This may seem like a point that should not need to be repeated, but it is one that businesses often seem to forget: customers are the very life blood that keeps their doors open and their lights turned on. Business exists to provide a good or service, such as customizable customer support software, to people who need it. Most companies have an entire department devoted to making sure that not only was the actual transaction a positive experience, but if support is needed afterwards, someone is there to help the customer with that as well.
This leads us to an important question: are you taking the time to collect useful feedback from your customers? If not, you are missing out on a cost effective way to improve your corporate strategy by centering it on the people whom it should be focused on in the first place: the customers. With that goal in mind, let’s take a look at some effective ways to collect customer feedback and further be in full synchronization with their needs.
Talk (and Listen) to Your Customers
Talking, and also listening, to your customers is a great place to start. It allows you to learn things about your product or service that you might otherwise have never been aware of. If there is an issue with the product, or something is interrupting the service you are supposed to be providing, it is the customers informing you of such that will allow you to ultimately fix the issue. They have a vantage point on your company that you will never be able to have as an employee, so keeping their feedback in mind is vital if you want to continue to remain operational.
Also, customer interactions are a great way to build up your knowledge base, as real world problem solving garnered from customer interactions can be added to the base to aid in solving future problems of a similar nature.
Pay Attention to Social Media
Regardless of how you may feel about social media, one thing that is certain is that it is here to stay, which businesses need to learn how to harness it effectively and utilize it as another tool in their toolbox. If customers are unsatisfied with your product or service, especially younger ones, you are certain to hear about it on your social media page. Use these pages as an informal form of visual data reporting to see how your customers really feel about you on a day to day basis. Also, if you have customizable customer support software, you can use it to monitor and respond to feedback on your social media pages in real time.
Ask Them to Take Surveys
Another great form of visual data reporting that you can use are customer surveys, which allow you to see how your customers feel about you and then put that information into easy to understand charts and graphs. These surveys should take no more than ten minutes to complete and be easy to do for the customer, as having an overly complex survey could negatively skew your data.
If you would like more information about how customizable customer support software can help you collect data to improve your customer service experience, contact PhaseWare today.