What’s your reputation with customers?

Are they happy with your product or service? Satisfied with the support they receive when they need to reach out to you? Is their overall takeaway with your brand a positive one?

Most companies rate this customer sentiment by using a Customer Satisfaction Score, or CSAT, to put in numbers intangible concepts like contentment and happiness. Brands use customer surveys to determine their score; that’s why you’re often urged to stick around after a customer support call to provide a satisfaction score (5 for “would highly recommend” and 1 for “oh hell no”).

CSAT offers a valuable glimpse into your customer’s mindset. After all, the success of your company can be tied into this score. Happy customers produce good word of mouth and leave positive reviews online. They’re more likely to become a repeat customer, and we all know the value of customer retention.

To help boost that all-important number, we’ve listed eight simple rules to help increase your CSAT score.

Follow the Golden Rule. It’s been instilled into us since childhood: Treat others as you’d like to be treated. This goes doubly true for your customers. Don’t just treat them well; go above and beyond to create an experience they’ll share with friends.

Don’t keep customers waiting. Let’s face it, none of us like to be put on hold. It’s a poor customer experience. And the music’s usually terrible. If you want to make a good impression, minimize wait times. The customer doesn’t care if you’re understaffed or are unexpectedly busy. You can thwart those issues by having a flexible support staff on hand for peak periods.

Talk to them where they want to talk. Whether that’s email, phone, chat, text, in-app… anything short of a carrier pigeon. If your customers use that channel to communicate, make life easier for them and provide support where they already are. It’s another way to stand out from the crowd and instill loyalty among your customers.

Avoid escalation. Make “Let me speak to your manager” a thing of the past. Empower your agents to resolve customer issues themselves, whenever possible. It’s a win-win. Your agent feels like they’ve personally made a difference. And your customer has avoided the expected round-robin of being transferred to multiple people and explaining their situation again and again.

Solicit feedback. Is your product or service pleasing your customers? How about your support? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to ask them. Provide them with the chance to fill out a survey; offer a reward to entice them. The more feedback you gather, the more holistic picture you have of your business, through every stage in the process. Read online reviews and study your surveys like your business depends on it. (Hint: It does.)

Follow through on that feedback. Now that you’ve read your customer reviews and surveys, it’s time to act. You’re sitting on a treasure trove of valuable info, nuggets of truth that can guide your business to greater success. Create and implement an action plan that builds upon your strengths and makes corrections where needed. Be sure to let your customers know that you’ve taken their feedback to heart; they’ll appreciate that you value their time and opinions.

Be transparent. From order status to delivery updates, customers now expect to be informed through the entire purchase process. That should include any ongoing customer service issues they may have. If you have an open ticket that’s awaiting resolution, let them know how and when you’ll reply, who’s taking care of the issue, and what they can expect. This is a great chance to wow your customers by giving a faster-than-expected response or similar gesture of goodwill.

Make it personal. Customers like to think of themselves as more than just an order number. Bring a sense of friendliness to your interactions by using your customer’s name in verbal and written communications. Offer them a special treat on their birthday or periodically reward their patronage. These thoughtful touches go a long way toward boosting customer sentiment.

Most of these rules are simple in concept, yet you’d be surprised how much of an effect they can have on your business. Sometimes it’s the little things that go a long way — unexpected gestures to your customers, a demonstrated respect for their time, and an appreciation for their business. These are the things that resonate with customers and will ultimately result in an improved CSAT score.

We’d love to work with you to help create a great customer experience for your audience. To hear more about how ModSquad helps clients implement best practices, contact us today.

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