Tennant Co. is a manufacturer of floor maintenance equipment and operates in the industrial, commercial and surface maintenance markets. In 1985, the firm had over $136,000,000 in net sales, providing equipment, accessories, supplies and floor treatment materials to customers worldwide in a variety of diverse markets. The company's headquarters, research, engineering operations and domestic manufacturing facilities are located in Minneapolis.


When Dave Hetterick began working in research at Tennant Co. three years ago, the primary function of his department was conducting sales analyses and sales forecasting. While these two research areas are important, little was done to measure customer satisfaction with its industrial floor cleaning equipment, the firm's primary manufacturing interest.

"Traditionally, business-to-business research for industrial companies had primarily an internal focus on making a profit," says Hetterick, business research manager at Tennant Co. in Minneapolis. "Marketing was a 'pushing' process, meaning, getting a customer to purchase a machine and then moving on to the next likely prospect."

With a number of competitors and a finite group of customers, the research emphasis needed readjusting if the company wanted to remain a leader in the floor cleaning machines and floor cleaning materials business. That was part of the responsibility Hetterick was asked to assume, to help redirect the research outward to the customer.

"Marketing at Tennant as at many other industrial companies, is now more of a 'pulling' process. The idea is to 'pull' customers in by determining their needs and expectations, designing products and services to meet those needs, then measuring their satisfaction with those products."

Customer questionnaire

Tennant began measuring customer satisfaction about two years ago when it initiated the "Customer Feedback Channel" project. This two-part questionnaire measures customer satisfaction with its products soon after delivery and then again one year later after the customer has used the machine. The survey is an on-going, direct mail project which the company developed internally for its machine customers in the industrial markets.

Thousands of businesses or organizations that have large floor or other horizontal surfaces which need cleaning and wear protection use Tennant equipment and products. These include: college campuses, military hangars, aircraft carriers, convention centers, shopping centers and parking ramps as well as manufacturing and warehousing facilities.

The Customer Feedback Channel questionnaire is the first formal and systematic procedure the company has used to help meet customer expectations for the firm's products and services. Prior to the Feedback Channel, customers were sent a letter about one year after they purchased the equipment asking about their satisfaction with the product. The letter was an effort to assist dissatisfied customers, but relatively few customers responded and the results were not quantifiable. Favorable responses were used by the salespeople as testimonials.

The purpose of the Customer Feedback Channel is to assure that customers are satisfied with the quality of Tennant's products and services.

"The ultimate measure of quality is being able to continuously meet customer expectations," says' Hetterick. "With this research program, we are able to do this thoroughly and on a more consistent basis."

Measuring expectations

The company begins measuring expectations soon after the customer receives the machine.

"Two weeks after a machine is delivered and is installed by a company salesperson, we send out a questionnaire," says Hetterick. "Naturally, there are many variables about the machine that we can't ask about until the customer has used it awhile, but there are many things that can be measured."

Hetterick says the things that Tennant measures right after delivery are: the customer's expectations and degree of satisfaction with the shipping of the machine; any damage that occurred in delivery; the type of crating used and the installation. The customer is also asked how he plans to use the machine. The questionnaire also contains a section on the machine's characteristics. Additionally, the customer is asked to comment on his expectations for the machine's performance. productivity, how long it will last, its reliability, the availability of parts and service availability.

One year later, the customer is mailed the second part of the survey. The intention of this questionnaire is to find out how well the customer's expectations are being satisfied.

"We want to find out how well the machine is performing, if there are any problems with it and if there is anything the customer would like to change about the machine," says Hetterick.

The 10-page questionnaire covers six areas. The first two ask the customer to rate his satisfaction with the company and its products and services and his satisfaction with the machine purchased one year previously. The third section asks the customer about warranty claims and his satisfaction with the company's maintenance. The fourth area is concerned with the machine purchased, its cleaning performance, ease of operation, reliability and quality. The fifth area asks the customer about his use of other industrial floor cleaning equipment and the floor surfaces on which the machine is used. The final part asks questions about the customer's facility demographics.

Questionnaire results

Survey results Tennant has received thus far are based on the first part of the questionnaire sent to customers who purchased products since the program began in 1985. The follow-up questionnaire went out beginning in 1986, one year after customers purchased the equipment. Although a report for the 1985-86 period has not been fully completed, the company is recognizing the need for some changes or adjustment in design, manufacturing, and packaging of the equipment. The findings have also helped reinforce the importance of its service operations.

As customer surveys come in, business research analysts begin to organize the data for dissemination to various company departments. The dissemination of the findings involves two steps. The first is oral presentation of the data to company marketing managers. From that point, it's their responsibility to communicate this information to the relevant departments and to make sure any necessary changes are implemented.

The second step involves a written report which is sent to all senior managers in each area of the company. This dissemination process allows management to better understand the needs of its customers and how well those needs are being met. More importantly, says Hetterick, that information is acted upon by management in those areas which need improvement.

"At Tennant, quality is ultimately measured in terms of customer satisfaction. That's the bottom line."

This illustrates Tennant's commitment to sound business-to-business research and its results in improved product performance and customer satisfaction.