How many times do we find negative reviews on a product or service and discover that the company in question has not taken advantage of the advice and feedback, without intervening to improve the situation.
So much so that we ask ourselves: what sense does it make for systems to be made available to monitor customer satisfaction?
The crux of the matter lies in Customer Satisfaction: a cross and delight of every company. Because yes, being able to monitor customer satisfaction after the purchase of a product or service, making it feel followed and protected even after the transaction is concluded, and cultivating a lasting relationship based on trust is not easy. It takes perseverance, an adequate strategy, patience, self-analysis and self-criticism. In short, taking care of customers and getting to the next step, namely that of loyalty, is a demanding and continuous job.
But the efforts are worth it, because the reward is a loyal customer base who, as US business consultant and manager W. Edwards Deming wrote: "[...] They don't need advertising and they don't need stimulation: they come to you. to buy and bring a friend with them ".
This is because loyal customers are those who, following a positive and ongoing experience, have replaced simple satisfaction with trust and loyalty.
Despite the indisputable importance of Customer Satisfaction as a tool for continuous self-improvement, evolution and construction of a real community of loyal consumers, many companies, if not entire sectors, struggle to implement the most suitable strategies for the purpose. Losing a great opportunity as a result.
Today's consumer does not want to feel abandoned when the transaction is concluded: he wants to be able to count on available and kind assistance, he wants to communicate his opinions and wants them to be valued, he feels the need to actively participate in the innovations to be made to the product or service, in a way to improve existing ones and introduce new ones that satisfy his latent needs.
Customer Satisfaction does not end with the mere survey in which you are asked to express, through stars or smiley faces, the level of satisfaction experienced.
It is a real dialogue that encourages the consumer to open up, to go back to buying, to make suggestions and feel that they have contributed to adding added value to the company itself.
In fact, social media have given consumers great power, who can share their opinions with even very large groups of friends and followers, making them viral.
Online communities must therefore be considered, a relationship based on listening and understanding must be cultivated, otherwise a huge possibility of improvement and innovation is lost.
In this regard, a curious example of innovation aimed at increasing Customer Satisfaction is given by Pizza Hut.
The well-known Dallas restaurant chain, which was among the first to introduce the home delivery service, is investing more and more in new technologies to improve the experience of its customers.
One of the latest findings, still under development and testing, concerns the use of Artificial Intelligence tools capable of suggesting to consumers the most suitable pizzas to order based on weather conditions. This is because the weather affects the palatability of some ingredients, as well as our mood. An innovative and creative idea to differentiate yourself from the competition and provide added value.
However, there is no need to rack your brains to find extravagant and ultra-original additional services to ensure a good level of Customer Satisfaction.
There are several elements to consider in order to offer services that are as friendly as possible, with a view to preceding the consumer in his requests, meeting his needs (even the less obvious ones) and optimizing the Customer Experience:
- Adopt an omnichannel strategy: Leveraging chat boxes, videos, social media and messaging apps for mobile devices can be helpful in enabling customers to connect with businesses. Today, in fact, there is an increasing habit of communicating directly with the company, moving from one channel to another and expecting continuity in communication.
- Develop a Customer Journey Map: understand what are the steps that our customers take when they meet our company; in this way it is possible to understand which are the critical points and which are the opportunities.
- Taking care of the relationship, using all social media: human relationships are the basis of any exchange; therefore, it is necessary that in all phases of the funnel the customer feels he can rely not on an abstract brand but on a real team, made up of people with entertaining a relationship; this, we recall, is also valid after the transaction is concluded, because the goal is to encourage the consumer to return. Being present on social media, enhancing consumer opinion and making them feel part of a virtual family lays the foundations for an effective loyalty process.
To find out how to take care of your customers and retain them, rely on E – Business Consulting, a Digital Marketing company active since 2003. Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote.
