Satisfaction or Complacency?

According to a recent survey, nearly half of customers who quit doing business with a company do so because of poor customer service. The company hasn’t done anything in particular to make them angry, but they haven’t done anything in particular to make them happy, either. The lure of new customer incentives, a disconnect between promises and delivery, or even a boring customer experience may be reasons consumers are choosing to switch providers. They are skeptical of being blindly loyal to a company because they find that they have been “punished” for their complacency with a longtime service provider by paying higher prices or receiving fewer perks. Customers no longer feel loyal to companies that don’t show allegiance to them.

Your customers haven’t been complaining much lately. You have trained your customer service staff well, and as far as you are concerned, the customers are happy with the service they’re receiving, you’d know if they weren’t, right? But what plans do you have in place to know if they are part of this unsatisfied market? How do you know if you are sufficiently meeting their expectations? Are you giving them the experience they desire? How do you know if they are shopping around for bigger and better? These questions are often left unanswered until it’s too late.

Eighty-one percent of consumers would be willing to pay more for great customer service as opposed to good customer service. The overall experience matters just as much as traditional customer service. Consider both the in-person experience and online. A website that offers low prices and incentives such as free shipping may not be enough to bring a customer back, that’s hardly an innovative business plan in 2012. Don’t discount the entire experience, from finding the product they want in-store in-line until they have the product in their hands at home. Small aspects, such as a smiling cashier or a time delivery can go a long way in creating loyal customers. Low prices won’t sustain a relationship if the customer feels has an unpleasant experience with each purchase.

In the fast churning modern marketplace, there are constantly questions that companies must ask themselves – and their customers. An unhappy consumer often speaks up, but an unsatisfied or complacent consumer often won’t let you know until they have already made the decision to leave for another company. Companies are using customer research to reach these consumers and get a pulse on their feelings before it is too late.  A survey will give you detailed feedback from your customers and tell you how exactly how they perceive the experience they have had with your company.

At NBRI, we recommend using a customer satisfaction survey to answer these questions and ensure that your customers will not silently slip away because of lackluster service.  After you establish a plan to keep your customer experience and service fresh based on the results of the initial survey, re-survey periodically to gauge the success of your improvement initiatives. Contact us today to get started.