The one thing that keeps your customers loyal to your company and results in repeat business is customer satisfaction. Social Media is helping companies increase customer satisfaction by 20% when they integrate it into the mix. You can promote customer satisfaction in your own business using these four basic steps.
Be Social
Nearly two-thirds (or more) of customers used the company’s social media site for customer service. It just goes to show how important social media is for customer service. You can increase customer satisfaction by responding to their social media inquiries.
Social media makes it easy for customers to get in touch with brands. If an event is perceived positively, customers will expect better service. Customers will have higher expectations for quality care if they have negative experiences.
Be Attentive
Customer service is all about listening to your customers, and the best way to gauge their opinions is post-purchase feedback – even complaints! – and customer surveys.
At some point, every company gets complaints, but the customer won’t be lost. Ultimately, how the company handles the complaint and deals with the customer determines the customer’s overall experience and satisfaction.
Therefore, listen carefully to what the customer has to say, rectify the situation, and provide the best service you can to appease the customer.
Taking care of a complaining customer will do much more to improve your reputation than just making a mistake. Imagine ordering a pizza and getting the wrong order from a restaurant. You complain to the pizzeria. They apologize, send you the correct order, and give you a coupon for a free pizza. If they provide you with a delicious meal with your next order and you use the coupon, why wouldn’t you order from them again in the future? Small gestures and apologies can have a powerful impact.
Surveys can also help you gather information about your company, from the purchasing process to customer service, accessibility, and shipping. If you do take onboard and implement the information from this feedback, your customers will feel that they have been heard.
Be Ethical.
In business, ethics encompass a wide range of matters – from pricing to quality, to the handling of returns and even social responsibility. Customers have a plethora of companies to choose from when shopping for goods or services today due to the saturated market. Offering something that goes beyond the norm can help your business stand out.
Today, sustainability is a trending watchword that can help you elevate your business and the way that your customers feel about their purchases. Offering recyclable products and packaging, donating to an aid organization, or using recycled materials during production will give your customers the confidence that they are investing in the future and not contributing to waste.
Furthermore, your financial dealings need to reflect this ethical stand. Make sure you do not overcharge for your products, accept returns without causing hassles and red tape, and maintain honesty and fairness in all your business dealings. In essence, follow the age-old golden rule: be the company you would shop with yourself.
Be Honest
Consider for a moment that you are surfing the web and you find a product that you absolutely love. Once you’ve completed the checkout process, you wait impatiently for your new item to arrive.If it turns out to be smaller than you expected, lacking a feature you expected, or just makes you feel like you were misled into an unsatisfactory purchase.
The company that supplied it will be tarnished as a result of your experience, and your chances of returning to them will be greatly reduced unless they are willing to engage in a dialogue about the issue (consider the ethics and customer communication points above).
Accidents occur, and a faulty, broken, or wrong product may be delivered to a customer. It is imperative that incidents like this are the exception rather than the rule, and that you are honest and swift in your approach to fixing mistakes. Ensure the customer is compensated for any misrepresentation or shipping error – whether through replacement or reimbursement.
This is the only way to keep your business honest. The more your customers trust you, the more loyal and satisfied they will be. It is paramount to be honest, open to communication, and truly listen to what your customers are saying if you want to build a loyal and satisfied customer base. It builds a relationship that makes customers want to support your business.
Social Media Marketing will eventually be expanded into Social Media Management. This will allow you to focus on other activities while we handle your social media. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date when we launch this new exciting service!