How dissatisfied customers can improve your product and grow your customer base
Did you know that customers who give your business a 4 out 5 rating are 80% more likely to try one of your competitors than your customers who give your business a 5 out 5 rating? 8 elements to help you achieve 5 out 5 stars from your customers on a consistent basis:
#1- Customer Internet Relations (CIR) :
Okay, so here’s the thing: A CIR strategy will not only reduce your overall media costs, it will increase your sales opportunities and most important to a CSE strategy, incre
ase the interaction with your customers. Set up a separate social media page for each salesperson that you have. Then, point each one to your social media business page, then….voila, you are all on the same page, so to speak. This is an excellent (and inexpensive) way to increase your business' visibility on the web and improve your customer experience. Since up to 50% of dissatisfied customers will not register a complaint, CIR is more of an anonymous communication medium and will achieve higher negative feedback results than waiting for the negative feedback to come in house. This is not a bad thing; head off and deal with the negativity at the pass.
#2- Crowdsourcing:
Soliciting feedback and input from customers for increased offerings or product changes through CIR surveys is one of the most effective ways to not only engage new customers, it is the most effective approach to interact with them and your existing customers. Facebook and Twitter are obvious channels for B2C, LinkedIn for B2B and Google+ is excellent for both B2B and B2C to a more global audience. But how do you get people to contribute? More carrot, less stick (we’ll talk about that in more detail in a future blog, so stay tuned).
#3 - Written Procedures:
Written procedures ensure your standards, products and services are delivered to your customers consistently. Before any team member “hits the floor” they should be knowledgeable on all of your standards, policies and procedures.
- Map your process by procedure
- Break each procedure down into detail including separate points for any policy or standard that directly relates (again, stay tuned for future blogs...)
- Supplement the training with open book quizzes and tons of support...your employees will love you for it.
#4 - Customer Service Failure Point (CFSP) Key Indicators:
Just as every procedure in your logistical process should be assessed for environmental health and safety, quality, and efficiency opportunities, they should also be assessed for Customer Service Failure Points (CFSP). Implementing key performance indicators that track where your process can have a negative impact on customer service is crucial. Case in point: for one client, TRIAD implemented a change in their service department that resulted in major positive changes to the customer experience. Previously, the time that it took to call a customer after their part for repair was received took 76 hours. Identifying CSFPs led us to reduce this time from 76 hours to under 20 minutes. Review each procedure step by step for CSFPs, implement a tracking mechanism for each, and initially review the results weekly at a minimum and you will see where changes need to be made.
#5 - Internal Feedback Systems, “Just say YES!”:
Draw inquiries from customers, employees and vendors to expand your offering. Remember: the people that use your product the most, also know it the most. Don’t be afraid to use this amazing (and free) wellspring of knowledge. Any inquiries from customers for a service that you presently don't provide should be immediately documented and added to your next meeting agenda as a reengineering opportunity; reengineering your offering and procedures increases your levels of customer service and ultimately your profit. Your reengineering approach should be to determine how, not if, your company can expand your services. Change “No, we don’t provide that service” to “Yes, in fact we have a very good service to suit your needs, for only $## we can take care of that for you”. Develop a procedure to include the steps for team members to take to communicate the opportunities; ideally an electronic or paper meeting agenda where team members can directly input the agenda points should be established. Incentives should not be monetary (hmmm, you say. Now aren’t you intrigued...future blog) but could include a footnote of the team member’s name in the procedure amendment log and an addition to their personal file for their monthly reviews. The main objective is never say no to anything you have the infrastructure and the ability to offer a service for. Not: “If?”, “How?!”
#6 - “Dealing With Product or Service Issues” Procedure:
Turn Product Issues into Customer Service Excellence opportunities: one of the greatest opportunities to get a five star rating from your customers is the level that your company stands behind your product. This could be the difference between losing a customer and keeping one for life. My personal example where I had two laptops under warranty repair:
- Retailer #1: Needed the receipt, laptop sent off site, took eight weeks (completely unacceptable)
- Retailer #2: Laptop receipt was in their database (no receipt required) fixed on site in two days
- Retailer #2 now has our business unless they start providing service like #1
Implementing key indicators to track departmental performance is crucial here. Put aside meeting time to review the key indicators for opportunities with your team on a regular basis. You will be surprised at the level of feedback and reengineering ideas that will come forth!
#7 - “After Sales Customer Contact” Procedure:
Implement a procedure where your sales team follows up with customers to see how their product or service delivery went, how they like their product or enjoyed the service, and if there was anything else the company could have done to enhance their overall experience. Of course, goals and results should be recorded, reviewed, measured and consistently shared with team members.
#8 - “Product Issue Follow Up” Procedure:
Lastly, (but not lastly), include a procedure and system where the sales team follows up on their customer’s product issues that have been rectified by your customer service department. This is not only an excellent opportunity to get feedback on service and for your sales people to stay in touch with their customers, it eliminates the customer from feeling that “the salesperson offered great customer service when they were selling and now they want nothing to do with me”.
In Closing:
A Customer Service Excellence program is a moving target, “if you don’t stay ahead of the competition you will forever be trying to catch up”. It is important to have the internal structure that consistently draws information from your customers, team members and even your vendors to continuously improve your offering and levels of customer service
#customerservice #business #socialmedia #tools #logistics #process #customerservice #profit #triadmlc
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