Customer service is a challenging but essential aspect of any business. Understanding what your customers need and offering them personalized solutions will improve customer retention rates while improving overall satisfaction. Customer service is a vital aspect of many businesses, and they need to be able to improve their customer service by getting feedback. It makes no difference what kind of company you have or how long you’ve been in operation. Your brand’s lifeblood is its consumers. Therefore, customer service should be one of your primary objectives, whether you sell things, provide services, or do both. Even if you have the most refined product globally, if you don’t treat your consumers properly, your business will suffer.
On the other hand, if you give exceptional customer service, you may have an ordinary or even substandard product and still make a lot of money. Is it even possible? The statistics, after all, don’t lie. According to studies, 80% of customers are prepared to spend extra for superior customer service firms. That’s not all, however. If you don’t deliver excellent customer service, you risk losing clients. What factors contribute to a company’s loss of customers? According to research, just 14% of consumers cease supporting a company because they are dissatisfied with its goods or services. And 9% of people quit because of the cost.
However, consider the most common cause for a customer’s departure from a company. Customers who do not feel appreciated are almost seven out of ten likely to depart. In other words, client service takes precedence over what you’re offering. Now that we’ve established why it’s critical to improve your customer service, it’s time to take action. But, if you don’t know what your consumers want, how can you enhance your customer service? It’s straightforward. Inquire of them. Receiving feedback from consumers is an essential part of any customer service approach. It demonstrates that you value their viewpoints. Furthermore, the outcomes may assist you in improving your company and, consequently, making more money.
Techniques to obtain feedback from your consumers:
1. Create questionnaires
The most sensible place to begin your hunt for feedback is with consumer surveys. The questions and possible replies will change depending on the purpose of the study. When making them, it’s crucial to have a precise aim in mind. If you’re aiming to enhance customer service, for example, you don’t have to question the consumer about a particular product. Surveying consumers about a past purchase, on the other hand, demonstrates that you appreciate their input, which they consider as excellent customer service. The goal is to get as much information as possible and leave as quickly as possible. Customers don’t want to spend 20 minutes filling out a survey. People are preoccupied. They’ve got better things to do, to be honest. To construct your surveys, I suggest utilizing an internet tool like SurveyMonkey.
You may sign up for a free account and have access to templates and pre-written questions on a variety of themes. Obviously, you may alter them to match your company’s needs and objectives. It’s simple to publish your survey electronically to your consumers across all of your marketing channels once it’s finished. Because time is of the essence, make your surveys brief and straightforward, with just a few questions. Don’t ask questions that are apparent or deceptive. Don’t ask the questions you want to hear and provide the answers you want to hear. You may be doing things incorrectly. Allow your consumers to provide you with this information. To acquire as many replies as possible, you may need to provide your consumers a little more incentive to fill out a survey. It should be enough to give them a discount on their future purchase.
2. In-depth interviews
Interviews may not be the best option for your company. Interviewing is significantly more straightforward for organizations with physical presence than it is for internet enterprises. Ecommerce firms may still interview customers. However, they’d have to schedule a Skype or phone conversation to do so. This isn’t impossible, but it is inconvenient. Customers may be interviewed in person by those of you who have real retail locations. When the consumer has checked out and is about to depart, this is the optimum moment to do it. You don’t want to annoy clients when shopping since it can deter them from purchasing anything. Because it isn’t widely used, this method might provide you with a significant advantage over your competition.
Nearly 90% of marketers say that increasing the customer experience is the most crucial component in setting their company apart from the competition. Before the consumer departs, kindly ask if they have five minutes to answer a few questions. If you tell them the interview would last five minutes, make sure you keep to it. So that your line doesn’t become backed up, do the discussion away from the register. It doesn’t have to be in an office, but it should be someplace private where other workers and customers won’t be able to hear your comments. Explain why you’re doing the interview and who you are. Establish a connection with the interviewee so that they are at ease answering your questions truthfully. Make it evident that their replies will not offend you. If they are giving you unfavorable criticism face to face, some clients may be afraid to do so. You’ll have to let your guard down and ask inquiries in a manner that allows them to express their true feelings. The advantages of an interview over a poll are that the responses are more genuine. Customers may tell you what’s on their minds without having to choose from a set of pre-determined survey answers. Record your interviews, but only with the customer’s agreement. You won’t have to hustle to take notes as they talk this way. Customers that take the time to answer your inquiries may be rewarded once more. Please give them a voucher as a thank you for their time.
3. Include a comment section on your website
This one is relatively straightforward. On your website, provide a consumer feedback form. Visitors will perceive this as a chance to express their thoughts. For example, on the BuildFire website, here’s an example of a rudimentary form of a comment box:
With these comment boxes, you have a variety of alternatives. As you can see from the sample above, you must include your name and email address in your reply. However, you may provide the visitor the choice of remaining anonymous. If clients offer you their contact information, it’s always in your best interest to contact them as soon as possible after receiving the message. This is particularly true if they are expressing dissatisfaction. Please accept my sincere apologies for any trouble you may have given them. Provide a solution. Let them know how much you appreciate them as a client and how you’ll work to prevent this from happening again. Thank them for contacting you. There’s one more item to consider. Negative feedback should not discourage you. It would be best if you were grateful the buyer alerted you about their bad experience rather than leaving silently. In fact, if a consumer is unsatisfied, just one out of every 26 will complain. The other 25 will abandon your brand and cease to purchase.
You still have the option to set things suitable if a consumer offers you bad feedback. Not all is lost. You may convert a bad experience into a good one by healing that connection.
4. Third-party evaluations
Your company is listed on Yelp, Google Local, and TripAdvisor sites. You shouldn’t disregard such websites just because you don’t have control over them. Make it a practice to check those listings at least once a week. Consider checking more regularly if you’re receiving a lot of feedback. To begin, double-check that the information stated on these sites is correct. I’m referring to your business hours, phone number, menu, and price, among other things. However, it would be best to consider the consumers who took the time to write about your company. Excellent suggestions. Negative feedback. You should pay attention to each and every one of them. When it comes to customer service, it seems that corporations are quick to focus on the downsides. While it’s essential to be proactive in dealing with adverse events, it’s equally critical to keep note of the good ones. This will reaffirm what you’re already doing well. You’ll know what you should keep doing rather than altering something your consumers like.
5. Broadcasting live video
Embrace the live video trend. Facebook. Instagram. YouTube. You should use the live streaming capabilities of all of these marketing mediums. While this strategy isn’t as personal as a focus group, which we’ll examine later, it allows you to contact many clients at once. According to businesses, retail firms, agencies, and other marketing experts, the following are some of the top advantages of live video streaming:
As you can see from their comments, having a more genuine conversation with the audience came in top. This simple engagement is ideal for gathering feedback from customers. Customers may remark in real-time when you’re streaming live, for example. Those remarks are visible to everyone else who is watching. Respond to any comments made. Keeping up with comments might be difficult depending on how many people are watching your video. That’s ok. Take your time and read them all. The best part about these live streaming is that you can store them and watch them later. Take notes as you read through the comments. Similar assertions should be grouped so that you can prioritize what has to be handled first. Customers benefit from the live video as well. Instead of being harassed while they are in your business, they may watch it on their cellphones while sitting on the sofa.
6. Holding focus groups
Focus groups aren’t as common as some of the other input types. This is because the logistics are more complicated. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider it. Conducting a focus group should be in your arsenal of possible methods to collect input from your consumers, even if it isn’t your first option. A perfect focus group takes place in person, with everyone in the same room. Customers in groups of six to eight should set up 30 to 60 minutes of their time to participate. They will be able to feed off each other if they are in the same room. Someone may remark something that another client hasn’t considered. Consequently, a reaction might be triggered depending on the customer’s experience. Focus groups are a terrific way to put new goods and ideas to the test. Allowing your clients to participate in the innovation process will make them feel appreciated, which I’ve previously said. Customers who engage in focus groups should be paid far more than those who complete an online survey. Customers who submit a survey may be eligible for a 20% discount on their next purchase. However, giving clients who participate in focus groups a $50 or even $100 gift card isn’t unreasonable. When they come, you should also present them with some food.
7. Email follow-up
You should send a follow-up communication to a consumer after completing a purchase, asking for their comments. You’ve probably seen them before. Here’s an example of a Venmo survey that was immediately integrated into an email: As you can see, this survey is directly tied to customer service. You may include a link for the consumer to submit comments using a site like SurveyMonkey, as I mentioned previously, in addition to embedding the survey inside the email. You may even provide a link to the comment section on your website that I described before. Just keep in mind that any more steps a client must take to give you feedback will reduce the likelihood of it being completed. Don’t be obnoxious. All too frequently, I get three or four emails from a firm asking for comments on a recent purchase, travel, or other events. That’s not someone you want to be. You may send another message if they don’t answer the first one. But that’s all there is to it. If they haven’t given you feedback yet, you may always try again after their next purchase.
8. Comments on social media
You must maintain a social media presence. You must, however, watch what your consumers say about you in addition to providing material in a frequent manner. Don’t forget to pay attention to your alerts. Examine your direct messages and remarks. This should be done across all platforms. Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are all examples of social media platforms. Even if consumers don’t explicitly tag you, use the Twitter advanced search query to find out what they’re saying about you. Take a look at the following comments from a Lululemon Facebook post:
The first response is complimentary, but the second offers some criticism. But have you noticed that they both have anything in common? Both of them received a response from Lululemon. As I previously said, you must handle both good and negative comments equally. In all cases, you want your consumers to know how much you care about them. According to more than half of them, consumers want companies to react to their input. If their opinions are unfavorable, the percentage climbs from 52 percent to 72 percent.
Conclusion
Your company will suffer if you can’t keep your clients pleased. It’s a proven truth. Customers are more concerned with customer service than with the quality and pricing of the products they are purchasing. That’s why you must figure out how to collect their input. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Not every consumer will react to every strategy. You’ll need to use a variety of tactics in order to gather replies from as many clients as feasible. This will also assist you in obtaining accurate findings. Refer to this list of my top eight methods for getting client feedback. Finally, this will assist you in providing better customer service.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does feedback improve customer service?
A: Customer service is improved by giving feedback. If you’re unhappy with a product or if something didn’t work as advertised, it allows companies to be able to address issues before they happen and not once afterward.
How can we improve our customer service?
A: My answer to your question would be that you should improve the quality of your product or services by offering more features and enhanced functionality- for example, adding in some new standard options like color choices for customers and better shipping rates. Or you could invest in making sure that all staff members are knowledgeable on how to provide excellent customer service with various inquiries from each individual’s perspective.
How would you use the feedback given today to improve customer service in the future?
A: I would use all of the feedback given today to improve future customer service by using what is shared in this chat. I will also be releasing a new, improved version of my software that can take on more complex questions and answer them in greater detail.
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