When you’re truly in sync with your customers, it shows. Communications are personalized and thoughtful. Customer support is frictionless. New products are consistently well received. And customers are happy to send new business your way.
But that kind of synchronicity is pretty rare. Despite all the customer data and technology at our disposal, most companies don’t know their customers as well as they think they do. As a result, they overlook the pain points damaging the customer experience. When left unattended, that gap can quickly grow into a chasm.
In order to bridge it, you need a clear customer engagement strategy. And that starts with listening to the voice of the customer.
Why companies fall out of sync with customers
Customer disconnect always begins with internal disconnect. There’s no company-wide buy-in on customer experience initiatives. Departments become siloed, operating independently and failing to share important customer information. Employees become detached from customer needs and don’t recognize signs of disengagement.
When this lack of internal alignment eventually seeps outward, it can be devastating. Customers deal with long response times and frustrating escalation processes, where they’re constantly repeating themselves. They don’t feel heard or understood.
Unfortunately, many companies don’t realize they’ve lost touch with customers until it’s too late. Much of this can be attributed to the passive approach that businesses take towards customer feedback, where they expect disengaged customers to contact them with complaints or feedback they’d like to share.
How to tell when you’ve lost touch
In 2015, Digiday conducted a study on customer satisfaction and found that, while the majority of brands believe they provide a superior customer experience, nearly 65% of their customers feel frustrated and misunderstood.
Here are some signs that your company might not be listening to your customers as well as it should be:
- Your support team is constantly inundated with tickets regarding the same issues
- Your reviews and ratings are on the decline
- Your recent marketing campaigns haven’t been as successful as you expected
- Customers are contacting you about issues that your team has never even considered
Customer preferences do change over time, so the best way to keep current with the needs of the modern customer is by keeping an open channel of communication, listening to feedback, and updating your business strategy accordingly. But in order to do that, you need to come up with a system that actively listens to the customer’s needs.
Creating an integrated Voice of the Customer program
Remember, nobody owns customer experience. Every department from the top down should be invested in maintaining customer satisfaction. With the help of customer listening technology and CRM solutions like Salesforce, you can roll out a company-wide CX initiative that helps all departments get a better idea of customers’ preferences.
Voice of the Customer (VoC) tools help you spot warning signs before they turn into major problems. Great for learning new perspectives, capturing the VoC can help you come up with new ideas and solutions, optimize your products, and keep better track of your customers’ needs.
Along with emails and social media interactions, other popular VoC tools you can use to collect information include:
- Website surveys, live chat widgets, and intelligent feedback that optimize customer interactions
- CRM software designed to maximize engagement, track data, and analyze consumer activity
- A marketing automation solution that drives engagement and keeps you connected with your customers
Wrap-Up
Staying in tune with your customers’ needs and preferences requires initiative on your part. More often than not, the customer won’t come to you when they’re disappointed in your services—they’ll just look to your competitor.
With the help of the right customer listening tools, like GetFeedback, Salesforce, and Pardot, you can optimize your CX campaign and stay connected with your base through a customer-centric engagement program.
