Without your customers, you have no business.
It’s their engagement, loyalty and sales that power your cashflow and drive the business to new heights.
But when was the last time you reviewed your customer service levels?
And how often are you talking to your customers to find out if they’re happy, satisfied and still true advocates for the business?
Let’s dive into the power of great customer service and asking for honest feedback.
Why is customer service so important?
We live in a hybrid world, where customer interactions are as likely to take place online as they are in person. Customers follow you on social media and advertising can help you target specific customer demographics with almost forensic levels of detail.
But people buy from people, and that’s why treating your customers in an open, honest and welcoming way is so vital to the success of your small business.
What do customers want from your business?
Customer needs drive your business strategy (and if they don’t, then it’s time to review your strategy!). But what does the average customer want from your business?
Overall, customers want:
- Reliability: Customers want your small business to consistently deliver on its promises, and to deliver your products/service on time, every time, without excuses.
- Personalized service: Customers want to feel known and valued as individuals. They like tailored solutions and responsive communication that’s aimed specifically at their needs.
- High quality: Customers expect your products and/or services to consistently meet or exceed their expected standards. They want their problem understood and solved, quickly.
- Clear communication: Customers like your communication to be clear, transparent and as simple as possible. They want to contact you easily and get prompt responses to all enquiries.
- Great value: Customers expect a good balance between price and quality. They want a product that adds value, but at a competitive price that they feel is fair.
Keyways to find out what your customers are thinking
Building relationships, understanding your customers and learning their basic needs sits at the heart of tailoring and updating your business strategy.
So, how do you find out what’s going on in your customers’ minds?
Here are a few ways to gather customer feedback and insights:
1. Post-interaction surveys:
Once you’ve made a sale, send the customer a short, targeted survey. Use this as a chance to ask why they chose your product/service and how they rated the interaction. Keep it short and concise but look for the service pain points and highlight any areas that could be improved.
2. Engage on social media:
Actively monitor and engage with customer comments, mentions, and direct messages on your social media platforms. It’s a good idea to use polls or direct questions to gather opinions and collate more customer data. This shows customers their feedback is valued and acted on.
3. Direct feedback forms/buttons:
Put easy-to-use feedback forms or feedback buttons on your website, app and e-commerce store. This gives customers a convenient, non-intrusive way to share their suggestions or report issues. It’s quick, simple and gives you instant direct feedback from your customer base.
4. Incentivized feedback programs:
Offer small incentives (discount codes, loyalty points) for completing surveys or providing detailed feedback. This boosts your response rates and encourages customers to invest some of their time in offering constructive criticism.
5. Personalized follow-ups:
For more complex services or larger projects, make sure you have post-project meetings or personalized email/phone follow-ups with the customer. This is a great forum for customers to give feedback and get the snags, frustrations, high points and wins off their chest.
You’ll get deeper qualitative insights, and it demonstrates a commitment to open communication. Start talking with your valued customers.
Your customer base is one of the most valuable assets in your business. So, make sure you’re using every channel possible to talk to your customers and meet their expectations.
The following content was originally published by BOMA. We have updated some of this article for our readers.