In customer satisfaction research conducted in recent years,
one theme has emerged: the essential importance of superior
customer service. It has been shown that service-related
attributes stand out even over attributes such as product
quality in their importance to customers. While this is not
universally the case, it warrants discussion about customer
satisfaction measurement and how your company can translate
the information to achieve higher customer satisfaction.
Most companies believe they provide a unique offering to
their customers. In many industries, a company achieves this
uniqueness by delivering customer service that is superior
to its competitors. This leads us to the question, "What
does superior customer service mean?" While the details are
industry and even firm specific, the basic principles can be
generalized. The following list provides a good starting
point for thinking about customer service research and how
it can help your company deliver superior service.
Seven Superior Service Strategies
Always try to exceed customer expectations. Whether customer
expectations are set by the firm or by a competitor,
exceeding these will reflect on your company's reputation
and leave a lasting impression. To achieve this, you must
have a strong understanding of customer needs as these
dictate expectations. Conducting a customer service survey
will provide you with a true understanding of these needs.
Managing expectations up front sets the stage for you to
exceed customer expectations later in the relationship.
Track changes in customer expectations over time. Any
successful company must learn to identify and adjust to
changing trends, many of which will be reflected in customer
expectations. Measure customer satisfaction with tracking
research in order to monitor trends over time.
Make a strong first impression. The first contact with a
customer (the "moment of truth") often sets the tone for
their lasting impression of the company. Customer
Satisfaction Research shows that how a customer feels about
a transaction tends to be more important than the product or
service purchased.
Be accessible, approachable, and responsive. If your
customer finds it difficult to get in touch with someone at
your company, they are less likely to do so, and the
prospect of developing a strong, long-term relationship
built on customer service satisfaction is greatly
diminished. Make a habit of regularly reaching out to your
customers to enhance customer service satisfaction and build
lasting relationships.
Determine how your well company delivers. Initial customer
satisfaction research will provide a baseline against which
to measure future improvement initiatives. Regularly conduct
a service satisfaction survey to help identify specifically
what attributes of the product/service are of greatest
importance to customers, how the company performs against
those attributes and how both change over time.
Solicit input from your service personnel. Most
public-contact employees are self-motivated to achieve
customer service satisfaction. They are the best source for
identifying roadblocks to superior service delivery (too
much paperwork, difficult return policies, lack of
information, interdepartmental miscommunication, inability
to schedule service call times, etc.) and what upsets
customers most. Spotlighting and addressing these issues not
only improves customer service satisfaction but front-line
employee attitudes as well.
Improve employee satisfaction. Regularly conduct an employee
attitude survey to measure and improve employee
satisfaction. This will, in turn, have an impact on customer
service satisfaction. More satisfied employees will produce
higher quality products and provide better service to your
customers.
These seven strategies provide a generalized approach for
exceeding customer expectations and achieving superior
service. An ongoing customer satisfaction research program
will help to identify the issues facing your particular
business, as well as their relative importance to customers.
Through such a program, a full-service marketing research
firm could help identify the specific improvements that will
have the greatest impact on improving overall customer
service satisfaction.
About the Author
Brian Backer is a project manager with Polaris Marketing
Research, specializing in customer service satisfaction
research.
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