Now that we’ve established why improving your customer service is important, it’s time to take steps in that direction. But how can you improve your customer service if you don’t know what your customers want? If you want to provide excellent customer service, I’ve narrowed down the top 8 ways to get feedback from your customers. Customers don’t want to fill out a 20-minute survey. Don’t ask questions and provide answers you want to hear. The great thing about an interview, as opposed to a survey, is that the answers are more authentic. When a customer gives you negative feedback, you still have the opportunity to make things right. While this tactic isn’t quite as intimate as a focus group, which we’ll discuss shortly, it gives you the opportunity to reach a high volume of customers at the same time. An ideal focus group is conducted in person, with all the participants in the same room. Check out these comments from a post on the Lululemon Facebook page: But do you notice something they both have in common?
It doesn’t matter what type of business you have or how long you’ve run it. Your customers are the lifelines of your brand.
Whether you sell products, offer services, or a combination of the two, customer service needs to be one of your top priorities.
You could have the best product in the world, but if you don’t treat your customers well, it’s going to hurt your bottom line. On the flip side, you could have a product that’s average, or even subpar, and be extremely profitable if you provide excellent customer service.
How is that possible? Well, the numbers don’t lie.
According to research, 80% of consumers say they’re willing to pay more money to businesses offering better customer service.
But that’s not all. Failing to provide good customer service can result in the loss of your customers.
What exactly causes a business to lose customers? Research shows that only 14% of customers stop supporting a business because they are not satisfied with their products or services. And 9% leave because of the price.
But look at the top reason why customers leave a business. Nearly seven out of 10 customers will leave because they don’t feel valued.
In short, customer service is more important than what you’re selling.
Now that we’ve established why improving your customer service is important, it’s time to take steps in that direction. But how can you improve your customer service if you don’t know what your customers want?
It’s simple. Just ask them.
Getting feedback from your customers is a crucial component of your customer support strategy.
It shows them you care about their opinions. Furthermore, the results can help you better your business and ultimately make more money.
If you want to provide excellent customer service, I’ve narrowed down the top 8 ways to get feedback from your customers.
1. Create surveys
Leveraging customer surveys is the most logical place to start your quest for feedback.
Depending on what you’re using the survey for, the questions and potential responses can vary.
It’s important to have a clear goal when you’re creating these. For example, if you’re trying to improve your customer service, you don’t necessarily need to ask the customer about a specific product.
That said, surveying customers about a previous purchase shows them you value their opinions, which they perceive as good customer service.
The idea is to get your information and get out as soon as possible. Customers don’t want to fill out a 20-minute survey.
People are busy. In all honesty, they’ve got better things to do. I recommend using an online resource such as SurveyMonkey to create your surveys.
You can create an account for free and have access to templates and pre-written questions about specific topics. Obviously, you can customize those to fit your business and goals.
Once your survey is complete, it’s easy to distribute it electronically to your customers through all your marketing channels.
Since time is of the essence here, keep your surveys short and limit them to a handful of questions. Don’t ask obvious or misleading questions.
Don’t ask questions and provide answers you want to hear. You may be doing things wrong. Allow your customers to share that information with you.
Sometimes you need to give your customers some extra incentive to fill out a survey to get as many responses as possible. A discount off their next purchase should be sufficient.
2. Interviews
Interviews might not work for your business.
It’s much easier for brands with brick and mortar locations to conduct interviews than for online businesses.
Sure, ecommerce companies can still interview customers. But they’d have to set up a Skype session or phone call to do so. This isn’t impossible, but it’s more of a hassle.
But those of you with physical store locations can interview customers when they shop in person.
The best time to do this is after the customer has checked out and is getting ready to leave. You don’t want to bother customers while they are shopping because it could potentially prevent them from making a purchase.
Since it’s not the most common practice, this strategy could really help you gain an edge over your competitors.
Nearly 90% of marketing experts believe that improving the customer experience is the top factor for differentiating their brand from the competition.
Before the customer leaves your store, politely ask them if they have five minutes to answer some questions. If you tell them the interview is going to be five minutes, you’d better stick to five minutes.
Conduct the interview away from the register so it doesn’t hold up your line.
It doesn’t need to be in an office, but go somewhere with some privacy so other employees and customers can’t hear the responses.
Introduce yourself and explain why you’re conducting the interview. Establish a rapport with the interviewee so they feel comfortable answering your questions honestly.
Make it clear that you won’t be offended by their responses. Some customers may be hesitant to provide negative feedback if they are saying it directly to your face.
You’ll need to let your guard down and ask questions in a way that gives them the opportunity to say how they truly feel.
The great thing about an interview, as opposed to a survey, is that the answers are more authentic. Customers have a chance to tell you what’s on their minds, without having to select from a pre-determined list of survey responses.
Record your interviews, with the customer’s permission, of course. That way you won’t have to scramble to write notes while they…
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