3 Jan 2019
Learn how to implement a successful customer satisfaction management program by focusing on corporate culture, hiring the right people, gathering feedback, measuring results, and making impactful changes.
Companies will no longer compete on product and service quality, but on customer experience. A successful customer satisfaction management program can be your competitive advantage.
Every day, companies check customer experience by gathering feedback through questionnaires, social media, or direct conversations with customers. Feedback obtained immediately after a purchase or service is a valuable source of information for improving the customer experience. All of this leads to better business results.
In a market where everything is accessible and possible, companies will have to compete with the competition. However, not so much on the quality of products and services, but on the experience they offer to customers. According to a Gartner Group study, 90% of companies are well aware of this. Nevertheless, not all of them opt for a customer satisfaction management program because its successful implementation, which will bring measurable results, is anything but simple. So, what is needed to implement a successful customer satisfaction management program? We have prepared 5 tips to help you save a lot of time and money.
Practically everyone will say that customer well-being is the company's primary focus. But is it really? It's time to ask yourself how much you are actually willing to do for customer satisfaction. What might not be promised or is understood by default when purchasing a product or during a service. Are you and your employees willing to go the extra mile, perhaps work even after hours, to satisfy the customer? Or to do something that might violate company rules, just to increase customer satisfaction? Answer this question honestly. Companies that are not focused on higher customer satisfaction will provide average services. They will not encourage employees to go the extra mile and exceed their customers' expectations. The entire company culture needs to be directed towards greater customer satisfaction, and rules that prevent this need to be adapted (within reason). Only then can you say that customer well-being is your company's primary focus.
If you want to put customers first, you need to hire the right people for the job. Your employees create the company culture and directly influence how your company is remembered by customers. Choose candidates with personalities and values that align with your goal of higher customer satisfaction. Of course, experience, knowledge, and skills are important, but if a completely compatible candidate, based on the "tangible" job requirements, cannot connect with customers, listen to them, and meet their needs, customer satisfaction will not be any higher; quite the opposite. Ultimately, you must also encourage all employees to maintain good customer relationships. Even the best individual will lose motivation if they feel that the company doesn't care about their efforts.
A good customer satisfaction management program needs a lot of information. This means you will have to obtain feedback from your customers whenever you have the opportunity. Not just after a purchase or service, but also afterwards, and of course, already during the purchase process. Who knows, you might even find out why customers decide not to buy at that moment... The feedback you receive will give you a realistic insight into the entire customer experience. You will learn what they like and what they would still like. You will understand customer expectations and get suggestions for their (even greater) satisfaction. Fulfill their wishes as much as you can. Greater satisfaction will definitely lead to more purchases.
Some companies that already gather customer feedback do not see all the benefits it brings. Even those that consider and use feedback for improvements. To be able to say that your customer satisfaction management program is successful, you will have to measure its results. When you see them in black and white, you will surely not regret deciding to take this step. Do not just measure customer satisfaction; take the time to calculate your customer's lifetime value. If nothing else, this will surely convince you that the investment in a customer satisfaction management program was worthwhile.
Nothing is more nonsensical in the eyes of customers than for them to take the time to share their opinions, and then nothing happens in the end. Do not start collecting feedback if you do not intend to read and consider it.