These days, delivering great customer experiences is both more possible and challenging than before. Omnichannel customer engagement enables brands to connect with customers through more touchpoints than ever. However, the sheer number of channels can also be overwhelming to companies and customers alike, and many brands may find optimization of their omnichannel strategy an ongoing process requiring constant adjustments. For this reason, analyzing customer satisfaction across multiple channels can be an ambiguous process. Here are six tips for measuring customer satisfaction and ultimately optimizing customer experiences within your brand.
Your brand may be active on social media channels, but do you pay attention to what your customers are saying? In addition to being quick to respond on these channels, use social listening tools to better understand customer comments and interpret the less structured, informal feedback that can be found online. Your brand may use this information to get a better sense of strengths and weaknesses, improve service, and devise stronger marketing campaigns.
The most traditional way for measuring customer satisfaction is through feedback surveys. Many brands send customer feedback surveys immediately following a service interaction, and this is a great way to get customer opinions while they are still fresh. However, make an effort to engage your customers periodically as well. Sending surveys to simply ask what your brand could do better overall is a way of showing customers that you truly care about making constant brand improvements. Lastly, pay close attention to customer comments on these surveys, and be sure to reach out to unhappy customers with low overall scores or negative comments. Frustrated customers can provide tremendous insight into what your brand could be doing better.
One might say that the people who best understand customer feelings are your contact center employees. Everyday, they interact with your customers and get a feel for what these customers really want. Make it a regular habit to check in with your contact center staff and get their feedback. With their support, make revisions to practices that need improvement. For example, revise call scripts to better reflect customer needs, help employees develop better soft skills, and offer more in-depth training for using contact center technology.
Many brands consider first contact resolution, or FCR, a critical metric to measure in their contact centers. Why does this matter when measuring customer satisfaction? Simply put, resolving a customer issue in a single interaction generally satisfies customers. They do not lose time and build greater confidence in your brand, and their positive feelings often lead to positive word of mouth. High FCR rates therefore serve as a good indicator of customer satisfaction and ensuing loyalty.
No one likes to be placed on hold, and making your customers lose time in this manner can lead to higher abandonment rates. Your brand should measure the average time customers are put on hold for service and consider implementing a virtual hold and callback system that truly satisfies customers by eliminating hold times and reducing abandonment rates.
Lastly, take a closer look at the general behaviors of your customers to get a global view of their satisfaction levels. Do they refer your brand to others? How often do they make repeat purchases or upgrades to their products or services? Do they respond to your customer feedback surveys, and are their comments positive? Such behaviors are clear indicators of how much they support your brand. Measuring customer satisfaction can be challenging, but doing so across multiple touchpoints and with the participation of customer service staff makes the process far more insightful and comprehensive. By taking customer interests to heart, brands can deliver true customer satisfaction.
