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Customer satisfaction is a marketing term that measures how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass a customer’s expectations. Besides avoiding common issues that could negatively affect customer service, what other ways can startups improve satisfaction?
How to Increase Customer Satisfaction Rates in Your Business
Understanding the level of satisfaction your customers have for your company is essential because it helps you understand their needs and where improvements can be made.
1. Establish a Customer-Centric Culture
A customer-centric culture is one that works to provide a holistic customer experience. That means every employee in every department works together to satisfy your customers.
For example, your logistics team can take advantage of same-day delivery services to ship packages quickly, while your customer service staff can answer shipment questions. Your content creation team could make FAQ articles that also answer delivery-based queries.
2. Be Honest About Missteps and Mistakes
Your customers value transparency and honesty, but doesn’t everyone? No one wants a friend who constantly lies to them and isn’t reliable, so why would they put up with it from a company they aren’t attached to? It’s considerate to think about how your actions affect your customers.
However, mistakes will happen, and you’ll eventually upset a customer. If the error was your fault, your customers won’t respect you if you put the blame on them. But if you say sorry when you make a mistake, it shows you’ve taken responsibility, trustworthy, and authentic.
3. Be Empathetic and Understanding
If you don’t understand your customers, you won’t be able to satisfy them. All of your customers will have specific pain points they want you to solve, do your products or services do that?
If the answer is yes, ask yourself what your business will do if your products or services fail to meet expectations due to a malfunction or mistake. The only answer to that question is “lead with empathy,” as your customers want to feel heard when they come to you with a problem.
4. Ask and Act on Customer Feedback
To determine customer satisfaction rates, companies will hand out surveys via email when they activate an email prompt, like after they communicate with your team or accept a delivery.
68% of consumers are willing to offer feedback, but they don’t want their concerns to stay unaddressed. If a customer feedback survey came back negative, apply it to your organization. Try to learn from your customer’s negative experiences, as they show potential for growth.
5. Create Customer Loyalty Programs
Customer loyalty programs are a perfect way to show appreciation to your frequent buyers and can ensure satisfaction whenever you reward them for doing business with you. If you have a loyalty program but you aren’t getting a lot of traction, market it more to your customers.
Or, maybe your loyalty program isn’t working with your target demographic. Most customers want the same things from loyalty programs: free shipping, coupons, tailored recommendations, and early access to a sale or new products. Try to incorporate these features into your program.
6. Respond to All Comments Quickly
Customers want you to be fast in everything you do, even if you’re a sole proprietor. According to studies, you could lose a sale or a loyal customer if you don’t respond within 15 minutes.
Whether a customer leaves a comment on your social media post, sends you an email, or types up a message in your live chat window, it’s all the same. However, you can use automation software to respond to common questions, like opening hours, to minimize your workload.
