If you are a B2C (business to consumer) business, then focusing on your customer satisfaction is such an important part of your business. It could be what sets you apart from the competition and one day could be what helps to keep your business afloat, so it should never be overlooked. With this in mind, here are 5 ways for you to improve customer satisfaction!
Have A Dedicated, Knowledgeable Team
The first thing you can do in order to improve customer satisfaction is to have a dedicated, knowledgeable customer service team that people can get in touch with. There is nothing worse than being passed between different customer service advisors who aren’t sure what the answer is. So, put together a team who will be able to help customers as much as possible on the spot, to relieve frustration and to reassure them that if they have an issue, they will be able to resolve it quickly and easily with your team. They should know everything about your business, from your supply chain to delivery, to answer any questions someone may have.
For example, for a company working in dumper hire, every project that your customers have will be completely different and will likely need a customised approach. When they call up, they should immediately be able to speak to someone who knows the products through and through. Not only is this good for the customer, but you too, as they are much more likely to have faith in your product.
Ask For Feedback
Another really simple way to improve your customer satisfaction is to ask for feedback. After your customer has received a product or you’ve finished a service, get in touch with them to ask how their experience was. Not only will this help to show those customers that you care about their experience with you and whether or not they were happy, but it is also the best way to learn about how you can improve your business for future customers. When you know your customers, you can strengthen your brand, which also helps with employee onboarding too, so it’s a win-win.
Internally in a business it can be really difficult to put yourself in your customers shoes and think about things from their perspective, so getting real customer input is so valuable. You could also provide an incentive for them to encourage the feedback!
Show Empathy
If you do have a customer who has had a negative experience, the last thing you should do is immediately go on the defence. Even if you don’t agree with someone’s opinion off the bat, it is crucial that you take the time to hear them out, listen to their experience, understand in more detail what has happened and then from there, help resolve the situation in a compassionate way.
Of course, if you really believe that someone is being out of order, or they have disrespected members of your team, it can be difficult to respond with compassion. However, as long as you approach the situation with empathy where possible, you are more likely to make a rational decision on how to react to the situation. Putting yourself in your customers shoes at this point could help to lead to a completely different outcome than if you were to react passionately when something goes wrong.
Have A Fantastic Website
These days, a fantastic website can take your business a long way. It’s where people will naturally gravitate to as the hub of your business, and it can immediately give a lasting impression. So, if it loads quickly, is easy to navigate, clearly represents the brand, and the user can easily find the information they’re looking for, they’re so much more likely to get a positive perception of your brand, as well as to carry out a desired action, whether it’s to buy something, submit an enquiry form, or anything else. So, spend some time investing in your website to get it up to scratch, and it’ll be worth it in the long run.
Personalise The Customer Experience
Lastly, you should try to personalise the customer experience as much as possible, as that really resonates with users and shows them that you care. Gathering feedback will help with this, as you’ll be reaching out to show that you really care about their opinion and want to make your business better for them. At this point, you should also provide an incentive for them to complete the feedback, like a discount off their next purchase, again showing you value their time and opinions. Also linking back to customer service, having a real team of people rather than replacing everything with AI will be key, as you want people there for your customers to speak to if they need it.
Something else you can do is to collect customer data to allow you to then create a customised experience. Things like the products they tend to buy or the services they use with you as a business, then you can create more tailored loyalty programmes to suit those behaviours.
