Taking Action
Gathering and digging through the data is a great step towards a better CX, but whether or not you achieve your goals depends on how you act on that data. We took a look at how businesses with CX strategies are executing after collecting feedback. This will give you some idea of how your peers approach CX improvement and how to be proactive in your own business.
It’s no surprise that the number one use of customer feedback among respondents is improving CX. That application is closely followed by using feedback to follow up with poor customer experiences. Quickly closing the loop saves existing business, improves the chances of winning new business, and mitigates the potential for a damaging online review.
Secondary uses include follow up with dissatisfied customers and process improvements.
Every business is different, so finding the best way to disseminate customer feedback to relevant team members should fit your company culture. It’s pretty common though, to address it in ad hoc meetings. This likely reflects the fact that feedback rolls in real time and should be constantly monitored.
“At the brand level, voice of the customer analysis is conducted by Ops & Marketing Depts to identify key pain point threads as well as high points of customer satisfaction. Pain points are prioritized, and action plans are built into the annual operating plans for remediation.
“Feedback is shared with Senior Leaders at monthly strategic review meetings…and we hold voice of customer huddles.”
“We share the data with the front-line team, follow up daily on any negative comments, and report annually to our entire company.”
“We review results carefully and correlate findings to store success …Customer service is recognized at conference.”
When you commit to improving your CX with customer feedback, it needs to come from the top down in your organization. Most businesses set feedback goals at the brand level which displays a commitment to the customer across the entire network and ensures everyone is on board.
While you want to make your goals realistic, it doesn’t help to sandbag them either. Make sure you’re setting standards that challenge you to reach for excellence rather than creating a metric to pat yourself on the back. Most respondents agreed that these goals are accurately set.
The vast majority of respondents agreed that frontline employees are equipped to act on customer feedback. Armed with valuable information, customer-facing employees are not only more confident with interactions, but they’re much more adequately prepared to understand and improve adverse situations.
Customer-facing employees at higher performing brands are even more likely to have this autonomy.
Closing the loop and following up with customers is a great way to dive deeper into a potential problem, initiate speedy service recovery, and prevent negative word of mouth. Respondents stated that franchise owners, managers, or department heads are most commonly accountable for these customer follow-ups. Having leaders do the follow-ups keeps it less confrontational and is a great way to demonstrate care.
Always follow up with unhappy customers. Not only can they do a lot more harm when you don’t try to make it right, you may end up creating some of your biggest fans simply by reaching out. With 88% of respondents agreeing that this is critical, it’s hard to disagree.
Most commonly, Listen360 Customers are following up with Detractors within 24 hours.
It’s not nearly as common for businesses to follow up with delighted customers. A little over a third of respondents don’t do this, but it’s interesting to take a look at the sizable portions of those surveyed who still do. Following up with promoters could be considered what we call a “delighter” factor. Promoters won’t expect you to follow up, so if you don’t, there is likely no penalty. If you do, though, they will be very pleasantly surprised. Sometimes doing the things your competitors aren’t will give you an edge.
The timeline for follow up with Promoters ranges from within 24 hours to longer than a week.
Most businesses keep their scores close to the chest and decide how best to distribute the information in house. A quarter of respondents, though, publish the numbers online.
Higher performance clearly correlates with the behavior of publishing NPS® online.
Following up with an unhappy customer can not only change the way they feel about your brand, it can also change the way they talk about your brand to the world at large. Online reviews can be much more detrimental than a digital blemish.
