24 quick-fire tips to improve customer satisfaction

Looking for some quick ideas to improve customer satisfaction?

Here are 24 quick-fire tips that have been submitted by our readers.

1.    Under-promise and over-deliver

An age-old edict: “never over-sell and under-deliver”. Make sure expectations of service levels are established, published and met consistently!
Thanks to Iain

2.    Present a sample of customer complaints in team meetings

Get team members to present a sample of the customer complaints in the weekly team meetings.  This allows the team to review the problems faced and also feel engaged in the process of coming up with longer-term solutions
Thanks to Peter

3.    Respond more quickly to emails

With social media, this is the age of the instant answer.  A one-working-day turnaround for email is too slow!

4.    Let your unsatisfied customers guide you

Listen to those that are dissatisfied and act on their advice when it rings true.
Thanks to John

5.    Be honest

Be honest, customers appreciate it! Listen to your customers and educate them for better understanding. You can engage them more if you let them see the bigger picture and the background of some of your decisions.
Thanks to Monika

6.    Let them see your smile

Be positive…Let them see your smile. A positive experience and a customer care representative that leaves a positive experience will go a long way.
Thanks to Cristie

7.    Put the customer at the heart of your decision

Put the customer at the heart of your decision and take a balanced approach.

Be focused on problem solving, not on the process.
Thanks to Norah

8.    Tone is very important

Always use positive words with a genuine interest for the customer’s needs.  Tone is so important with the customer not being able to see us.
Thanks to Michelle

9.    Allow the team to listen to and score their own calls

In a previous role I encouraged my team to listen and score their own calls.  This built buy-in to a predominantly uncomfortable coaching session by giving agents the opportunity to identify their own areas of improvement with customer satisfaction
Thanks to Julia

10.    Throw away the scripts

We have found that scrapping the script has had a huge positive impact, treating the customer as the individual that they are – talking to them like a fellow human being has seen us receive feedback for being friendly and approachable and is bringing people back time and again.
Thanks to Danielle

11.    Listen to customer feedback

Listen and read the customer feedback. Then, you can change your own behaviour if you see what customers are saying about you.

12.    Never say no to a customer

Our golden rule: never say no to a customer – if a Customer Service Rep can’t deliver a solution for the customer, they escalate this to their Team Lead, so strategically we can resolve the root cause.

If we ever have to say no, it’s a ‘Disney No’ – we turn a negative into a positive through freebies such as goodwill credit or free loyalty points.
Thanks to Kelvin

13.    Treat the customer as you would a friend or business partner

Take care of the customer end to end.  Treat them as you would a friend or business partner. Do not get stressed about KPIs such as AHT, only get stressed, if necessary, about the impression you leave in customers’ minds.
Thanks to Anna

14.    Other departments don’t understand their part in customer service

If the culture in the rest of the business is different from the service team, make sure everyone in your company understands the impact they have on the success of the business.

Show them how their actions affect the customer experience as well as the cost to the business.
Thanks to Victoria

15.    Keep in touch with the customer

Plus 1′s work for us.  A follow-up call or a box of chocolates, or a free trial of a paid feature.
Thanks to Anneliese

16.    Share experiences through the company

My tip is for constant feedback throughout the complete customer service organisation.  Every employee is listened to, and experiences are shared throughout the company to improve processes.
Thanks to Bart

17.    Don’t dwell too much on speed

The right outcome is more important than a fast response – but that’s nice too!

18.    Act on feedback

Hardly any companies do – it seems like companies think that measuring the problem will solve it, but customers are won and lost one at a time.

19.    Senior managers should match words with behaviours

Customer-friendly words from the ‘top’ should be matched by personal behaviours and policies.

20.    Do what is right for the customer

Act first, analyse second.
Thanks to Guy

21.    Reward positive behaviour

When KPIs (key performance indicators) are good, the team is given a budget to do something fun (they pick it themselves).  If the KPIs are bad, the budget is zero.
Thanks to Tom

22.    Show that you care

Understand your customer’s business and show that you care when users are facing an issue.  Act with sympathy as well as fast and understandable solutions.
Thanks to Romeu

23.    Use customer focus groups

Use customer focus groups to find out what the customers themselves think makes them satisfied.

24.    Set the right expectations

Be precise and clear in your Terms & Conditions and customer communication, so you control the expectations you create.  Keep your promises.
Thanks to Fredrik

Do you have any tips for improving customer satisfaction?  Please leave them in the comments box below.

6 Feb 2013 - Filed under Hints and Tips , customer satisfaction, customer service, Customer Service Strategy

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