But customer perceptions lag improvements in quality.
In other cases they represent a major repositioning in reaction to a market shift and an awareness of customer perceptions.
Espirito Santo's latest UK survey results, however, indicate customer perceptions of Tesco have deteriorated, not improved since November.
Such tools could help companies pinpoint the effect of specific issues on customer perceptions, helping them respond with appropriate marketing and public relations strategies.
"Things like the feel of a fan module coming out were the things really driving customer perceptions of our products," said Ken Musgrave, Dell's head of industrial design.
Social media data provides companies with quicker, easier and less intrusive ways to gauge customer perceptions of their brand, but sentiment analysis is far from the finished article.
According to Espirito's survey of 2,500 consumers, customer perceptions of Tesco's quality, prices, promotions and overall value for money had all deteriorated quarter on quarter and year on year.
"We know that customer perceptions about your employment brand do have some impact in terms of people's decisions to frequent certain restaurants or retail establishments," said Rich Floersch, chief human resources officer for McDonald's.
They approached Asda to suggest a small trial in store – filmed for the programme – to gauge customer perceptions of wonky produce and whether they would be willing to buy it at a discount.
"The committee felt that the scheme was driven exclusively by financial metrics and did not acknowledge the other key drivers of sustained performance, including customer perceptions and service levels, employee engagement and health and safety," she wrote.
Lower lease prices for battery-electric cars could help automakers meet tightening air quality regulations in California by increasing sales, which have been stymied by customer perceptions that electric models are too costly.
