Customer Satisfaction Model
(Kano)

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Measuring client happiness. Explanation of Customer Satisfaction Model of Kano. ('84)

Kano customer satisfaction model

What is the customer satisfaction model? Description

The customer satisfaction model from N. Kano is a quality management and marketing technique that can be used for measuring client happiness.

Kano's model of customer satisfaction distinguishes six categories of quality attributes, from which the first three actually influence customer satisfaction:

Basic Factors. (Dissatisfiers. Must have.) - The minimum requirements which will cause dissatisfaction if they are not fulfilled, but do not cause customer satisfaction if they are fulfilled (or are exceeded). The customer regards these as prerequisites and takes these for granted. Basic factors establish a market entry 'threshold'.
Excitement Factors. (Satisfiers. Attractive.) - The factors that increase customer satisfaction if delivered but do not cause dissatisfaction if they are not delivered. These factors surprise the customer and generate 'delight'. Using these factors, a company can really distinguish itself from its competitors in a positive way.
Performance Factors. The factors that cause satisfaction if the performance is high, and they cause dissatisfaction if the performance is low. Here, the attribute performance-overall satisfaction is linear and symmetric. Typically these factors are directly connected to customers' explicit needs and desires and a company should try to be competitive here.

The additional three attributes which Kano mentions are:

Indifferent attributes. The customer does not care about this feature.
Questionable attributes. It is unclear whether this attribute is expected by the customer.
Reverse attributes. The reverse of this product feature was expected by the customer.

Origin of the customer satisfaction model. History

The approach towards analyzing customer satisfaction was first published in an article by KANO, N. SERAKU, N., TAKAHASHI, F. & TSUJI, S. (1984) Attractive quality and must-be quality, Hinshitsu (Quality, the Journal of Japanese Society for Quality Control), 14, pp. 39-48.

Usage of the customer satisfaction model. Applications

Besides the obvious quality management and marketing usage, Kurt Matzler, Matthias Fuchs and Astrid Schubert wonder in their article "Employee Satisfaction: Does Kano's Model Apply?" (Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, November-December 2004) whether Kano's model on customer satisfaction factors is also relevant to describe employee satisfaction. Since employees can be perceived as internal customers. They reach the conclusion that Kano's theory is indeed useable for internal customers analysis as well.

Steps in the customer satisfaction model. Process

Kano developed a questionnaire to identify the basic, performance and excitement factors as well as the other three additional factors.

For each product feature a pair of questions is formulated to which the customer can answer in one of five different ways.
The first question concerns the reaction of the customer if the product shows that feature (functional question);
The second question concerns the reaction of the customer if the product does NOT show this feature (dysfunctional question).
By combining the answers all attributes can be classified into the six factors.

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Customer Satisfaction Model Forum

Recent User Comments

    			 
             Nhongonhema - Zimbabwe
  	       
  		     Customer Satisfaction and Competitive Advantage
  	  		 "What is the role of customer satisfaction in gaining a competitive advantage?"
  			   
    	  		 1

    			 
             Dalia Fakhry - Egypt
  	       
  		     Research Software Development Indsutry?
  	  		 "What possible research ideas can be found regarding the applications of customer satisfaction model in the software development industry to maintain customer retention."
  			   
    	  		 0

    			 
  			   Usha - India
  	       
  		     Overall Satisfaction: in Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire Design?
  	  		 "Should we have a question capturing "overall satisfaction" in a survey form, apart from individual product/service attribute rating?  If required, what is the additional value?"
  			   
    	  		 9

    			 
  			   L.K.Gupta - India
  	       
  		     Adressing unarticulated Needs of Customers
  	  		 "Adressing unarticulated needs of clients in addition to basic needs is  key. This can be done by unobstructed observations, not by questioners surveys."
  			   
    	  		 -1

    			 
  			   Julio Garcia - Argentina
  	       
  		     Valid for HR Recruitment also
  	  		 "The same model could be applied by HR to recruit and mantain the best talents in you company."
  			   
    	  		 0

Best User Comments

    			   
    			     Manwel - Lebanon
  	         
  				   Example FMCG and B2B business
  				   "Who can give an example of these 3 factors in the FMCG and B2B business. What are the basic factors, the excitement and the performance factors...? Thank you"
    			   
        	  		 25

    			   
    			     Maria Garcia S. - Perù
  	         
  				   Kano Oversight
  				   "Satisfaction is a multifunctional definition that has two main components: Functional and Emotional. The first one is related to performance, and emotional to a perception and correlated to a value proposition and branding."
    			   
        	  		 10

    			   
    			     Imtiaz - India
  	         
  				   Kano Model Software
  				   "What kind of software do you require to work on a CSM survey using Kano's model?"
    			   
        	  		 8

    			   
    			     Rajkumar Baral - Nepal
  	         
  				   Emotions and Actions
  				   "According to Kano theory there are two components: EMOTIONS and ACTIONS. In the service industry (banking, hotels), if the exitement from experiencing the product does not meet previous standards, then that customer will be dissatified."
    			   
        	  		 4

    			   
    			     Pranjal - India
  	         
  				   Risks associated with Excitement Factor
  				   "I strongly agree that the excitement factors delight the customer but with the passage of time these factors no longer hold the surprise factor. In fact this becomes a normal expectation by the customer and if a service provider fails to imitate this in its performance this can lead to dissatisfaction as well."
    			   
        	  		 3

    			   
    			     Sudip - Nepal
  	         
  				   Valid for Products and Services
  				   "Of course, Kano's theory can be applied to both PRODUCTS and SERVICES sectors."
    			   
        	  		 2

    			   
    			     Dawit Melak - Ethiopia
  	         
  				   Customer satisfaction and service quality
  				   "Where does the relationship b/n customer level of satisfaction and service quality lie? Is the model applicable to educational institution?"
    			   
        	  		 1

    			   
    			     Dharmesh - India
  	         
  				   Generic Customer Satisfaction
  				   "As far as I know, every customer is different. How can we design a model which has a more generic approach irrespective of demographic and geographic differences?"
    			   
        	  		 0

    			   
    			     Rudy - Belgium
  	         
  				   Assumptions of the Kano Model
  				   "Note that the model by Kano is aimed at finding the average appreciation of certain quality factors in a representative group at a moment in time when the questionnaires are collected.

There could be valuable customers with a different profile as well. This may require a seperate marketing effort.

You'd better make sure the interrogated group is representative...

The classification of and the happiness about certain attributes may change dramatically, even in a short time period."
    			   
        	  		 0

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12manage for:

                     
                      └► Lenworth Grandison (Jamaica)
                      
                    Customer Satisfaction and Competitive Advantage
                    "Customer satisfaction is what every organization aspires to achieve, it keeps the customer coming back, this in itself usually transcends to a loyal customer, when the customer needs a product from that particular product class your product readily comes to mind, so the customer goes out and makes the purchase, hence success for the organization."

                     
                      └► Mrinal Ghosh (India)
                      
                    Re@usha
                    "I believe apart from the checking the overall satisfaction with the product we need to check the overall satisfaction with the brand as whole. Say for example in case of a bank, the customer might be happy with fixed deposit he is having with the bank, however there are other dynamics involved which re assures the wisdom of purchase say touch points like call centre, ATM, etc. All these as a whole creates a perception about the brand which is measured by the overall satisfaction with the brand at an overall level."

                     
                      └► Manoj (India)
                      
                    Kano Model
                    "Yes this is one of the best tool that can be used for capturing what customer wants"

Customer Satisfaction Model (Kano)