Learn how to measure customer satisfaction with your service

Throughout the relationship, it is essential to measure customer satisfaction and make sure their expectations are being met (and, preferably, exceeded). Some actions help in this process to define strategies and increase consumer contentment levels.

How do you handle customer satisfaction?

Satisfaction is a subjective concept that can vary greatly among individuals and companies. How is customer satisfaction defined in your company? Have you ever stopped to think if your organization has been working in this direction? How do you evaluate if the consumer is satisfied? What are the criteria measured? How do you discover the level of customer satisfaction?

Whenever the company is not meeting the customer’s needs, it may be driving them away. However, it seems that the global market has disregarded this:

A study by Serasa Experian indicates that, globally, only 50% of companies use data to improve service and provide better customer experiences. In Brazil, the numbers are optimistic: 79% of companies conduct surveys and 83% of Brazilian respondents believe that data quality stimulates consumer trust.

Analyze interactions with the consumer

Companies interact increasingly with their audience across various channels (especially digital ones, such as social media and dedicated websites). Each of these contacts is a relationship opportunity — and a ‘moment of truth’. For this reason, more than just analyzing interactions, it is fundamental to build a relationship.

This effort is useless, however, if these interactions are not measured. Only then will it be possible to know if what the company promises is what it is effectively delivering. The one who loses with consumer frustration is the organization. Therefore, it is very important to use this data to make specific changes based on relevant information.

In addition, it is crucial that the company satisfies the consumer’s needs when interacting with them. The customer wants the company to deliver on its promises. They believe the organization is an expert and that is what it needs to demonstrate. A customer satisfaction tracking and measurement policy helps bring the company closer to them.

Conduct customer surveys

The best way to start getting answers from customers is by asking them directly. Maintaining an active and constant conversation with the consumer public is a great research strategy. The secret is to think about several different situations to understand what their experience with the company was like, rather than trying to figure everything out at once.

Situation options include:

• Discovering what led to the choice of that product (after a sale),
• Asking how the consumer’s experience is going (after handling a support ticket),
• Asking the customer to tell the reason for abandoning a purchase,
• Keeping communication channels (chat, social media, and the like) always active.

It is essential that the questions are appropriate, because the answers and information will be of no use if the organization does not know what to do with them. When questions are well defined, there is a greater chance of ensuring that the data will be truly useful for analyzing customer satisfaction and in accordance with the objectives and action plan defined by the company.

It is worth remembering that the correct questions vary according to what is intended to be analyzed, and an excess of information is not necessarily beneficial. Some data may indicate a coincidence, not a causality.

Put yourself in the consumer’s shoes

Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes is fundamental to thinking about what can make their experience a pleasure or a misery. This is the best way to show empathy towards them and involves considering problems, difficulties, and obstacles that may be encountered during the consumer journey (as well as anticipating them).

The customer experience is not always as the company imagines. Therefore, it needs to be analyzed carefully. If you identify problems, simplify the process: the fewer obstacles, the more satisfied the consumer will feel. Satisfying the customer will certainly benefit the company.

Does the relationship go beyond the purchase?

Companies must understand that customer satisfaction is not measured only during the purchase. In many cases, the purchasing process is simple and pleasant, which makes the customer believe they are dealing with an organization that cares for their needs.

After the purchase, however, everything that goes wrong will affect the consumer satisfaction indicator regarding the company. When the customer is starting their relationship with an organization, establishing a relationship of trust is fundamental. Without this, all the work is lost.

In a satisfactory experience, the company helps its customers succeed in any interaction between them. It is a difficult task and it is very likely that, at some point, the company will fail.

For this reason, it is important to measure the customer experience so that the organization can improve its service and, whenever possible, make a good impression.

Continuous adjustment and review

In practice, this represents an increase in the frequency and importance of dialogue between companies and customers. This should even be the most used resource in this relationship, but many organizations forget about consumers after the purchase is made.

Furthermore, expectations, needs, processes, people, and consequently relationships, change over time. It is fundamental to keep track of these changes so that metrics and indicators can be reviewed and adjusted. Only then will they continue to be effective.

Data collection must consider customer complaints and dissatisfaction. This information helps to realize what needs to be improved so that the company can grow and improve its services.

So? Is your company on the right track to efficiently measure customer satisfaction? Then come and discover a technology that can help you increase their contentment.