Professor Yolanda Jordaan, Head of the Department of Marketing Management and co-founder of the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SAcsi), was most excited about the release of the first full year national customer satisfaction index on 4 November 2013 in Sandton.

The SAcsi is a national economic indicator of customer satisfaction with the quality of products and services available to household consumers in South Africa. The national customer satisfaction score is calculated using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology. This methodology allows the SAcsi to rank South African household consumers’ satisfaction with products and services provided by South African companies with those of other countries that use the same ACSI methodology. The results of the research indicate that South African consumers are generally very satisfied with the goods and services across a number of industries, showing that South Africa has scored a customer satisfaction score of 77,6 out of 100. This score is the second highest national customer satisfaction score when compared to other countries.

“It is a credit to South African brands and companies that the country has done so well in the international ranking and we are proud to be announcing the first national customer satisfaction index in South Africa with international benchmarking ability,” said Professor Adré Schreuder, Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Marketing Management and founder and chair of the SAcsi.

The SAcsi is seen as a valuable tool for businesses and consumers. Since customer satisfaction results are now being published, service providers will be under pressure to improve customer satisfaction – which is good news for consumers. On the other hand, the fact that over 102 brands/companies have subscribed to SAcsi, shows the trust these providers have in the index and their willingness to be measured in terms of their customer satisfaction.

Measured companies are nominated for inclusion in an industry measured by SAcsi’s independently. Each brand/company was measured through telephonic and/or web-survey methods. Customer satisfaction is measured using an advanced statistical model that has been rigorously evaluated, in line with the American Customer Satisfaction Index methodology. The SAcsi index gives companies detailed information to assist them in improving customer satisfaction.