|
Home / Business / Customer Service
Do You Use Customer Satisfaction Surveys?
By:Rosanne Dausilio
Do you have customer satisfaction surveys in place?
If you don't, we highly recommend that you do.
In a recent report from BenchmarkPortal, the top 3 post-call survey methods were:
1) Live telephone interviews 33.7%
2) Post-call IVR surveys 23.8%
3) Email surveys 15.8%
The significant findings as a result of this report include:
26.1% do post call surveys up from 19.6% in 2006
17.4% do not conduct any post call surveys, down from 25.8% in 2006
26% conducted surveys immediately after the call up over 50% from 2006
70.4% shared the survey reports with top management
63.4% agreed that agent training had a major impact on caller satisfaction
When asked when do you conduct your survey, the answers were:
Immediately after the call 26.0%
More than 10 days after 17.3%
2 day or less 14.4%
2-5 days 13.5%
5-10 days 7.7%
We don't survey 17.4%
The significant question for me was: Based on customer satisfaction survey inputs, your organization made the following operational improvements:
And the top 2 were:
Added, changed or improved training for agents 25.2%
Increased First Call Resolution 19.3%
When asked whether improvements to training programs resulted in improved caller satisfaction, 63.4% agreed with the statement.
In a survey of over 2000 senior human resource executives (Novations Group), 2 out of 3 organizations are experiencing growing demand for customer service training.
Do you survey your customers?
And then if you do, do you use that information to kick your customer service up a notch? I hope the answer to both of these questions is a big resounding 'YES.'
This goes back to previous articles on asking your customer. If you want to know how you are doing as a company; if you want to know how your customer service is being perceived; then ask your customer. Don't rely solely on metrics, but rather, remember that the best measure of how you are doing is available to you in your customer.
Our recommendation is for post call surveys to be within 2 days of the call. Beyond that it is a mere memory and people could tell you what you want to hear rather than what is true for them.
If you were to ask me a week later--unless it was a truly bad call experience--I would answer yes quickly to get you off the phone and I might not be accurate in my responses. Of course, if it were a bad experience, I probably would take the time to give feedback.
However, if you are going to take the time to do post call surveys, use the information to:
Upgrade, change, improve your agent training
Increase your first call resolution
Change your IVR or skill based routing
Empower your agents to do more without requiring a supervisor's approval
Decrease wait time
Share the information with management and all other touch points
In the Purdue University database of contact enters, only 61% report that they have a formal method for collecting caller satisfaction. More important, of those centers that collect customer information, only 33% of them use the information to influence change in the contact center, and even fewer use information to influence other areas in the organization.
In today's competitive marketplace, what distinguishes one company from another is its relationship with the customer. And that's a 'people' responsibility, not technology or process.
Who has that responsibility? Each and every person from your front line agent to your CEO--anyone and everyone who has interaction with a customer, current, potential, or future.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Training
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Rosanne Dausilio, Ph.D., customer service expert, provides needs analyses, customer service training; authors Wake Up Your Call Center, Customer Service & the Human Experience, Lay Your Cards on the Table, Kick Your Customer Service Up A Notch;tips newsletter at http://www.HumanTechTips.com
|
|
| Top Customer Service Articles |
- 1). The Top Ten Client Feedback Questions By : Alvah Parker
As program chairperson of my SCORE * chapter I am always looking for new presenters to address the group. I frequently ask my fellow business counselors to give me some ideas for topics of interest to them.
In August one member approached me with an idea. He suggested inviting some of the clients that the counselors had worked with this year to one of our meetings to give us some feedback on our counseling techniques -both the highs and the lows.
|
- 2). Customer Service Strategies on eBay By : Michael Hehn
Copyright © Michael Hehn, Online-Profit-4-You
Customer service is important on eBay. Buyers rate their satisfaction with sellers, and your rating can make a difference on whether potential customers are willing to buy from you.
Customer service strategies on eBay start by providing an accurate product description. Displaying clear pictures and describing any imperfection shows the buyer what to expect.
|
- 3). When Customers Complain By : James Calvin
You probably won't have been in business too long before you get your first complaint. It just can't help but happen: low-end customers pay nothing and expect the Earth, while high-end ones pay a lot but expect an inhuman effort in return. You just can't please all of the people all of the time, even if you run yourself ragged trying -- there will always be someone who's not happy with what you've done.
|
- 4). Why Do Your Customers Complain and What Can You Do About It? By : Robert Warlow
As the Internet becomes an increasing part of our lives there are a growing number of web sites which are run for dissatisfied customers to publicly air their complaints about bad service. See your name posted on these sites or get contacted by them and you know you have a problem!
How can you prevent your business from becoming ‘feature of the week’? Of all the skills small business owners need these days, the one least practiced is the ability to step back and look at your business from the customer’s perspective.
|
- 5). Customer Service - A Lost Art? By : Craig Binkley
Copyright 2006 Craig Binkley
Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that question, take a moment and think about the last few times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now that you have really thought about it, is your answer any different?
Why is it that when we actually DO receive excellent customer service that it makes such.
|
- 6). Angry customers - what can we do with them By : Dijana Dimitrovska
"You are the worst company I have bought from!" - writes the client. Oops, bossss! What should I write back?
It is very hard to select words when some of your customers is angry and complains about your company. Read more for an insight into it.
All is well when it ends well. And until it ends be sure not to panic; no matter how bad it looks. Your customers only want you to do your best when they complain.
|
- 7). Customer Loyalty – The Key to Business Success By : Robert Warlow
Talk to many business people about how they approach customer service and the majority of them will say that they are aiming to have ‘satisfied’ customers. No! What we all should be seeking is to have loyal customers.
Research has shown that 65% of customers say they are loyal. You may be happy with this but you shouldn’t! Satisfied customers are in a state of nothing – they are neither issatisfied or happy; they are in between.
|
- 8). The 5 W's of World Class Customer Service Training By : Rosanne D'Ausilio,Ph.D
The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, ‘we, the people.’ I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer-- whether current, potential, internal or external--an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, all companies like yours.
|
- 9). Over Delivering Provides Big Results By : Alicia Smith
Over promising is a problem only when you under deliver. There are a number of ways that you can overdeliver to your customers or prospects, and as a result create a win-win situation for you both. They will be provided with some additional value, while you will be upgrading your learning around a particular issue, adding another product or service to your business, or even increasing the mastery level of your craft.
|
|
|
| New Customer Service Articles |
|
|
- 2). Customer Advice With Autoresponders By : David Hill
Client assistance with autoresponders is quite simple. When an order is place, an autoresponder can send out the receipt for the sale, the information for accessing the product, and a thank you email. This happens whether you are logged in to your computer or on vacation in an exotic setting!
|
- 3). Why you need an Answering Service? By : Vipul Gupta
The integral role played by the telephone as a business communication tool accounts for the growing importance of answering service businesses. All businesses, whether a physician's private practice, a small construction company, or a conglomerate, rely on the telephone as one of the fastest and most reliable communication tool in their businesses.
Anyone with a busy schedule and a telephone needs an answering service! Answering service can be a real lifesaver to a small business.
|
- 4). Top 7 Phrases to Use With Unhappy Customers By : Myra Golden
The next time you come in contact with an unhappy customer, try one of these phrases. They are highly effective in helping to restore customer confidence and facilitating diplomatic problem solving.
“The problem you experienced is no more acceptable to us than it was to you.”
“I understand your concern. What do you think would be fair?”
“Although you might not agree with my decision, I’d like to explain it so you can at least understand.
|
- 5). Computer Consulting: Excellent Customer Service Inspires Growth By : Joshua Feinberg
From a customer service perspective, what can you do to sell more monitoring and managed services? What would it be worth to a computer consulting client if you could predict and prevent a major problem before it occurred?
For example, if someone incurred $1,700 in billing last quarter due to some virus-related problems, is there something that you.
|
- 6). Answering Service By : Seth Miller
Just about everyone these days has some sort of answering service, whether automated, like an answering machine, or live. When you call someone without a service, often it can get very annoying. This is especially true when it comes to businesses. However, customers do not usually want to call a business and get just an answering machine or voicemail.
|
- 7). Seven Behaviors That Cause Problems With Angry Customers By : Myra Golden
Here are 7 common mistakes well-intentioned professionals make when it comes to dealing with unhappy customers. Learn exactly what not to do so that you're well positioned to completely regain the goodwill of unhappy customers after any service mishap.
1. Telling the customer he or she is wrong. You will be smart to NEVER tell a customer they are wrong or mistaken.
|
- 8). Customer Service Tips That Generate Referrals By : Hartley Pinn
How do you define good customer service? Does that simply mean the satisfactory marketing and sale of a product or service to a customer or does it mean something else? Is providing good customer service, good enough?
In these days of below average customer service, you may think providing good service will set you apart from the pack. Well, I am here to tell you that nothing less than exemplary service will help you succeed.
|
- 9). The Internet The World's Greatest Telephone for the Success of Your Business By : Shaun Stevens
Business owners of companies both large and small can achieve rich improvements in their operations if they start to ask themselves regularly, "I have just been handed a powerful new tool. It essentially lets me costless communicate with anyone on the planet. How can I best use it to my advantage?"
To focus, business owners must first ask themselves.
|
- 10). Internet Answering Service By : Seth Miller
Though most people are now turning to wireless, DSL, and broadband connections for their Internet access, those with dial-up modems still know how, occasionally, you can miss a call from someone important while surfing the web. That’s where an Internet answering service comes in.
An Internet answering service more or less screens phone calls for subscribers, allowing them to decide whether or not they want to take the phone call immediately as it is received or to have it transferred to an answering machine/voicemail.
|
|
|
