Yamaha Marine Group received four 2003 Marine Industry CSI Awards for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction from the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) during ceremonies Wednesday, October 29, at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), at the
Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida.
Yamaha brands recognized were Yamaha Outboards, Cobia Boats, G3 Boats and Skeeter Boats. These brands all received CSI awards last year. In addition, Century Boats, also a Yamaha brand, received a CSI award during February’s Miami Boat Show.
“In the CSI program’s short two-year history, the CSI Award has become a coveted honor among boat and engine manufacturers. The program has encouraged participating companies to develop new initiatives to enhance their customer satisfaction efforts,” says NMMA President Thom Dammrich.
The CSI Awards recognize participating companies that have actively measured customer satisfaction to pursue continuous improvement. To earn an award, the brand must have achieved and maintained an independently measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past year, based on information provided from more than 32,000 consumers that have purchased a new boat during that period.
Yamaha Marine Group President Phil Dyskow said, “We learn by listening. The opinions of our customers serve as important measurements of how our brands are performing to their expectations. It is especially gratifying for our brands to be recognized with these awards.”
To qualify, companies must be enrolled in the Marine Industry CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) Program and adhere to the guidelines of the program in implementing ongoing measurement of customer satisfaction. Participants must have achieved a 12-month average score of 90 from new boat owners rating “Overall Satisfaction with the Boat.”
“Ever since we invented the bass boat over 50 years ago, we have helped our customers catch fish and enjoy their leisure time,” said Skeeter General Manager Jeff Stone. “By providing top-quality boats backed by a strong Customer Satisfaction program, we know our customers can feel confident about the investment they’ve made in their Skeeter.”
The spirit of the CSI program and the award is to elevate the importance of customer satisfaction in the marine industry and recognize manufacturer best practices in this area in a positive manner.
G3’s General Manager Terry Ickes, echoed the spirit the program, “The CSI program provides G3 with a valuable tool for measuring our progress toward our goal of 100 percent customer satisfaction. We strive to provide a total quality experience for our boat buyers, and the feedback from our CSI program allows us to continue to improve our boat-building processes. Our future depends upon satisfied customers. It’s that simple.”
Cobia Boats’ General Manager Dean Burnett said, “CSI is very important to us because the customers’ confidence in Cobia is what sells our boats. If our customers aren’t happy, then we aren’t achieving our goal of superior customer satisfaction. For us, CSI is a benchmark for continual improvement.”By: Mike Walker, Walker Agency
