Communication is a necessary exchange for the development of a business. As a product or service grows, so should communication with customers.
There are some common mistakes:
- Pressuring the customer when we need a particular answer
- Ignore their complaints, because we think they are of no value
- Minimize their criticism because it contradicts the idea of a company that we have
Any contact with the customer, no matter if it is positive or negative, can be a great learning opportunity. The information gathered is key to improving the company’s strategies.
“Customer service is one of the pillars of the profitability and positioning of any business, as it focuses directly on consumer satisfaction and the optimization of their experience and interaction with a brand.”
(Source: https://bit.ly/3l5N5x2 )
The customer is the pillar of any company. That’s why it’s essential to pay attention to it and listen to it.
The advantage of being a good listener
“People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou, American writer
In this phrase we can see condensed a fundamental axis of marketing, sales and business in general.
When a company listens to its customer, it is able to improve its image and become a company with a more humane and empathetic treatment.
This will strengthen the relationship with the customer. The more solid it is, the less they will forget it and the more they will consider the brand among the priority alternatives when buying.
“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. What they expect is for you to fix things when they get complicated.”
Donald Porter, Managing Director, MSB Consultancy
When a company learns to listen to customers, it is able to:
- Create products and services tailored to your needs
- Design better marketing strategies
- Adapt your business and update it in the face of market changes
- Choose your preferred sales channels
How do you know if a customer is satisfied with a product or service?
Let’s go back to customer-company communication. This is an aspect that every company should take advantage of.
Good customer service seeks to make users feel at ease in every interaction.
The quality of services and products depends on:
- The attention received by the customer: refers to the ability of each company to resolve doubts, with an excellent predisposition and communication.
- Quality of service: it is directly proportional to the satisfaction perceived by customers, based on the speed and efficiency in problem solving.
- Commitment: it goes hand in hand with the interest of the company’s employees in the concerns of customers.
However, communication channels and the quality of the experience largely determine the company’s ability to assimilate customer feedback, and then create a consistent strategy. That’s why it’s key to know how to listen to them.
Some keys to knowing how to listen to your customers
In order for customer-to-business communication to work, there are certain things to keep in mind:
- Analyze what the customer is saying. First of all, it is necessary to create a database to exploit, with exclusive information, obtained from customer feedback. Over time, each company will notice that the aspects they like and those they don’t like are recurring. They can repeat themselves and even generate patterns.
- Ask strategic questions. To find out what customers think and feel, it’s critical to ask good questions. Think them through. The worst thing that can happen to a user is to find themselves in front of an endless and redundant questionnaire.
It is necessary to focus, to direct the questions to objectives. Relate them to the points of improvement previously investigated. Surveys, satisfaction scales or best of all, adopt customer feedback software that allows the company to discover new opportunities to improve their experience and retention. - Make critical opportunities out of it. The most important thing is to answer complaints and try to resolve them as quickly as possible. One of the things most valued by the customer is sincerity. If you can’t get a quick response, it’s always best to be clear and tell the customer the status of their inquiry process.
It can be very beneficial for a company to analyze and look for patterns in accumulated complaints, to learn from them and know what can be improved. - Be more empathetic, show interest in the customer The company’s employees must show commitment and care about their customers. Generate a good bond with them, to find out what they want and thus be able to satisfy them and remain among their favorite brands.
- Provide valuable information to customers Many employees don’t have all the information they need to be able to serve users as quickly as possible.
That is why it is advisable to access customer service software that allows companies to concentrate all the data in a single source, to be able to incorporate, assist and develop their customer base efficiently. Only in this way will each company be able to save time and generate professional customer service. - Manage social networks very well. A fundamental tool in today’s communication. A good terrain to win customers. A prior communication strategy is always necessary. As well as contemplating positive and negative comments, since digital media generates a lot of visibility.
- Do not judge customer complaints and claims. It is important that the company’s employees can be receptive to customer opinions or complaints. Putting judgments or opinions before them will cause users to lose trust and stop asking for help, or worse, abandon the brand. Listening carefully, being empathetic, is a strategic decision.
How to improve the customer experience?
Every customer wants to be heard. But also, that your requests are resolved as quickly as possible to improve your experience. What usually happens is that many of the representatives do not have the same platform available with all the information they need to be able to serve you in the best way.
For this reason, it is advisable to concentrate all the data in a single source. Obtain customer service software that allows you to measure customer experience and satisfaction to speed up service and solve problems easily.
There are different variables that your company can start measuring to improve its performance. To help you listen to it better:
- The Voice of the Customer: Each company can collect direct information from its in-store customers. When the experience unfolds, it’s the best time to get honest feedback from the customer. The technology makes it possible to use touch screens with an emoji system to facilitate participation.
- Contributor Voice: A fundamental voice to improve the customer experience is that of the company’s own employees. Giving the team a chance to express themselves is a good first step to keeping a team motivated.
- Real-Time Customer Service: There are alert systems that allow each company to handle claims in a timely manner. With a response at the right time, a customer can feel content and satisfied.
- Generate self-audits: There is technology that allows you to perform a virtual audit of business processes. In this way, the employees of each company will have an app on their cell phones that will allow them to make reports and carry out the step-by-step protocols.
Knowing how to listen will improve the customer experience
Finding out what customers think and feel is essential to know where to focus when it comes to polishing issues. It is key to give value to what they say, whether it is positive comments or complaints.
There are different aspects to take into account in order for listening to be fruitful. And a central axis: the voice of the customer.
To do this, it is key to provide them with real-time services that allow them to respond to their complaints before they escalate.
Likewise, the voice of employees can be a good complement, so that they are all aligned with the company’s objective.
On the other hand, an internal audit system is key to keeping processes and protocols in order.
Global Metrics brings all of these features together. It allows organizations to improve their performance by delivering high-impact information to manage and improve the customer experience.
How? With innovative technological solutions that allow us to discover what customers think and feel.
