Application of the customer satisfaction index (CSI) for the evaluation of R&D service quality

Introduction. Customer feedback evaluation and satisfaction monitoring for products and services are an essential component of any quality management system. The mechanisms for collecting and processing feedback are well established and widely applied across various areas of industry and business. Unfortunately, there are few practical examples of implementing feedback assessment and satisfaction analysis systems specifically within the context of scientific R&D laboratory services. Currently, the organization of a feedback assessment system remains the responsibility of individual managers or units, which limits opportunities for discussion and methodology refinement. However, improving feedback analysis is essential for enhancing the quality, effectiveness, and accessibility of services. It also constitutes a fundamental component of the ongoing development of the structure and management systems of R&D laboratories and academic research centers. Aim. To develop and propose a methodology for customer satisfaction feedback collection and processing as part of a comprehensive assessment of research and development (R&D) services for commercial, scientific, educational and research organizations, and to test the proposed approach using the service model of the Laboratory Complex at Sirius University. Materials and methods. Feedback was collected and processed for the Laboratory Complex units: internal scientific services, general laboratory services, including equipment maintenance, external commercial scientific services, and commercial educational programs. To evaluate satisfaction, the Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) was chosen. It measures not only overall satisfaction with services but also evaluates each service component according to its importance for each respondent. The surveys were built using LimeSurvey, an open-source survey design application. Data processing was performed using a system based on the FastAPI framework, with Jinja2 for server-side HTML template generation and PostgreSQL as the database management system. Results and discussion. As a result of the study, a comprehensive methodology for collecting and processing feedback was tested, allowing assessment of trends in internal and external customer satisfaction. In addition, the influence of complementary factors on CSI was evaluated. The CSI analysis became part of the input data for the management review of unit performance and served as a key component in defining the strategy for improving the R&D service delivery model. Conclusion. Measuring customer satisfaction in offered services is one of the key factors determining the success of R&D commercialization. The proposed methodology for implementing a feedback collection and processing system can be used as a universal approach to implementing a customer satisfaction assessment protocol for R&D services in commercial, scientific, educational and research organizations.