It should go without saying, but if your business doesn't have excellent customer service, your business won't be open for long.
Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic. But it's kind of true.
Why? Because customer service is the foundation of your company.
If you're not prioritizing improving customer service, then your retention rates will also suffer.
And with repeat customers reportedly spending an average of 67% more than new customers, you're leaving a lot of money on the table. What's more, 82% of companies say that retaining a customer is less expensive than acquiring a new one.
Wondering how to provide superior customer service that boosts business? Keep on reading to learn why customer surveys can boost your service, along with other essential tips.
Learn From Your Customers
Your customers can be your biggest teacher for improving customer service.
Running regular, or semi-regular, customer satisfaction surveys is key to understanding how your base rates your service.
Trust us, if you're not excelling in this department, it's going to show up in the survey feedback.
The beauty of surveys for your shoppers is that they're highly customizable. If you want to focus on just customer service feedback, that can be done (with the help of a trusty market research team, of course).
A few main benefits to running customer surveys:
- Actionable feedback from real customers
- They're simple to run
- They're quick
- You'll get new ideas for business
- Opportunity to gain new customers
The best way to have excellent customer service is to hear why your service isn't, well, excellent.
Meaning, you'll be able to take whatever negative feedback you get and address it.
For example, say you get a lot of feedback saying that your website doesn't have a great user experience.
You can then take that information to make strides toward bettering your site. Making changes based on the survey feedback will likely increase your customers because you took their advice.
Customer surveys are also pretty simple to put together when you work with an experienced market research team.
Often sent via email, these surveys won't take long. Online surveys are ideal for this because of that. The shorter and sweeter your survey, the more inclined people are to take it.
These are one of the many ways to attract more repeat customers to your organization.
More on the value of collecting continuous customer feedback in the video below.
💡 The Key Takeaway: The key to proving your customer service skills is through actually hearing from your customers! Conducting regular surveys will give you actionable feedback on how to improve your service.
Be Responsive
If you won't take the advice your customers give you in a survey, don't even bother running one (and that's coming from a company where surveys are our bread and butter).
One of the best skills to provide great customer service is listening. Simply listening to your base is 100% necessary.
The "negative" feedback you receive is actually the most important part of a survey. Sure, it's great to get positive feedback. But you can't improve your service strategy with positive feedback the way you could with negative.
Not to mention, those very customers who offered constructive criticism will likely notice the positive change you made from their advice. This leads to customer retention, and what business doesn't want that?
💡 The Key Takeaway: When you follow the lead of your customers, it doesn't go unnoticed. Take constructive feedback and use it.
Recommended Reading: 4 Excellent Strategies for Improving Customer Retention
Have a Great Web Experience Too
Gone are the days when business was solely conducted in person.
Today, it is essential to have a website that is responsive, user-friendly, and answers a customer's question with a simple site search. It is oftentimes someone's first impression of your business.
Specifically for eCommerce websites, many customer interactions happen online. Whether it be having a dedicated Knowledge Base page, live chat, or an online form for customers to share comments/questions/concerns.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Just as you enjoy navigating a sleek website, so do your customers! Take that into account when building/updating your website.
Just Be Nice
The simplest of all our tips.
In a way, being nice is at the foundation of excellent customer service. Because it truly is a service.
If you cannot help customers online or in person, depending on your business, then all hope for good service is lost. It's a skill that requires knowledge, empathy, and action.
Really putting a big emphasis on how you interact with your customers is huge. This is not to say dealing with customers is always easy, because it's not. But they simply come with the territory.
As we mentioned, there's no business without customers. So you need to spend time training your staff (and yourself) about how their treatment can either make or break your brand.
💡 The Key Takeaway: Ensuring you and your staff is well-equipped to deal with the different personalities of your customers is a must. Being able to relate to your audience is one of the most important customer service skills out there.
Contact Our Customer Satisfaction Company
Investing in customer satisfaction surveys is a good step forward to make sure you're serving shoppers the right way. They allow businesses to see how their service is and where it can improve.
Drive Research is a market research company located in New York. Our team understands the ins and outs of customer service and how it adds to the success of a brand. Specializing in a wide range of customer satisfaction efforts, we’ll work with you to ensure your service is where it needs to be.
Want to learn more about our market research services? Let’s talk, then! Get in touch with us through any of the ways below.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
