At both the divisional and corporate levels, we continue to stress the importance of increasing our knowledge of the preferences of our customers and prospective customers.

Our Commitment of Excellence program is designed to help us determine if we are meeting the quality expectations of our modular housing customers by asking them to evaluate every aspect of their buying experience. We want to know how well they are satisfied with their new Hillcrest home and if they are pleased with the professionalism, service and follow-up of the retail home dealer from whom the product was purchased. If they had to do it all over again, would they choose a Hillcrest Home by Skyline? Would they do business with the same manufactured home dealer? Would they recommend Skyline or the dealer to a relative or friend?

The responses of Hillcrest home customers are translated into a Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) which is a uniform measurement of the quality of the entire buying experience from the customer's point of view. To date, the results have been extremely useful. We are learning much more about what customers want as well as what they feel they have received. We are developing a detailed understanding of how Skyline and its modular home dealers can continue to strengthen their ability to satisfy customers in today's competitive, quality-oriented market. This effort has resulted in improved customer satisfaction, which is our goal.