Does Festool Finally Care? Survey From Festool USA’s CEO

Thanks to those who came to my defense.  Festool has sent out a survey asking various questions.  This isn't one of those surveys like you get circled at the bottom of your receipt when you visit one of the big box stores that promises you will be entered into a drawing.  They want to know.  So talk to them - in any opinion or way you want.  I am not coaching one way or the other.  I am only urging you to talk them in any manner you wish. But I urge you to take the time to answer the survey.

Honestly I think that it is overall one of the best surveys they have done.  I think that they will get some good information from it.  If people respond.

We have always tried to help out newcomers to the FOG.  So now there is a new CEO and he is asking for help on survey questions.  Help him out.

Peter
 
I also responded, and was direct on feedback.  I hope they take all the feedback to heart and we see some demonstrable changes as a result.

-
 
The tool they are using here is called the NPS, standing for net promoter score. What ultimately becomes of it is dependent on their view of the results. The quantitative score is what most people are after and will use in marketing materials. The score is a result of how many respondents give a 9/10 and are considered promoters, 7/8 are passives, and all else are detractors. The qualitative data (the verbatim where you write what you think) should be used in conjunction with the numerical data to determine what is working and what isn’t when reviewing the quantitative information. Unfortunately in my experience, the qual. is often overlooked (to be fair the places where I have used it thought themselves too smart for their own good). Here’s hoping that this isn’t the case with Festool.
 
Tik Tok said:
The tool they are using here is called the NPS, standing for net promoter score. What ultimately becomes of it is dependent on their view of the results. The quantitative score is what most people are after and will use in marketing materials. The score is a result of how many respondents give a 9/10 and are considered promoters, 7/8 are passives, and all else are detractors. The qualitative data (the verbatim where you write what you think) should be used in conjunction with the numerical data to determine what is working and what isn’t when reviewing the quantitative information. Unfortunately in my experience, the qual. is often overlooked (to be fair the places where I have used it thought themselves too smart for their own good). Here’s hoping that this isn’t the case with Festool.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the FOG.
 
I applaud Festool for doing the survey. It’s a good way of keeping in touch with the customers. It would be great for them to share the results.
 
0-6 scores from one web site:

"Detractors are unhappy customers. They account for more than 80 percent of negative word-of-mouth. They have high rates of churn and defection. Some may appear profitable from an accounting standpoint, but their criticisms and bad attitudes diminish a company’s reputation, discourage new customers and demotivate employees."

My guess is that the real or perceived motor issue of the Kapex must be one of the explainable causes for creating Festool's detractors. As a satisfied owner of the Kapex (so far!), I have not been able to recommend it to anyone who did express some interest in it (the price was not a big factor to them).
 
I don't find the type of survey sent by Festool all that useful. While the person is certainly able to provide comments, the survey itself is very general and doesn't really delve into the specifics which are relevant to customer satisfaction and tool usage, nor their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the tools. I certainly added some comments relevant to my experience with the tools, but I always feel that companies (and this is not just Festool) could do better with these surveys by structuring them to allow the user to pick at least several of his/her tools and answer questions about each with allowable comments for each also. If companies are interested in more than just a general approval or disapproval rating and are truly interested in getting user input based on actual experience, they would get that kind of information from this alternative kind of structure. I personally am satisfied overall with Festool quality and service. However, there are some things with most of the Festool tools I own that I think would make my "tool experience" better. The survey distributed doesn't really permit that kind of feedback. I give them credit for the attempt. I think it could have been much more valuable and customer oriented had it been something other than a general approval rating survey.
 
Peter Halle said:
Tik Tok said:
The tool they are using here is called the NPS, standing for net promoter score. What ultimately becomes of it is dependent on their view of the results. The quantitative score is what most people are after and will use in marketing materials. The score is a result of how many respondents give a 9/10 and are considered promoters, 7/8 are passives, and all else are detractors. The qualitative data (the verbatim where you write what you think) should be used in conjunction with the numerical data to determine what is working and what isn’t when reviewing the quantitative information. Unfortunately in my experience, the qual. is often overlooked (to be fair the places where I have used it thought themselves too smart for their own good). Here’s hoping that this isn’t the case with Festool.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the FOG.
Click to expand...

Thank you much! Been lurking for a bit now. Am glad to finally participate officially!!
 
I did the survey and was very happy to do it.

For me Festool represents a company that it making products as good as they can NOT as cheap as they can like most others, and are paying a living wage to the people that do this for them.

Its very Very easy to just do it as cheap as you can and on the backs of others.

Its much much harder to do it as good as you can as your focus.

Thank You Festool for not playing in the as cheap as you can arena and for not abusing people so you can be the cheapest.

And my thanks to Peter

Rick
 
I havent mentioned what I told them, so Ill mention it here. That they should have all the modules availale for the CMS in the USA. They should have more modules designed for the CMS, that they should have Inserts made that tools can be adopted to fit te CMS. Also CMS accessories like the side extension tables should be available in the US as they are not tools

They should give us the same bling here that they give in europe and not be so tiht about giving the bling out.

I suggested that they sell a HVLP turbine unit or a conversion gun designed that the CT can be used to power it.

They should up date some of their tools like te Kapex and give info about the accessories that are available for each tool.

Thats about all I remember
 
In regard to recommending Festool, I mentioned that the Kapex fiasco undermined my faith in the company and that tools such as track saws had competition from other companies.

I forgot to do a wish list.
 
jobsworth said:
I havent mentioned what I told them, so Ill mention it here. That they should have all the modules availale for the CMS in the USA. They should have more modules designed for the CMS, that they should have Inserts made that tools can be adopted to fit te CMS. Also CMS accessories like the side extension tables should be available in the US as they are not tools

They should give us the same bling here that they give in europe and not be so tiht about giving the bling out.
Click to expand...

I didn't get a survey, but I will second this.  In general I think it's safe to say N.America wants to be treated like the rest of the world. Thus get tools like the CMS parts, get metric tools (again).  When you have people trying to figure out how to bring parts for CMS into the country, or how to find the metric parts to fix the tool, you shouldn't need a survey to figure that one out.

If a tool is a low volume tool that involves a lot of rework for the N.A. market, people can understand. Maybe even post something as to why, or tell folks what it would take to make it happen.  I don't think too many folks are under an illusion that everything can come this way.  But selling a CMS but only selling 1 module for it, and then trying to limit the usage of that module is the issue. I don't think there is much question there is a great deal of interest in it.
 
grbmds said:
I don't find the type of survey sent by Festool all that useful. While the person is certainly able to provide comments, the survey itself is very general and doesn't really delve into the specifics which are relevant to customer satisfaction and tool usage, nor their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the tools. I certainly added some comments relevant to my experience with the tools, but I always feel that companies (and this is not just Festool) could do better with these surveys by structuring them to allow the user to pick at least several of his/her tools and answer questions about each with allowable comments for each also. If companies are interested in more than just a general approval or disapproval rating and are truly interested in getting user input based on actual experience, they would get that kind of information from this alternative kind of structure. I personally am satisfied overall with Festool quality and service. However, there are some things with most of the Festool tools I own that I think would make my "tool experience" better. The survey distributed doesn't really permit that kind of feedback. I give them credit for the attempt. I think it could have been much more valuable and customer oriented had it been something other than a general approval rating survey.
Click to expand...

The vagueness of the search leads me to suspect it was a fishing expedition. They might go over the replies and develop a more specific set of questions later and address to more prevalent replies. I don't think this is the last questionnaire that is planned.
Tinker
 
Tinker said:
The vagueness of the search leads me to suspect it was a fishing expedition. They might go over the replies and develop a more specific set of questions later and address to more prevalent replies. I don't think this is the last questionnaire that is planned.
Tinker
Click to expand...

A questionnaire is by definition a fishing expedition with structure.  [smile]

I responded to the questionnaire with comments about the ongoing lack of a 20 amp power switch for the CMS that would allow the use of the OF 2200 in the CMS. 
 
I replied to the survey last night with request to come clean on Kapex issue/fix, and to bring back metric as no-cost option.
 
Since this is a new NA General manager, Its not unusual for them to survey their customer base.  But they still have to deal with Corporate. They look for simularities in the replies. Im sure the Kapex and the NAINA stuff will be the most concerns suggestions in the survey.

But remember Germany rules the roost. They have the ultimate decision on what to release to NA and not to release.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
festool survey
Replies
14
Views
5K
Wood_Slice
Wood_Slice
S
Atlas in Canada News/Updates: New Festool, Diamondback, 871 Open House, WMS...
Replies
0
Views
2K
Shawn
S
B
Review of Festool CT 22 (583366)
Replies
0
Views
3K
BTDT
B
N
My beef with Festool and MFT3 - 1080 compatibility (and more...)
Replies
13
Views
13K
honeydoman
honeydoman
Back
Top