The emphasis in modern customer experience is often put on speed and technology. How fast can you resolve the customer inquiry? How fast can you respond to the call, social post, email, etc.? How can we integrate new software/CRM/technology into our processes? But with focus being put on creating quicker response and resolution times, improving CRM and call center technology, and a myriad of other components, the most important aspect of the customer experience often gets pushed aside: customer satisfaction. While it’s important to evolve in every facet of your customer experience, a recent article by Bob Thompson points out that customer satisfaction should never be ignored.
Thompson’s article points out that creating a positive emotional connection with your customers can help foster customer loyalty and, as a result, increase sales and gain an advantage over competitors. There are many emotional connections a customer can make within a customer experience, but “satisfaction” is the most common one used to describe connecting with a company. When a customer feels like they’re satisfied with the overall experience, they’ll be more likely to return to your company over others for their purchases.
There are a few positive emotions customers can take away from an experience with a brand, however, there can just as easily be negative experiences that cause negative bias. As Thompson demonstrates, a negative customer experience can have a more lasting impression than a positive one, so it’s crucial that companies discover the negative emotions connected with the poor customer experiences in an effort to correct them immediately. Thompson’s article states that the four most common negative emotions in customer experiences are frustration, disappointment, disrespect, and anger. Companies should look at their customer service and find the locations in the customer journey where these four emotions commonly stem from and re-evaluate and adjust the processes occurring within them.
Customer satisfaction may seem like the obvious front-runner in terms of significant factors in the customer experience, but the article refers to a recent study that showed brands rate satisfaction at a lower percentage than customers for top customer experience emotions. In addition, brands also rated certain negative emotions in the customer experience at a lower percentage than customers. Thompson refers to this as the “brand gap” and argues that it shows an underestimation from companies on the importance of doing the basics in customer service.
So, how can companies develop their customer experience strategies in an effort to satisfy customers? Thompson says that doing fundamental things well and fixing mistakes quickly are a great start to ensuring satisfied customers. Once you have the basics down and you know your customers are consistently satisfied, you can then steer your attention towards going above and beyond the customers’ expectations. As important as it is to do the basic things the right way, it’s even better when you exceed expectations. When you do more than your customers expect from you, you’ll go from satisfied customers to delighted customers!
This blog post was based on an article from CustomerThink. To read the original article, please click the link below:
Satisfaction is Dead. NOT. It’s the Most Common Emotion in Great Customer Experiences – Bob Thompson
If you’re interested in outsourcing with a call center, we can help at no charge!
Outsource Consultants are call center experts with over 25 years of outsourcing industry experience that have spent thousands of hours vetting and analyzing the strengths and specializations of the industry-leading outsource call center vendors. If you’re considering call center outsourcing, simply call 888-766-4482 or request a free call center cost proposal today and we’ll help you find the solution that best fits your exact requirements.
