Analytics

Posts Tagged ‘customer satisfaction’

Why should you bother?

The life blood of any business is good customer service. Although new customers are very important good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and repeat business. With each satisfied customer your business is likely to win many more customers through recommendations and remember, if you are not taking care of your customers, your competition will.

Online customer satisfaction surveys will help by not only identifying problem areas but show that you care and are proactive in looking for ways to improve the service that you provide.

Where to start?

Objective - As a first step decide what the main objectives of the survey are, in that way you will be able to retain focus and find it easier to decide what questions to ask.

Analysis - In addition to the objective consider also how you will analyse the answers having completed the survey.

Keep in mind that ‘closed’ questions (where the respondent is asked to choose from a limited number of responses) are easier to analyse than ‘open’ questions (where the respondent can reply in anyway they want).

Much will depend on the volume of respondents, the higher the volume the more important it is to have an easy method of analysing the results.

Opportunity – As well as obtaining valuable market research data keep in mind that customer surveys are also a good way to publicise aspects of your service that your customers may not be aware of.

Before you publish the survey confirm that the questions you have asked will provide you with market research data that when analyzed will help you make informed decisions.

Next, read through the survey from a marketing view point, check that you have phrased each question so that every opportunity has been taken to promote your business?

The ideal question will perform the following three functions:-

• Market research - provide valuable feedback to help you improve your customer satisfaction levels and in turn your business
• Marketing - promote aspects of your business
• Information/Education - advertise a service that you provide that your customers may not have been unaware of

For example:- Do you find the in-store baby changing facilities useful?

By asking this question not only will the store receive good feedback on the facility they provide but they will also advertise their baby changing facilities and promote themselves as a family friendly store beyond those customers who have a specific need for the facility provided.

Warts and all – be prepared to accept criticism.

A customer satisfaction survey should be designed to identify any problem areas so that they can be fixed; conducting regular customer satisfaction will help prevent complacency and will also give early warning on where you may be losing business to your competitors initiatives.

What to ask?

Each business is likely to have unique factors in relation to providing good customer services however there are common areas that are going to be relevant to all businesses be they a physical store, online store or a service industry. The following are key areas to providing good customer service.

Communication - Are you confident that you make it easy for your customers to contact you?

When customers telephone are their calls answered quickly; are their enquiries about products or services handled properly? A good business will make every effort to ensure that whatever the customers query it is resolved by the right person, quickly, politely and fairly.

If customers reported problems that cannot be resolvable immediately do you promise to respond in a given time period and do you deliver on your promise?

Use a customer satisfaction survey to ensure that all your staff are considered by your customers to be helpful, courteous and knowledgeable.

Location – Are you doing everything you can to ensure that your customers find it easy to visit you, if a physical store, does it have good access and is it conveniently located?

Making it pleasant, making it easy - For an online business it is important to ensure that your website is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.

Regardless of the store being a bricks and mortar or purely online web based store, is the store properly laid out and can your customers find what they need and is there sufficient detailed information and help on hand to explain how a particular product works?

The right quality products – In addition to measuring the quality of the service that you provide you should ensure that the products and services that you provide do in fact match your customers’ requirements.

Value for money – Cheap or expensive is rarely a good measure, value for money is.

Do your current customers consider your services as value for money, if not, why not?

Speed and attention – Regardless of the type of business most customers will want to be dealt with quickly but attentively.

Are you doing everything to prevent any delays?

Customers like to be treated as individuals, how do you treat your customers? Attention is important but so is a quick and satisfactory resolution of the query.

Demographics and Specific issues – Take the opportunity to profile your customers, for example what is their age group and where do they live?

Understand your customers more and you will be able to better target your business.

For customers who have specific problems allow them to provide details and contact details.

What is next?

Having completed the survey analyse the results.

Trends – Look for common and specific areas where the service needs improving.

Ask yourself if any criticism is valid, be honest to yourself, is there anything that can be done to properly resolve, or at the very least, minimise the problem?

Training – Are the staff properly trained and do they have sufficient knowledge?

Where staff training programmes have been implemented have they had a positive impact on the business?

Follow-up – If a customer who has completed a survey has raised a specific issue do all you can to ensure that their complaint is addressed.

Do not lose a customer by squandering an opportunity to resolve a problem.

Continuously Monitor - Make changes and then measure by issuing further surveys.

If you are interested in tracking customer satisfaction and would like to see a sample survey for a store that demonstrates some of the above advice please view the following example that can be used as a customer satisfaction survey template.

Have you ever asked yourself what the greatest determinant of client contentment? It is added value.
In a highly competitive market, where we have to fight for every customer, where we all try to earn some money, the best proven tactics you should follow is differentiation. Try and become more than a lawyer - experienced and reliable adviser, more than a store - someone’s favorite bookstore, more than a SEO agency - trusted professional who is ready to help you.
Achieving such positive characteristics is very hard, this is why you should always search for possibilities of adding value to our customers. People don’t like to be sold, they want their problem to be resolved. In simple words, try to give before trying to get. It is a best way to increase your customers loyalty. Let’s review the most important value adds.
Let your clients know you are thinking about them. Send them articles, your newsletters and other relevant info, which they could be interested in.
Provide your clients with some educative materials. Offer them to partake in useful seminars or conferences on subjects relevant to your business. They will appreciate it.
Offer your selected clients some advantages. Let them be first to discover the items from the new collection, invite them to meet the author of a bestseller in your book store.
Report your clients the current account situation. Periodic reports may serve as your great performance record, or, vice versa, show you that something is wrong and needs improvement. Another tip is finding ways your client can save money using your services.  For instance, redesigning a website for your client is the part of SEO and PPC service package.
Invite your client to participate. Many clients will look forward to participating. Talk to your clients, chat with them live, be transparent, build trust with them, get them acquainted with what exactly needs to be done and how. Don’t hesitate to ask your clients what they think. Let them feel you value them. Remember, they are human beings not robots.
Assist your clients to network.
Recommend other noticeable services or products to your clients. Make it easier for them to turn to you for a piece of advice, even if it is not something you are offering as a service.
By building a trust between you and your client, by offering a value added services, you will receive the benefits of service and relationship, which will positively influence your all business processes and your business experience in general.