Harvard University research shows that the average U.S. business has approximately a net 11 percent of their customers that would recommend them to other people. That is amazing! Last night, a television newscast reported that the U.S. Congress has a 13 percent approval rating. Could that mean that your casino has a lower approval rating than Congress?
 
I know some of you are puffing out your chest at this very moment and saying that your latest guest satisfaction survey showed a top box score of 78. For those of you who are not research geeks, the top box score represents survey responses that usually fall only into the “excellent” category. Some casinos look at the top two scores, often the 4 and 5, for their so-called top box.
 
Here is the challenge. That score of 78 doesn’t mean that 78 percent of your guests will come back. Being satisfied and actually returning to play again are two different worlds. A guest could be satisfied with the gaming experience at your casino, but if your competitor offers double points or better parking, that same guest could switch without looking back.
 
Do you really know what your score is and what it means? The point is that you need to know what you are measuring and, more importantly, what it means for your long-term success. Here are some real-world examples.
 
The other day, I purchased a couple of items in Sears. Truth be told, I hadn’t been in Sears in a couple of years for anything other than to cut through the store to get to the movie theater. I found the items and took them to a register. I wasn’t in a good place to wait long in line because I was with my sons. But I was the second person at the check-out, so I figured I would be finished with my transaction quickly.
 
Then I heard the women in front of me talking and one said, “Now I see why people just dump a pile of stuff and walk out.” That was not a good sign from my perspective. I waited a little longer and decided there must be more registers in the store. As I walked around, I found a young woman in the jewelry section and she had no one waiting. I asked if she could ring up my non-jewelry items. Her reply was a nod with a hint of a shrug. As I waited, I couldn’t get over how slowly a person could scan three items. She never spoke or smiled. After I paid, she told me I could get $10 off my next purchase if I called the number on the receipt and took a survey about the service she provided. I was shocked. First, if I had told her how miserable her service was, would she have given me the information about making the call? Second, did she really think she was providing good or great service?
 
For those of you who think your top box score is 78, you need to realize that the guests who fall in the middle of the survey won’t take the time to call in. You need to know your net number. You must subtract the people that are giving you low scores because they truly count against you in the long run. They are important!
 
Let’s move on to the question of whether I was satisfied with the products I bought at Sears. I would say yes and probably give them a 5 (on a scale of 0 to 5 with 5 being high). It’s critical that you understand this question. I was satisfied with the products. So if Sears had surveyed me on product quality satisfaction, some big dogs at the company would be sitting around saying how great they are. In reality, I’ll only go back if I need those particular items. Even more important, if a friend asked me where to get 90 percent of the things you can buy at Sears, I would recommend an alternate retailer. Other than a few tools, Sears has very little that can be purchased only at its stores.
 
So what is the Sears score? Some people would take my 5 (excellent) for the products and be delighted with that. But what is the real score from either of these experiences? I have no idea and neither would Sears.
 
Here’s another survey situation to ponder. I recently received a call from a research company that wanted to ask me questions about the service I receive from my insurance agent. As they asked each question, I shared my honest feelings. They often asked me to give my answer a score on a scale of 1 to 10 and all of them were low. I have been with my agent for three years and he has never talked to me. We even have lunch at the same place sometimes and he has never said hello because I don’t think he knows who I am.
 
At the end of the survey, I was asked if I would like my agent to call me about my scores. I said no, if he hasn’t called me in three years, why should he call me now? When the survey ended, I laughed. I knew I would get a call from corporate because they would see from the data that I’d be off that boat faster than a rat on a sinking ship. It’s been almost three weeks as I write this column and I’ve had no calls or letters from corporate or the agent. They know that not only am I dissatisfied, I’m also not an advocate of the company because of the agent.
 
So what was the agent’s score? Who knows, maybe I’m the one person in his entire book of business that never gets a call. Maybe he is happy with 50 percent of his clients giving him 5 or higher. After all, that is much better than the way Americans feel about Congress. Or is it?
 
Casinos routinely do research on how happy or unhappy their guests are. But all that hard work is pointless if you are measuring the wrong thing. If you’re not on the right track, the data is useless as you apply it to the future.
 
There’s another lesson in the examples I shared. In addition to doing the correct research, you also need to have a system in place that will help you understand the data, use it for improvement and determine the return on investment. After all, research just gives you a number, a score. Measuring the right thing is an important first step, but you’ll make little progress if you stop before you create improvements for your guests that drive your score ever higher.

Martin R. Baird is author of “Advocate Index™: An Operational Tool” and chief executive officer of Robinson & Associates, Inc., a customer service consulting firm for the gaming industry. Robinson & Associates helps casinos determine their Advocate Index, a number that indicates the extent to which properties have guests who are willing to be advocates, and then implements its Advocate Development System to help casinos create more guest advocates. The Advocate Development System uses the proven methodology of Advocate Index in combination with best business practices to chart a course for growth and profitability. More information about the Advocate Development System and Robinson and Associates is available at the company’s Web sites at www.advocatedevelopmentsystem.com and www.casinocustomerservice.com.  A copy of “Advocate Index: An Operational Tool” may be obtained by calling 206-774-8856. Robinson & Associates may be reached by phone at 480-991-6420 or by e-mail at mbaird@casinocustomerservice.com. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, Robinson & Associates is a member of the Casino Management Association and an associate member of the National Indian Gaming Association.