By SACHIN SHENOLIKAR
What’s the best way to measure customer service ROI? It’s simply watching whether customers come back, says Marsha Collier, author ofThe Ultimate Online Customer Service Guide and co-host of the #custserv Twitter chat.
Finding out what your customers like and dislike about your business will allow you to make the necessary adjustments, which can pay off in the long run. “Keeping loyal customers is whole lot cheaper than soliciting new ones,” she says.
This data can be acquired via customer surveys, but the trick is getting the information that is most useful to your business without being a pest. After all, most people don’t want to take valuable time out of their day to fill out a form. Here are three strategies to getting the best results from customer surveys:
- Make the Questions Pointed. Give customers the option to provide both positive and negative feedback. “I’ve seen a lot of surveys that only ask, What did you like best?” says Collier. “If a customer has a gripe and doesn’t have the opportunity to share it, that doesn’t build loyalty. Positive feedback makes you feel good, but negative feedback teaches you the most lessons.”
Focus on specific issues that you want to address and make sure your questions are clear. Be aware of tone — it should be less “How can we improve?” and more “How can we make you happier?”
- Limit the Frequency. Don’t ask customers to fill out a survey after every single interaction. A few times a year is fine, and only when you have a reason to ask, says Collier.
Still, the fact remains that it will still be difficult to get the customer to provide feedback, unless they are upset with your service. It can help to throw a small reward their way to encourage participation — for example, a 10 percent discount or free shipping on a future purchase. Just don’t go overboard — it may appear too good to be true or as if you are trying to bribe the customer.
- Interior Alignment. While surveys can provide invaluable data, it is also crucial for your customer service reps to meet weekly to share notes on what they learned during interactions. This is also a good time to analyze Customer Relationship Management reports to spot trends in customer purchase scores and online behavior.
The final piece is making sure employees from other departments keep customer service reps informed on new developments such as changes in products or sales strategies. Keeping the lines of communication open both externally and internally will reduce setbacks.
“If you share the info from department to department, you’re going to avoid a lot of the problems that come up in customer service,” says Collier.
