Nearly three-quarters of French people say they have already had a bad experience with a customer service department. Most of them say that the advisor did not understand their request. Today, listening to customers is a key factor in driving corporate strategy. What can be done to improve the customer experience? Focus on three key points and ideas to implement.
1. Increase customer interaction
The Happy Clients 2021 study carried out by ChooseMyCompany identifies a number of actions that are essential to building customer loyalty. In particular, the authors believe it is necessary to increase interaction with the customer in order to establish a climate of trust. This bond can be forged gradually by asking questions about the quality of the service, but not only. According to the ChooseMyCompany Barometer, customer satisfaction rises sharply with six or more contacts per year.
The startup Partoo, which helps retailers improve their online visibility, is in the Top 3 of the Happy Clients 2021 ranking. The company plans for each customer to be accompanied by a customer success manager, with a check-up every quarter or so, depending on the customer's needs. To find out whether users are ready to recommend Partoo to their friends and family, the startup suggests they set a recommendation score ranging from 1 to 10. When the score is below 6, a contact is scheduled with the customer to understand their choice and try to find areas for improvement.
2. Take customer feedback into account
Returns management plays an important role in the customer experience. A number of factors need to be taken into account to optimize this process and ensure customer satisfaction. For example, it may be worthwhileadapting returns to a digital format, as not all customers have a printer at home to obtain a return label. This will also reinforce the company's image of responsibility and help it to resell items more quickly.
Secondly, it is essential to keep customers regularly informed, with the aim of consolidating the bond of trust that has been established with the brand and maintaining a high level of satisfaction.
It's up to companies to come up with ideas to increase the value of the service they provide "in a spirit of continuous improvement", explains Laurent Labbé, co-founder of ChooseMyCompany, to Les Echos newspaper.
3. Involve the customer in the search for solutions
Customers appreciate collaborative approaches. It's in their interest to involve them in the search for solutions. This may involve organizing a "brain storming" session on the customer's premises, following the identification of a malfunction. According to ChooseMyCompany, these agile methods enable service providers to positively stand out from the crowd and highlight their capacity for innovation.
In this way, exchange and dialogue with customers is one of the keys to improving customer relations and satisfaction.