We all know customer feedback is important. It lets us know if we’re doing a good job or if we’re completely dropping the ball. Satisfied customers are a critical element of your business. But knowing whether or not your customers are happy is just the first step. Unfortunately, too many companies stop there.
Satisfied customer? Check. Unsatisfied customer? Oh well, it’s just one. Nobody’s perfect, so it doesn’t really matter, right? Wrong.
We often think of customer service as being the sole responsibility of, you guessed it, the customer service team. Those out there in the wild interacting one-on-one with the consumer. Sure, they’re a big part of the equation, but customer satisfaction doesn’t end (or begin) there. It begins at the very top of the command chain and flows down to the very bottom. Every team member in between contributes — in their own way — to customer satisfaction.
Companies need to follow customer satisfaction back to its source — all the way up the employee chain to the very top. That’s where customer satisfaction begins.
Company Culture & Morale
Culture and morale within the company is critical to the bottom line. When employees are miserable inside the company, it shows outside the company.
Anxiety and frustration roll downhill…all the way down through the C-levels, through the management team, across marketing, sales and finance divisions, and eventually down onto the shoulders of the customer service team. And when your customer service team is cranky, they’re not going to be pleasant to deal with as a customer. And there go your A1 service ratings.
Fortunately, you can use customer feedback to build a strong company culture.
1. Understanding negative feedback: apologizing for a bad consumer experience is great, but digging deeper to understand the root cause of the negative experience is even better. Only then can you evaluate where you made the mistake and, more importantly, how to prevent it from happening again.
Rather than reprimanding employees for negative customer feedback, empower them to take charge of the situation. Help them understand it from the consumer’s standpoint, and find ways to improve the consumer experience moving forward.
2. Connect customer service and sales teams: because they’re on opposite ends of the consumer experience — sales is at the beginning and customer service tends to be needed at the end — the two teams rarely interact. But they should.
Connecting the two teams is crucial to your success. When sales understand what consumers need and want, they’re able to provide a more effective sales process. And that leads to happier customers.
3. Celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small: it’s easy to get caught up in negative customer service issues. It can be worn on your team has to concentrate on what’s “wrong” all the time. One of the most valuable gifts you can give your employees is recognition for their efforts.
When you celebrate the wins, you lift the team’s morale. And remember what we said earlier about that trickle-down effect? When your employees are happier, customers are happier.
Using Employee Reviews to Attract Top Talent
Customers aren’t the only ones who can offer valuable feedback. Your employees’ opinions are just as important. Future employees are checking reviews from existing and previous staff members to see what it might be like to work there. It’s one of the first things they do when they spot a job opening.
If your employees speak badly about their work environment, pay close attention. Dig deeper to understand the real issues. Then dedicate resources to resolve those issues for future team members.
Top talent can afford to be selective about where they work. If you want to attract the cream of the crop, look to how your existing team feels about their role in the company. When your employees have positive things to say about the company culture, you’ll attract higher-quality candidates.
How Aplin Can Help You Hire The Right Employees
David Aplin Group uses various methods of capturing customer feedback through quality assurance calls, voice of the customer sessions, and a reputation management platform. Our recruiters are also encouraged to simply ask for feedback throughout the process, whether dealing with clients or candidates.
So the next time you think about improving customer service ratings, think about the bigger picture. Think about company culture. Think about who you’re hiring. Then call us to help you find, recruit and retain the right employees. When you partner with David Aplin Group, we are an extension of your brand, helping you attract the best talent for your team.
Grow your team with David Aplin Group today.
