you might want to read this brand new survey ranking Ford highly, it specifically addresses why pushing the envelope and bringing new innovative products to the consumer can increase satisfaction despite the bugs that come from being on the cutting edge of technology:
For immediate release - Tuesday, July 12, 2011
San Diego – Strategic Vision Inc. (SVI) presented results of their 2011 Total Quality Index® (TQI) today, revealing the importance of understanding the consumer's definition of “Quality” as being reflected in the “Total” sum of the emotionally relevant experience for the new car buyer.
“Ford—a quality leader in our study—innovated, and we who count problems discovered that Ford received a large number of complaints primarily about one thing, Sync.—an in-car connectivity system. Does that warrant their ‘tumble’ in some quality metrics?” Darrel Edwards, Ph.D., Chairman and Founder of Strategic Vision does not think so. “Decades ago, we decided to measure ‘Quality’ from the ‘Total’ perspective of the driver/owner, because this is how people actually judge ‘Quality’ in terms of the decision to purchase or not,” says Dr. Edwards. “The number of complaints is considered, but there is absolutely justification—even requirement—for also considering the total positive experience created for the owner/driver,” continues Dr. Edwards.
Chaney continues, “Case in point, when Apple released the first generation iPhone it had a number of problems unique to its innovative position. I suppose it could have been subjected to a simple quality study which would have deemed it among the worst of solidly built, but innovatively boring, competitors. However, billions of dollars in profit and $335 per share later, competitors to Apple are desperately chasing the iPhone's tail winds—with some being left in the dust. When our Total Quality data is used correctly, companies don't find themselves asking ‘How did we get so far behind?’ Rather they ask, ‘how do we remain in the lead.’”
