The new competitive edge
A survey conducted by Management Centre Europe shows how managers view service and the key issues affecting future profitability and growth.

customer unless it has been explained to them. Communicating this message is a priority for any company. • There needs to be more systematic measurement of customer satisfaction. Not enough companies have accurate intelligence systems.

THE SERVICE PRIORITY INDEX
Two key points in the questionnaire have been combined in the final analysis to create a 'Service Priority Index'. It shows what importance executives in the three geographic areas place on a series of servicerelated criteria. The index is based on two factors: • How important is a particular criteria in terms of influencing a customer to buy. • How much room is their for this criteria to be improved by the respondent's organisation. A score of 100 would mean that a criteria is both very important and a criteria where there is great room for improvement, ie. a top priority for action. A score of zero would mean that it is either unimportant or there is no room for further improvement (Table 1).

T

he Management Centre Europe (MCE) has recently completed a survey report which is probably unique. As far as it knows, no other organisation has ever tried, let alone succeeded, to put together a detailed research project on the service ethics in the world's three most dynamic economic areas: America, Europe and Japan. The project evolved from a panEuropean study launched by MCE and John Humble, an international management consultant, in 1988. In 1989, Management Centre Europe's parent organisation, the American Management Association, took the project on board for North America. Simultaneously, the Japan Management Association agreed to participate in the research project. A total of 3,375 top and middle managers took part in the study: