What Can Be Done To Improve Customer Satisfaction In Your Company?
It's a feeling that nobody is a stranger to; you pick up the phone, dial the number of a business you need to contact, have to go through a maze of various automated system prompts and after being put on hold for God knows how long, you are only routed to a voice mail message so cheery it makes you want to rip the phone off its cord. Undoubtedly, when they first became "the way to do business" it was extremely annoying; however, times are changing, folks are automating and imprudent business practices such as this are gaining acceptance (or at least tolerance).
Of course the ole' time principles of customer services - such as answering the phone before the third ring, avoiding putting a customer on hold if at all possible, and providing personal service - are still superb solutions to customer satisfaction. However, automation seems to be the status quo in the present-day business milieu, which makes it imperative for us to respond to customers with optimum agility and to give the correct answers -- after all, only a person with a yen for sadistic self-punishment would consider being put on hold for an interminable period and being asked to merrily jaunt through a convoluted series of automated voice options, only to be asked to leave a message in lieu of speaking to a fellow Homo Sapiens to be their idea of good customer service.
Customers who contact a business via telephone, email or through person-to-person contact have always expected timely responses, with immediate ones being preferred, albeit not that necessary. Responsiveness is one of the main constituents of customer satisfaction.
What, pray tell, is a "timely response", in that case?
Honestly, the definition of a timely response really depends on the customer's perception. The urgency of their need may play into the mix or their idea of a timely response may be linked to their expectations.
For some reason there is a perception amongst business people that a 24 hour response to a customer inquiry is sufficient. From the customer's perspective; however, having to wait 24 hours for a quick answer to a simple question or a viable solution to a serious problem is ridiculously aggravating and neglectful on the part of the business.
When customers have a bad experience, from the customers' perspective, they are sure to seek other options for fulfilling their needs. Plain and simple - poor customer service results in lost business.
Regardless of the type of business you are in and whether you receive customer inquiries via telephone, email or a website contact form, it is absolutely critical that you get back to your customers right away. To put it succinctly, there are several reasons why responsiveness is a sine qua non precept in the field of customer service -- these would include increasing your share of the market because of customer referrals, gaining an advantage over the competition, encouraging repeat business and making new customers and old ones alike happy with your service. And to further simplify things, responsiveness and customer satisfaction go hand-in-hand, and the latter cannot exist without the former.
Of course the ole' time principles of customer services - such as answering the phone before the third ring, avoiding putting a customer on hold if at all possible, and providing personal service - are still superb solutions to customer satisfaction. However, automation seems to be the status quo in the present-day business milieu, which makes it imperative for us to respond to customers with optimum agility and to give the correct answers -- after all, only a person with a yen for sadistic self-punishment would consider being put on hold for an interminable period and being asked to merrily jaunt through a convoluted series of automated voice options, only to be asked to leave a message in lieu of speaking to a fellow Homo Sapiens to be their idea of good customer service.
Customers who contact a business via telephone, email or through person-to-person contact have always expected timely responses, with immediate ones being preferred, albeit not that necessary. Responsiveness is one of the main constituents of customer satisfaction.
What, pray tell, is a "timely response", in that case?
Honestly, the definition of a timely response really depends on the customer's perception. The urgency of their need may play into the mix or their idea of a timely response may be linked to their expectations.
For some reason there is a perception amongst business people that a 24 hour response to a customer inquiry is sufficient. From the customer's perspective; however, having to wait 24 hours for a quick answer to a simple question or a viable solution to a serious problem is ridiculously aggravating and neglectful on the part of the business.
When customers have a bad experience, from the customers' perspective, they are sure to seek other options for fulfilling their needs. Plain and simple - poor customer service results in lost business.
Regardless of the type of business you are in and whether you receive customer inquiries via telephone, email or a website contact form, it is absolutely critical that you get back to your customers right away. To put it succinctly, there are several reasons why responsiveness is a sine qua non precept in the field of customer service -- these would include increasing your share of the market because of customer referrals, gaining an advantage over the competition, encouraging repeat business and making new customers and old ones alike happy with your service. And to further simplify things, responsiveness and customer satisfaction go hand-in-hand, and the latter cannot exist without the former.
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