Dr. Forrest Morgeson on ACSI Insights: Linking Satisfaction to Business Outcomes

Customer satisfaction rises and falls with the economy. Understanding that cycle helps leaders read their own results.

Dr. Forrest Morgeson has more than two decades of research on customer satisfaction. He shared what the American Customer Satisfaction Index reveals about satisfaction and business performance.

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Originally aired December 26, 2024 as Episode 116 of The Trusted Guide Podcast (then The Delighted Customers Podcast).

What we cover

• How economic swings, global events, and energy prices affect satisfaction

• Why satisfaction fell before COVID and rebounded after

• Government efforts to improve citizen satisfaction

• Linking satisfaction to ROI, and the challenges of measuring churn

• Why optimizing, rather than maximizing, CX is key to outpacing competitors

Optimize, don't maximize

More isn't always better. Forrest's research points to investing where it matters most to customers and to the business.

About the guest

At the time of this episode, Dr. Forrest Morgeson was Interim Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at Michigan State University. He is the former Director of Research at the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

If this conversation was useful, you'll find more like it in The Trusted Guide Newsletter: practical insights on trust, influence, and leading change.