentiate themselves with service.”

ShoreTel also uses the customer satisfaction results to develop better training for end users, administrators and channel partners. ShoreTel is well-known for its exceptional ease of use, and to complement that usability, the company has developed a broad range of training programs. "In addition to high quality courses, our customers want a variety of training venues to choose from," says Liz Siebert, ShoreTel's training manager. "Consequently, ShoreTel training is available in classroom, on-site, web-based and self-paced formats.

ShoreTel also strongly supports the channel, so the channel partners can provide outstanding service to their customers. As part of the satisfaction program, customers provide feedback on their reseller partners, which ShoreTel uses to ensure that its channel partners deliver the highest quality services. Channel partners that receive the highest rankings get incentives from ShoreTel, while the lowest-ranked partners receive special assistance from ShoreTel to improve their services.

The channel partners themselves are surveyed throughout the year to get their feedback on ShoreTel's channel programs, which include extensive training programs, sales and marketing tools, and lead generation efforts. Through this initiative, ShoreTel is able to continually offer and refine programs that help the channel partners directly with their business needs and objectives.

Keys to Customer Satisfaction
The ability to deliver world-class customer satisfaction starts with product excellence. ShoreTel's phone system is built with world-class capabilities and availability, delivering the 99.999 percent reliability that industry expects. ShoreTel is consistently rated as the easiest IP telephony solution to implement, manage and use, has the best support and customer service, and has the lowest startup costs, according to the independent firm Nemertes Research.

"IT executives say ShoreTel's products are easy to implement and use, and as a result, their overhead costs are low and the value is high," said Robin Gareiss, Nemertes executive vice president. "Additionally, ShoreTel's customer service, both from the company itself and its VARs, is solid. If there is a problem, ShoreTel helps the VARs resolve it. And ShoreTel follows up with all customers regularly to make sure they are satisfied."

ShoreTel sees four proven steps to customer satisfaction, including:

Network assessment: A comprehensive network assessment is performed prior to installation to verify that the network is ready to support an IP phone system. A network assessment prior to deployment can ward off many potential reliability and voice quality issues.

Project management and system design: Rigorous attention to best practices ensure that the ShoreTel IP phone system is installed right the first time. ShoreTel's ControlPoint tool guides ShoreTel partners through a detailed implementation checklist so that every installation meets the same high standards.

Training: Training everyone — from the people who will use the phones every day to the administrators who manage the system — is vital to overall satisfaction.

Support services: ShoreTel provides a broad range of services during implementation services and post-sale to support customers. With ShoreTel's implementation services, experienced engineers manage the implementation process to ensure a smooth and risk-free transition. Post-sales support services help customers with technical questions, advance hardware replacement and the latest software revisions through annual service contracts. ShoreTel's professional services can help organizations develop custom software and integrate voice communications into core business processes.

"Customer satisfaction really amounts to a sign of good management," says Ben Marbury, an expert in customer satisfaction programs and president of TD Marketing. "Strong customer satisfaction demonstrates that the company's management has the controls and measurements in place to keep customers satisfied. And if a company has good management and satisfied customers, it will be profitable and successful." That's ShoreTel.