In a casual Tweet I counselled against indiscriminate use of the Net Promoter ® question. It prompted an anxious reply from one of our most valued customers who wondered whether he was using the question inappropriately. He should rest easy. I often find it’s the people who are most concerned to do the right thing who [...]
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The 3 Golden Rules of requesting Customer Feedback
February 29, 2012
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The business benefits of customer satisfaction are immense. Happy customers are more loyal, spend more, and will recommend you to others, which means faster growth and higher profits. Not to mention the boost to staff morale of a great reputation for service. It’s a virtuous circle. But it’s much easier said than done, as we [...]
Read moreTop Tips for Handling Customer Complaints
November 29, 2011
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We’re delighted to feature this guest post from SimplyBusiness for two reasons – A member of our team experienced consistently exceptional service from SimplyBusiness, so we know that they practise what they preach – In addition to their Insurance products and services, SimplyBusiness provide comprehensive and useful business information and resources Handling customer complaints is [...]
Read moreShould you ask customers for their opinions?
October 23, 2011
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Someone on the Internet is wrong! Yes, that was a shock to me too. Someone was arguing that innovation doesn’t come from asking customers what they want. Well sometimes yes, sometimes no. But would you say that we have too many companies taking account of what their customers say or too few? Last time you [...]
Read moreMaximising revenue in difficult times
October 19, 2011
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Don’t leave money on the table. In tough economic times it’s more important than ever to make sure that you’re getting all the business you possibly can. But sales and marketing activities are costly and don’t always deliver the return you’d like. Especially if the message falls on deaf ears. Are you getting the maximum [...]
Read moreShould I out-source customer service?
September 24, 2011
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This post was prompted by a question I saw, asking for the pros and cons. As the wrong decision on this can do serious damage to your customers’ experience, and therefore to your business, I thought I’d share the experience I’ve accumulated on the subject. Before you decide, it’s important to get your thinking clear [...]
Read moreHow to do satisfaction surveys your customers will actually complete
September 14, 2011
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… and which will also help to improve your business. The number one rule is: Don’t ask for feedback unless you’re prepared to act quickly (if necessary) on what the customer says. Otherwise you’re raising an expectation that you will not meet, and that’s worse than not asking at all. Keep it short – 5 [...]
Read moreFive Reasons why Marketers should Focus on Feedback
August 31, 2011
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As marketers, our job is to match-make between need and supply; to ensure a close fit between what our customers need and what our companies deliver. But needs change, and unless we are close to our customers and their changing needs and expectations, our battle for retention and growth will tougher and vastly more expensive. [...]
Read moreHow to make 114 people love your business
July 29, 2011
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Most businesses lose around 10%-30% of their customers per year, for which bad customer service accounts for 68%. This means if you have 100 customers you could lose 20 customers every year due to bad customer service (even if you don’t agree it’s bad!) These ex-customers will each tell 8 – 16 people about their [...]
Read moreGetting value from Customer Feedback
July 5, 2011
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Barely a day goes by without someone talking about the importance of gathering customer feedback. By learning what your customers think of the service you provide, it’s much easier to find out where you’re going wrong and what you’re doing right. But even more important than gathering this feedback is what you actually do with [...]
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