Customer satisfaction is important because it is an indicator of service quality. If customers are dissatisfied, it’s probably because their needs have not been met for some time.
Here are some simple ways by which companies can make customers more satisfied: 1. Understating Customer’s Needs 2. Exceeding Customer Expectations 3. Help Customers Help Themselves 4. Hire the Best Customer Service Support 5. Use of Tours and Demos 6. Fixing Recurring Problems 7. Clearly Defined Customer Service Policy 8. Believing in Customer Complaints.
1. Understating Customer’s Needs:
Customer satisfaction can be achieved by understanding customers’ needs. The truth is that some customers may be having different needs or they are facing some problems with the product or service. A successful company holds an open ear for both the pleased and displeased customer.
The companies should always be open to listening to their needs and finding a solution. When a business takes time to help a customer, the customers will always come back because they have gained their trust.
2. Exceeding Customer Expectations:
It is not always possible to keep all customers happy. The companies can go a long way in achieving this goal by trying to exceed the customer’s expectations. This may be accomplished by giving more value or service then what was initially agreed on, delivering on a promise earlier than expected or by making a follow- up call to see if the customer has a problem or issue.
For example, if the delivery of a product is promised within 10 days, the customer should be pleasantly surprised and pleased to have the product delivered on day 6 or 7.
3. Help Customers Help Themselves:
One of the most effective customer service strategies a company can use is anticipating customer’s questions and providing answers to them. This can be done by designing a page of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). The FAQ page consists of a list of frequent queries and issues customers often raise.
A customer may less likely to repurchase or simply loose interest if they can’t find clear answers to their queries and concerns easily. A FAQ page can go a long way in helping customers help themselves.
4. Hire the Best Customer Service Support:
Customer service supports are often the voice and faces of the business, when customers interact with the business they expect to get a quality product or service. It is therefore very important that customer service support makes a good impression and stay calm and professional, even when dealing with difficult or unreasonable customers.
So because of this fact, only highly motivated, even- tempered, professional and people-oriented individuals should be considered for these critical positions.
5. Use of Tours and Demos:
Customers will only purchase the products if they are able to understand products or service. This can be possible by giving a demo or product tour to help a potential customer see how company’s product or service work before they commit to buying. This is especially useful if company’s offering is technical in nature, or is sold online. Interaction with demos may also answer some questions a customer may have, without the need to contact customer support.
6. Fixing Recurring Problems:
Less than 1 in 25 customers will express their dissatisfaction directly to the business, instead they will more readily tell others of any unpleasant experience they had with the product or service. Therefore, it is to be assumed that each complainant represents a larger group and so a genuine effort should be made to address any issue a customer raises.
Actually, a customer does business a favor by telling about complaints regarding any product or service. Businesses must be especially vigilant in recognizing frequent complaints and fix them quickly. In the long run it reduces the burden on customer service and makes the customer’s experience much more pleasant.
7. Clearly Defined Customer Service Policy:
Customer satisfaction can be achieved by clearly defining a customer service policy. A clearly defined customer service policy is going to save a lot of time and effort of companies in the long run. If a customer has a problem, what should they do? If the first option doesn’t work, then what? Should they contact different people for billing and technical enquiries? If they’re not satisfied with any aspect of the customer service, who should they tell?.
There’s nothing more annoying for a client than being passed from person to person, or not knowing who to turn to. Making sure they know exactly what to do at each stage of their enquiry should be of utmost importance. So companies should make it sure that their customer service policy is present on the site or be given to the customers at the time of purchase. It makes the customer feel welcomed, wanted and valued.
8. Believing in Customer Complaints:
Customers are not necessarily the best determiners of technology choices. They tend to define their needs based on what they know, not what’s possible. However, if companies offer options, customers can select among the options and find out the defects. Customers are best able to find defects in the products and services. Companies should not criticize these complaints; instead, note and correct them as soon as possible.