Sony 2012 Annual Report Download - page 55

Responsiveness and Customer Service
Sony continually strives to increase its awareness of its cus-
tomers’ views and works hard to improve customer satisfac-
tion around the world. Its first Customer Information Centers
were established in 1963 in Japan, and thereafter expanded
its function worldwide to respond to customer inquiries. For
employees and sta of service partners involved in customer
service, Sony provides ongoing training to ensure that issues
are addressed swiftly and effectively. Sony also uses the
Internet and various emerging social media platforms to
communicate frequently and directly with customers. To
ensure timely access to easy-to-understand product and
service information, Sony works to enhance the content of its
websites, which includes information on ways to enjoy Sony
products, downloads of manuals and software updates, and
frequently asked questions (FAQs). To further bolster
customer satisfaction, Sony is responding to the increasingly
diverse needs of its customers by, among other initiatives,
providing live chat services that accommodate various com-
munication styles and implementing customer support
initiatives in some regions.
Customer feedback helps Sony improve its products and
services. To this end, opinions about products and reports of
malfunctions received from customers by Sony Customer
Information Centers are shared with related departments,
ensuring that prompt improvements in product quality can
be made. Internally, a Qualit y Hotline and a dedicated
quality website ser ve as important mechanisms through
which employees can submit comments about product and
service quality.
Currently, there are more than 5,900 Sony service locations
worldwide, allowing Sony to respond promptly to customer
requests. Sony is working to shorten distribution and repair
times and reviewing repair fees in different regions with
the ongoing goal of enhancing overall customer satisfaction.
Enhancing Usability
Sony provides products for a broad range of customers not
only in Japan, Europe and North America, but also in other
parts of the world, including emerging economies. As such,
Sony recognizes that it must accommodate definitions of
“usability” that vary in dierent cultures and lifestyles. To this
end, Sony conducts user tests in a variety of markets, includ-
ing India, China and Brazil, as part of the product develop-
ment process. Sony also makes sure the opinions of customers
are shared with the product development teams, with the aim
of further enhancing usability. Recent examples of products
that have taken usability into consideration in this way include
“α77” and “α65” series DSLR cameras. In planning the shape
and size of the grip, Sony surveyed users around the world
and collected and analyzed handprints from people of vari-
ous ages. Based on the information gathered, it produced
and evaluated a number of prototypes, ensuring that the
camera is comfortable to hold. This, in turn, significantly
enhanced ease of operation when shooting.
Facilitating Accessibility
Sony’s commitment to usability also extends to special fea-
tures designed to make its products accessible to a wide
range of consumers, including the elderly and those working
to overcome disabilities. For example, Sony created the
Reader eReader device which allows users to easily store and
carry over a thousand books as well as adjust text size accord-
ing to their needs.
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