Is customer satisfaction really an appropriate metric for assessing and managing customer relationships?

Customer satisfaction is a cornerstone of the field of marketing (McKitterick 1957; Kotler 1967; Churchill and Suprenant 1982). The extensive body of theoretical research that has investigated its conceptual domain as well as the nomological network in which it is embedded attests to the importance that academics have given to the construct and its measurement. Among practitioners, its acceptance as the guiding mantra of organizational activity is evidenced by its ubiquity in the trade press and its presence in corporate mission statements, press releases, annual reports, advertisements and other forms of corporate communication (Fournier and Mick 1999). Clearly, both academics and practitioners have embraced the notion of customer satisfaction.