What Are You Doing to Operationalize Customer Service?
It’s a tale as old as time. You created a ground-breaking product, posted it on TikTok, and now it’s going VIRAL! With the right tools and customer satisfaction strategy, you could achieve the same status as the collapsible zero-waste coffee cup, gigantic fleece hoodies, and those leggings that don’t quit.
But how can you ride that high of posted popularity into true success? If you don’t have a way to manage your customers, get them talking about your product, and keep them coming back for more, you’ll have the same time in the spotlight as Chumbawamba. Potential customers want more than two thumbs up – they want active engagement and evidence that your product is worth buying. If customers can research and trust your products online, you will gain more sales and exposure.
You Need Customer Satisfaction Data
Customer satisfaction surveys are everywhere! If you don’t believe us, take a trip through any drive-thru service in your neighborhood. Seriously, you can’t buy a #1 without the teenager in the window haphazardly circling the bottom of the receipt and hyping you up about your chance to win $100 in your favorite fast-food feasts. So why does everyone want to ask questions about your experience?
Businesses distribute surveys because that data is valuable. Customer surveys tell companies what customers like, dislike, and want from a product. And in the world of digital marketing, surveys are a great tool to strap to that killer utility belt (you know the one I’m talking about). To gather the most data possible, you should vary your survey strategy.
In-experience Surveys. This survey strategy is brief and to the point, like a good speech. While your customers are browsing your sweet merch, a small notification pops up in the corner. The questions need to be simple, like “Have you purchased our product before?” or “Are you happy with your experience on our site?” The short answer time and limited interruption in their day usually warrant a high response rate and instant feedback on the experience and products you offer.
Post-service Surveys. Like the fast-food joints, you need to ask questions about customer experience. A short “How did we do?” gives customers a chance to tell you what they would like to see from your business. Be sure to keep the questions focused on the experience – you don’t need their favorite song from Chumbawamba or their mother’s maiden name.
General Customer Satisfaction Email Surveys. This survey type is where you get into the nitty-gritty of customer satisfaction. Instead of 5 questions about if they enjoyed their time with your business, general surveys ask about how customers feel about the brand as a whole and can include things like product reviews. The response rate to email surveys is generally lower, but incentivizing them can boost that open rate. I mean, who says no to a free $20 Amazon gift card?
Once you’ve determined the questions and how you’re going to deliver your surveys, you need to think about how you want customers to rank your business. After all, asking “Do you like me?” may be an effective way to get a date in middle school, but it’s not a great way to measure customer satisfaction.
Ways to Rank Customer Satisfaction
The world runs on customer satisfaction reviews – from rating your recent Lyft to telling the world how you feel about the off-brand (but just as good name brand) earbuds you just purchased. However, choosing the right ranking system in a survey can be tricky. If it’s too hard to answer accurately, you won’t get good responses. And nothing’s worse than 100 surveys with neutral responses because customers didn’t know how to respond.
When you choose the right scoring strategy for your company, you can ask the right questions to get your customers to tell you about your performance – on a scale of 1-10, of course:
Customer Satisfaction Score, or CSAT. The CSAT is the old reliable method of survey taking. You ask questions about customer experiences, and they rate their experience on a scale of satisfaction. Generally, it’s a scale of 1-3, 1-5, or 1-10. This method involves direct questions like “How satisfied are you?” And though it’s proven effective, CSAT answers sway with mood or other outside factors.
Net Promoter Score, or NPS. Instead of focusing on satisfaction, the NPS turns its eyes toward customer loyalty. Yes, it uses the tried and true 1-10 scale, but it asks questions that direct customers about how they feel about their experience. NPS surveys ask questions like “How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?” which ultimately informs you if they will promote your product or business.
Customer Effort Score, or CES. Do you like putting in a lot of effort when you need an issue resolved? Yeah, me neither. CES scoring asks customers, “How easy was it to contact us, buy our product, or have your issue fixed?” Businesses that keep the effort bar low tend to have higher brand loyalty.
Things Go Wrong, or TGS. Last but not least is everyone’s favorite ranking system based on Murphy’s Law. Count on the fact that everyone won’t be satisfied with your product – I’ve known people that think Toyota Camry’s are unreliable. Even though you want people to like your product, customer complaints can provide excellent feedback on your product. The lower the number of complaints, the better your score. If tragedy strikes and your complaint level is through the roof, it allows you to make improvements or even rebrand your product.
Get Your Customer Data
It can be dangerous to go alone, and we know that at GroHaus. When collecting your freshest batch of customer data, the last thing you want is something that lacks spice. Our team has the ingredients you need to get the juicy information you want out of your customer survey experiences.
Sign-up today to start working with one of our marketing strategists so that you can stay on top of your customer satisfaction game.