Hello, budding business moguls. Today, we are foreign to look at something which is extremely important in creating success in your chosen industry customer satisfaction. Happy customers are the cornerstone of any successful business, so if you do not already know how to endure that the people who buy your wares are always as happy as Larry after their interactions with you, this is something you are going to seriously want to work on right now.
That being the case, below, we will take a look at just why customer satisfaction is so important, and what you can do to boost yours.
The why behind the satisfaction game
You might be asking, why all the fuss about customer satisfaction? Well, satisfied customers lead to repeat business, positive word of mouth, and increased sales. In short, they are the secret sauce to your business success. It’s like cooking your grandma’s famous lasagna – if the family loves it, they’ll come back for more, right? It’s the same with your customers.
Catch ’em with customer service
Let’s start with customer service. The thing that is arguably the tastiest bait to help you catch the fish you are after, in this case, your customers. There must be few, if any, people who want to deal with customer service staff who are unhelpful because they do not know what they are talking about, at best, and rude at worst. So, it is really important that you train your staff to be respectful, but also to fully understand all of your products and services so they can help your customers effectively when they need to. A failure to do so could be a disaster for your business.
Harness the power of tech
These days, we have many a shortcut to customer dissatisfaction in the form of technology. One piece of tech that can really help to ensure your customers are always happy when they deal with you is BuildOps field service software. BuildOps field service software is like having a state-of-the-art fishing rod in your customer satisfaction toolbox. If you have a field team it will enable you to streamline communications between them and the team back in the office, which will enable you to respond faster to customer needs, and ensure they are always happy with the level of service you give them.
Another tech tool you are definitely going to want at your disposal is customer relationship management software which enables you to store details of your customers, their interactions with you, and their wants and needs on a single system that your customer service team can pull up onscreen in an instant to ensure interactions are swift, knowledgeable and satisfying for your customers no matter what.
Show them you care
Customer satisfaction isn’t just about resolving issues – it’s about making your customers feel valued. Luckily, this is something that is pretty easy and affordable to achieve by doing things like sending them a birthday card with a money-off code each year or building a loyalty program that rewards them every time they choose to shop with you. It really doesn’t have to be complicated, but it will help to boost satisfaction levels significantly, so it is definitely worth the effort.
Quality over quantity
One thing you should never do is compromise on the quality of your product or service. It;’s fair to say that a bigger boat does not always catch the fish! Most customers want products and services that really work for them and which will withstand the test of time, They do not want products that will fall apart fast, so they are likely to be willing to spend a little more to get that, and if you deliver, they will be far more satisfied in the end than if they had paid less for an inferior product.
Know your customers
You cannot hope to hook a fish if you do not know its bait preferences. The same goes for customers. If you do not know who they are, what their likes and dislikes are, and what they expect to get from a company like yours, then you simply cannot hope to satisfy them as effectively as you could if you did know those things. The better you know them, the better you can serve them, end of!
Consistency is key
Inconsistency can be as confusing as a fish swimming in circles. Be consistent in your service delivery, your communication, your pricing – everything! When customers know what to expect, they’re more likely to be satisfied by what they receive because no one likes to find there’s a sting in the tail!
Build relationships
Do not think of your customers as simply the people who give your business money; try to look at them as being good friends who you want to build lasting relationships with, take the time to interact with them on social media as often as you can. Reply to their emails, find out who they are as people, and use that to market to them in a more individual way and you will see that they tend to be more satisfied with your interactions and more likely to buy stuff from you time and time again as the years go by.
Prioritise problem resolution
Customers who have a problem are less likely to be satisfied than those whose transactions go smoothly, right? So, although you should try to satisfy everyone, it is a good idea to really focus in on resolving complaints as soon as possible. Mistakes happen, but if they are dealt with fast and effectively most people will come away thinking positively of your business, fail to do so and the opposite is true!
Customer satisfaction is so important, and actually pretty simple to achieve if you are serious about doing so, so why not implement some of the above strategies into your business right now and see how much things improve. You are likely to be highly surprised by how effective taking even better care of your customers can be!
