Unsatisfied customers do not stick around for long, which is an irrevocably true-adage. A happy customer leads to customer satisfaction which in turn leads us to think of more ways to improve customer satisfaction. Statistics suggest that as much as 80% of a company’s future revenue is derived from 20% of its existing clients.

Hence, it is imperative to come up with innovative ideas for customer satisfaction. Plus, it costs five more times to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. So how to know if the customer is satisfied? Or how to provide excellent customer service? And most importantly, how to improve customer satisfaction? Here are 7 foolproof ways of doing so:

• C for Communication
• L for Listening
• S for Service
• F for First Contact Resolution
• H for Happiness
• A for Available
• T for Training

C for Communication

Funnily enough, in the dictionary of customer success, C stands for much-needed communication. This is in fact, is one of the granted strategies to improve customer satisfaction. Do you often check in with your customers, like now and then? Do you send out periodic newsletters or other updates with a consistent cadence? Well, if not, then you have a lottery awaiting:

• Individually call each new customer—a week or so after they become a customer—to simply check-in. Ensure that they don’t have any questions, and let them know how to reach out if they do.

• Use your marketing automation solution to send a recurring email newsletter. New information is always available, and your customers deserve to be kept in the loop. Notify them about new content that will help them, product enhancements, bug fixes, changes in top management, etc.

• Respond to customers rapidly when they need your help. If they need customer support, be sure to reply as quickly as possible. And if you’re not able to do that, hire more support reps.

• Promote customer satisfaction by having sales agents respond quickly to sales questions. If responses are slow, your customers and prospects lose faith in your ability to serve them.

L for Listening

Yes, an important lingo in the customer success business is listening actively. This gives you the leverage to truly understand what the other person is telling you about. Like most highly successful companies, you should provide a variety of avenues for customers to voice concerns, suggestions, or opinions—then respond to them.

This maximizes customer satisfaction and tells them that you are listening to their needs, care about their feelings, take them seriously, and will act to address their concerns or requests. If you are wondering how to do so, you’re in luck:

• Provide multiple ways for customers to reach you when they need support. Use live chat functionality on your website. Provide email and telephone support.
• Respond to support questions on social media. Ensure your customers can reach you on the communication channel they prefer.

• Use social listening tools to alert you when someone mentions your brand. It’s important to respond to their comments and engage with them. It shows them that you are listening to their needs and interests. Provide helpful customer feedback if they have questions.

• One of the other methods of providing excellent customer service is by responding to the blog or social media comments. It’s a great way to engage customers and demonstrate that you’re paying attention to them. It also results in greater brand loyalty.

S for Service

• Customers who have been with you for multiple years are exhibiting brand loyalty. Reward them for sticking with you. Give them a discount or other type of offer to show them you value their partnership with you. Do the same with brand advocates.

• Every product will eventually have a bug or other defect that you will need to address. Put a system in place to identify them. Make it a top priority to resolve them as rapidly as possible.

• Pay close attention to how successfully your customers are using your product. Take the time to identify potential issues they may be facing. Then proactively solve those problems before they arise. This type of initiative will make customer satisfaction skyrocket.

F for First Contact Resolution

• First contact resolution (FCR) rate is the percentage of support cases that you resolve on the first attempt. It means not having to escalate an issue and engage in an extensive back and forth.

• It tells them that you value their time. If you can resolve an issue on the first try, your customer can get back to work without wasting time in an endless back and forth.

• So, ensure your support team is equipped with the right tools and learning to resolve customer issues on the first attempt. And 77% of customers say that is the most important thing you can do to deliver excellent service.

H for Happiness

• Don’t let unhappy employees be the reason behind customer churn. Give them reasons to feel fulfilled in the workplace. Run employee engagement programs to give them a sense of belonging.

• Statistics say that as much as 67% of consumers list bad customer experience as one of the primary reasons for leaving. Provide flexible working hours when possible.

• Ask for their feedback on their satisfaction with the job and implement changes based on that. There are many things you can do to maintain satisfied employees. If you’re not sure what those might be, ask them.

A for Available

• With the right technology—such as all-in-one customer relationship management (CRM) systems that provide marketing automation, customer support features, etc.—you can easily provide those communication channels.
• These can include live chat on your website, email, and telephone support, rapid response on social media, and even using online appointment scheduling to let your customer’s book time with you at their convenience.

• Another great way to stay connected is to enable your old landline number for landline texting. Making yourself more available reduces the customer’s need to reach out numerous times to contact you.

• A recent report suggests that 77% of consumers say that valuing their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide them with good online customer service.

T for Training

• Offering free training shows us the clear impact of customer service on customer satisfaction. User guides are great when someone needs to reference a specific feature of your product.

• But deeper dive training courses take it a step further. Offer live virtual training classes on a variety of topics. Record them and make them available on your website.

Final Take

Customer satisfaction is the key to boost your business. Steps to improve customer satisfaction is more like a cakewalk. Don’t underestimate the importance of customer satisfaction surveys.

There are many types of customer satisfaction surveys, such as CSAT, NPS, and CES. Use those to gauge how you are doing. Follow the tips above, and you’ll maintain world-class customer satisfaction levels that will drive serious growth for your business.

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