How Are Your Customers Feeling Today?
Do you ever wonder if your customer is having a really bad day – and it’s all your fault? Maybe you should. If your company is getting the blame for some stuff that’s gone wrong, it’s to your advantage to know the details.
In other words, if you think things are going swell because “nobody’s complaining,” you need a different measure. A typical business hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers, according to Ruby Newell-Legner in “Understanding Customers.” The other 96% don’t tell you their complaints.
And while it’s hardly worth mentioning (hint: that’s sarcasm), an even bigger issue is that these dissatisfied customers who don’t breathe a word to you still tell their family, friends and 347 Facebook connections.
So, if your customers aren’t happy, you’re going to feel those effects – whether you realize it or not – in lost business from these customers and from their non-referrals.
A 2014 American Express survey says that three out of four consumers have spent more with a business based on a history of good customer service. That’s the kind of measure you want to see, and your best tactic for creating such is with a strong Customer Retention program that begins with excellent service and continues through follow up and staying in touch in the months to come. (FYI, your worst tactic is doing nothing after the first and only service/installation job and letting them forget all about you.)
Part of recognizing how your customers feel is listening to and welcoming feedback, which can come from many directions – email, social media, texts and telephone. However it arrives, make sure everyone recognizes the responsibility to respond. Or select an appropriate staff person to keep feedback monitored. Tools such as Mention, Hootsuite and Sprout Social can help monitor social media comments.