For every company, the objective is simple: to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction in order to retain and expand its customer base. If you are reading this article right now, it means that you probably agree with this statement. Are you also looking for tips on how to improve customer satisfaction? This article is for you! We offer you various practical solutions to boost your customer satisfaction.
What is customer satisfaction?
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) is a basic measure of a client’s satisfaction with a company’s products or services. It determines his level of satisfaction at key interaction moments like after a call, a support ticket resolution, purchase or anything else linked to the use of your services.
Greenberg recently defined customer engagement as follows: « The ongoing interactions between the company and the customer, offered by the company chosen by the customer. » Indeed, this definition is specific to customer engagement (which is different from customer experience) but the core idea is the same. Greenberg talks about « offered by the company, chosen by the customer » which means that your customers choose and they have control.
How can I improve support service in my company?
First of all, be aware that the customer experience is not a one-off event, and every interaction will be different. You have to pay attention to every step in the sales process but also the after-sales service and support. To improve customer satisfaction, the full experience, from beginning to the end is important. Your customer is central, and each customer is different with different expectations. You have to be able to analyse their needs and adapt to them.
1. Be empathic with your clients
Listening to your clients to improve customer satisfaction is no longer enough. Talk to them, ask questions, and try to understand their needs. Your goal is to find a solution to their problem. To do this, you and your team must experience your services or products. Knowing your product and all its updates inside out will boost the customer experience.
2. Set clear expectations
Also, pay attention to what your support service promises to your customers. By setting a certain standard, your customers cannot be disappointed. The message you send to the customer should be clear and direct to avoid any misunderstanding or further frustration. If you promise to provide exemplary customer service, that’s what your customers will expect from you!
3. Provide multichannel support
In order to boost customer satisfaction, you need to make it easy for them to contact you. For this, offering multi-channel support is a very good option. Be omnipresent on the channels your customers use (Messenger, Whatsapp, chat on your website, support via email or phone,…) Organise surveys to your customer database by SMS for example. You can send your survey a few seconds after a customer had contact with your support. Thanks to multichannel support, you can engage with your customers through their preferred communication method. To really boost your customer satisfaction, make sure you offer high-quality support on all these channels.
4. Answer quickly but in the right way
To improve customer satisfaction, time is of the essence. By responding to your customers as quickly as possible, you reduce their worries and demonstrate your efficiency. Indeed, by responding quickly, you build trust. Beware, it’s not just about responding quickly, some situations require research. There is no point in answering quickly but badly. To boost your customer service, take the time to let people know that you have received your customer’s request and that you are considering possible solutions. Customer service should not only be responsive but the information you provide should be beneficial and educational.
5. Measure your results regularly
The only way for you and your team to continue to progress is to measure your results. But how do you know your customer satisfaction scores? Start by determining which metrics you will monitor and which tools you will use to analyse them. That way, you can get valuable information about what areas need improvement or what is working well.
So, which tools to measure and boost customer experience?
- Net Promoter Score® or NPS® to see how well a customer would recommend your services to a friend.
- Customer Satisfaction Score or CSAT to see if your customers are happy with your services.
- Customer Effort Score or CES to find out how comfortable your customers are with the contact with your company.
By conducting these three customer surveys you can understand the drivers for improvement and boost your customer satisfaction.
6. Ask for feedback from customers (and reply)
To improve your support service, remember to actively seek feedback from your customers. Even if you want to believe that your customers are all satisfied, negative experiences do exist. When they do, you need to be aware of them. Don’t wait for customers to come to you or leave negative comments on social media. Proactively ask for their feedback. Also, by providing a proper platform for their feedback, your customers are less likely to express their frustration publicly.
Feedback, whether negative or positive, is an excellent tool to find out what you could improve. It also shows you, the customer, that you are focused on customer satisfaction.
7. Collect answers and make it a company matter
Collecting feedback from your customers is one thing, using it intelligently is another. Customer feedback is a clear indicator of your customer’s satisfaction with your company. Above all, your customers’ comments indicate their level of satisfaction. Companies that focus on their customers are more likely to be profitable. If you collect customer feedback (via various channels as explained above) and treat it with care, you will instantly boost customer satisfaction. Then turn that feedback into action. Act on their feedback, change or improve what needs to be improved. Remember, taking customer feedback shows that you value their opinions.
8. Take action on complaints and negative reviews
Did you know that complaints and negative reviews are your most valuable feedback? Treat complaints and negative reviews as an opportunity to improve. First, immediately after receiving the negative feedback, contact your customer. Let the customer know that you have taken note of their complaint and are doing your best to resolve it. Then, try to solve the problem as best you can. Don’t forget to keep the customer informed of developments, it’s important to follow up so that they don’t become impatient or think you’ve forgotten about them. Once the situation is resolved, contact the customer again to let them know that everything is resolved and ask if there is anything else you can help them with. Remember, negative reviews will not destroy your business if you respond to them properly!
