![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/custfeedback.jpg\")
\nIs your goal to deliver great customer service? That\u2019s terrific! I like it. More importantly, your customers appreciate your ambition too!<\/p>\n
To succeed you\u2019ll need a feedback program that keeps you on course with customer service insights while pinpointing gaps and areas to improve.<\/p>\n
What Can Customer Feedback Do?<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen done correctly, customer feedback is a research-driven discipline that uncovers details that improve the customer experience. It explores customer successes, friction points, and missed opportunities. In addition, it keeps you on top of customers\u2019 issues and it enables you to address those issues as they occur.<\/p>\n
Quality feedback addresses tactical customer service questions such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Did we completely answer your question?<\/li>\n
- Was your product repaired to your satisfaction?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Quality feedback also handles strategic concerns like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- What would make our customer service better than the competition?<\/li>\n
- How can we position our customer service to increase sales?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A strong feedback program gives you accountability as well as a lens into the details that will supercharge the customer service you provide every day.<\/p>\n
On to the principles\u2026<\/p>\n
Principle #1: Be Objective!<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf your data fails to capture what\u2019s really going on with your customer service, what\u2019s the point? Many customer satisfaction surveys and other feedback methods suffer from uneven representation and bias.<\/p>\n
As the saying goes \u201cgarbage in, garbage out\u201d. Don\u2019t base important customer service decisions on garbage! You need facts, not fiction. Guidelines for objectivity could fill an entire book, but here are three best practices:<\/p>\n
Use an accurate sample:\u00a0<\/strong>Ask yourself: How well does your sample represent your customer base? Your sample should be random, statistically valid, and representative.\u00a0For example, if only one type of customer is responding to your tech support survey, perhaps those that had great experiences, your data will be skewed.<\/p>\nEliminate bias:\u00a0<\/strong>Remove leading statements, skewed scales, double-barreled questions, and other subjective constructs. Don\u2019t ask questions like: \u201cHow satisfied were you with our service?\u201d (This implies that the customer was at least somewhat satisfied.) Instead, ask neutral questions like: \u201cHow would you rate the quality of your service today?\u201d<\/p>\nEnsure replicability: <\/strong>Any analyst working with your data should arrive at the same conclusions whether it\u2019s coding, categorization, or assessments.<\/p>\nPrinciple #2: Use the Best Methods<\/strong><\/h3>\nSurveys may be the default method for gauging satisfaction with customer service, but sometimes there are better tools. Ask yourself what you need to know and match your methods to those objectives. Other methods include customer interviews, mystery shops, and customer service evaluations.<\/p>\n
Recorded Customer Interviews:<\/strong> Give you an in-depth view of your customers\u2019 expectations for service versus their actual lived experiences. They\u2019re also the best way to uncover customer service issues you didn\u2019t know to ask about.<\/p>\nMystery Shops:<\/strong> Reveal real customer service insights regarding specific scenarios. They\u2019re also an effective way to compare your customer service with that of your competitors.<\/p>\nCustomer Service Evaluations:<\/strong> Quantify how well associates perform with their calls, emails and chats. Service evaluations are one of the few ways to get a statistically valid read on the quality of your customer communication.<\/p>\nPrinciple #3: Engage Your Customers<\/strong><\/h3>\nSurveys that are too long or ask irrelevant questions alienate your customers and distort your data. Keep customer feedback surveys relevant and short!<\/p>\n
With your surveys this means:<\/p>\n
Ask compelling questions: <\/strong>Write questions that are conversational so that customers feel at ease and want to share. Consider what words will engage your customers and what types of questions they are most likely to find worth their time.<\/p>\nUse dynamic logic to keep questions relevant:<\/strong> No customer is the same, applying branching logic allows customers to only answer questions that apply to them.<\/p>\nAdd small tokens of appreciation such as gift cards and priority codes:<\/strong> By thanking customers for their time and effort, they\u2019ll be more likely to give feedback about your customer service. If you can find out how you\u2019re doing with customer service without asking your customers, that\u2019s even better! For example, if you have contact centers, use mystery shops and service evaluations.<\/p>\nThese methods give you data that is inherently more accurate and objective, without asking anything of your customers.<\/p>\n
Principle #4: Take Analysis Seriously<\/strong><\/h3>\nAnalysis is where meaning is uncovered, and where the the signal is separated from the noise. So, give analysis your undivided attention!<\/p>\n
Segment your data in myriad ways:<\/strong> Be sure to code your unstructured data. You need to thoroughly tag and categorize your customers\u2019 comments because the point is to uncover themes!<\/p>\nFind out what\u2019s driving your outcomes:<\/strong>\u00a0Correlation analysis is the only way to prioritize next steps and actions. Simply knowing your Net Promoter or Satisfaction Score is not enough\u2014especially when it comes to customer service.<\/p>\nMake sure your analysis accounts for the subtleties of the customer experience: <\/strong>This is crucial because experiences are comprised of multiple touchpoints and personas. In addition, experiences are largely subconscious and always evolving.<\/p>\nCustomer Feedback is a Research Discipline<\/strong><\/h3>\nCustomer Feedback is a research discipline. Unfortunately, all too often getting feedback about your customer service is treated as a task that doesn\u2019t require time or expertise. But if you ask tired questions in tired ways you won\u2019t learn much. Let\u2019s change that!<\/p>\n
Toward the best customer listening and great customer service!<\/p>\n
About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/marthabrooke.jpg\")
Martha Brooke<\/a> is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds a Blackbelt in Six Sigma. To dramatically improve the Customer Experience, Martha founded Interaction Metrics<\/a>, a research-driven Customer Listening agency in 2004. Interaction Metrics shows clients how to improve with methods such as satisfaction surveys and service evaluations.<\/p>\nYou can find Martha at linkedin.com\/in\/marthabrooke<\/a> and read her blog at Interaction Metrics Insights<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you want to deliver great customer service, you need a sold customer feedback program \u2013 one that\u2019s based on the 4 principles outlined here..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":421,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[250,120],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16711"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16737,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711\/revisions\/16737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- \n
- Did we completely answer your question?<\/li>\n
- Was your product repaired to your satisfaction?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Quality feedback also handles strategic concerns like:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- \n
- What would make our customer service better than the competition?<\/li>\n
- How can we position our customer service to increase sales?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A strong feedback program gives you accountability as well as a lens into the details that will supercharge the customer service you provide every day.<\/p>\n
On to the principles\u2026<\/p>\n
Principle #1: Be Objective!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
If your data fails to capture what\u2019s really going on with your customer service, what\u2019s the point? Many customer satisfaction surveys and other feedback methods suffer from uneven representation and bias.<\/p>\n
As the saying goes \u201cgarbage in, garbage out\u201d. Don\u2019t base important customer service decisions on garbage! You need facts, not fiction. Guidelines for objectivity could fill an entire book, but here are three best practices:<\/p>\n
Use an accurate sample:\u00a0<\/strong>Ask yourself: How well does your sample represent your customer base? Your sample should be random, statistically valid, and representative.\u00a0For example, if only one type of customer is responding to your tech support survey, perhaps those that had great experiences, your data will be skewed.<\/p>\n
Eliminate bias:\u00a0<\/strong>Remove leading statements, skewed scales, double-barreled questions, and other subjective constructs. Don\u2019t ask questions like: \u201cHow satisfied were you with our service?\u201d (This implies that the customer was at least somewhat satisfied.) Instead, ask neutral questions like: \u201cHow would you rate the quality of your service today?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ensure replicability: <\/strong>Any analyst working with your data should arrive at the same conclusions whether it\u2019s coding, categorization, or assessments.<\/p>\n
Principle #2: Use the Best Methods<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Surveys may be the default method for gauging satisfaction with customer service, but sometimes there are better tools. Ask yourself what you need to know and match your methods to those objectives. Other methods include customer interviews, mystery shops, and customer service evaluations.<\/p>\n
Recorded Customer Interviews:<\/strong> Give you an in-depth view of your customers\u2019 expectations for service versus their actual lived experiences. They\u2019re also the best way to uncover customer service issues you didn\u2019t know to ask about.<\/p>\n
Mystery Shops:<\/strong> Reveal real customer service insights regarding specific scenarios. They\u2019re also an effective way to compare your customer service with that of your competitors.<\/p>\n
Customer Service Evaluations:<\/strong> Quantify how well associates perform with their calls, emails and chats. Service evaluations are one of the few ways to get a statistically valid read on the quality of your customer communication.<\/p>\n
Principle #3: Engage Your Customers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Surveys that are too long or ask irrelevant questions alienate your customers and distort your data. Keep customer feedback surveys relevant and short!<\/p>\n
With your surveys this means:<\/p>\n
Ask compelling questions: <\/strong>Write questions that are conversational so that customers feel at ease and want to share. Consider what words will engage your customers and what types of questions they are most likely to find worth their time.<\/p>\n
Use dynamic logic to keep questions relevant:<\/strong> No customer is the same, applying branching logic allows customers to only answer questions that apply to them.<\/p>\n
Add small tokens of appreciation such as gift cards and priority codes:<\/strong> By thanking customers for their time and effort, they\u2019ll be more likely to give feedback about your customer service. If you can find out how you\u2019re doing with customer service without asking your customers, that\u2019s even better! For example, if you have contact centers, use mystery shops and service evaluations.<\/p>\n
These methods give you data that is inherently more accurate and objective, without asking anything of your customers.<\/p>\n
Principle #4: Take Analysis Seriously<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Analysis is where meaning is uncovered, and where the the signal is separated from the noise. So, give analysis your undivided attention!<\/p>\n
Segment your data in myriad ways:<\/strong> Be sure to code your unstructured data. You need to thoroughly tag and categorize your customers\u2019 comments because the point is to uncover themes!<\/p>\n
Find out what\u2019s driving your outcomes:<\/strong>\u00a0Correlation analysis is the only way to prioritize next steps and actions. Simply knowing your Net Promoter or Satisfaction Score is not enough\u2014especially when it comes to customer service.<\/p>\n
Make sure your analysis accounts for the subtleties of the customer experience: <\/strong>This is crucial because experiences are comprised of multiple touchpoints and personas. In addition, experiences are largely subconscious and always evolving.<\/p>\n
Customer Feedback is a Research Discipline<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customer Feedback is a research discipline. Unfortunately, all too often getting feedback about your customer service is treated as a task that doesn\u2019t require time or expertise. But if you ask tired questions in tired ways you won\u2019t learn much. Let\u2019s change that!<\/p>\n
Toward the best customer listening and great customer service!<\/p>\n
About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n
Martha Brooke<\/a> is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP) and holds a Blackbelt in Six Sigma. To dramatically improve the Customer Experience, Martha founded Interaction Metrics<\/a>, a research-driven Customer Listening agency in 2004. Interaction Metrics shows clients how to improve with methods such as satisfaction surveys and service evaluations.<\/p>\nYou can find Martha at linkedin.com\/in\/marthabrooke<\/a> and read her blog at Interaction Metrics Insights<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If you want to deliver great customer service, you need a sold customer feedback program \u2013 one that\u2019s based on the 4 principles outlined here..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":421,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[250,120],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/421"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16711"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16737,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16711\/revisions\/16737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}