Customer Experience: “Satisfied is Not Enough”

Talk about connectivity! Nowadays, consumers are able to touch brands in all manners of ways. Whether it’s through a Website, smart phone, tablet, call center or retail location, the times, places and manners in which brands can make an impression – satisfactory, neutral or unsatisfactory – are infinitesimal and ever-evolving.

There are many touch points which impact customer satisfaction, which in total equal a 360-degree experience. But which is most important and how does it impact results? How can brands filter touch points and prioritize them?

Fully understanding which touch point is most important from a customer experience perspective is critical. Because at the end of the day, although the touch point matters, it’s the consumer satisfaction in their service experience that will determine if a sale is made, a contract is renewed or if a positive recommendation ensues.

In other words, you want your customer to have a satisfactory experience. Or do you?

Oftentimes, when evaluating Customer Satisfaction outcomes, the top two box results are usually called out. That is, when consumers have the opportunity to rate themselves as being either “Somewhat Satisfied” or “Extremely Satisfied”, it is our tendency to combine the two, therefore giving us the opportunity to proclaim that a certain percentage of our consumers have experienced “Satisfactory” service.

But wait! It’s critically important to look at these results separately and to pay particular attention to the top box – “Extremely Satisfied” – because otherwise real impact to your business will be masked.

Why is Extremely Satisfied customer experience important, anyway? As we at SSG prepared to evaluate what we feel is one of the most vital of consumer touch points – Contact Center transactions – we made use of research that told us that:

•     Extremely Satisfied customers are at least three times more likely to recommend
•     Extremely Satisfied customers are three times more likely to re-purchase
•     Extremely Satisfied customers are less likely to shop around
•     Extremely Satisfied customers are much less price sensitive

So, when a customer reaches out to your Contact Center – just one touch point of consumer’s 360-degree experience – do you give them the opportunity to have an extremely satisfying experience by answering the phone quickly enough? Is your Interactive Voice Response (IVR) user-friendly and expeditious? Are your Customer Service Representatives experienced in cultural know how or other key customer aspects, in addition to knowing about your product/service offering?

Did the call experience leave the customer feeling Extremely Satisfied with your brand?

Here’s our advice on how to reach the “Holy Grail” of Extremely Satisfied from your connected customers. Understand which are the most important touch points for your customers. Understand the differences between your customer segments – be they culturally or generationally founded. And use advanced analytics tools to hone your customer experience strategies and create a win-win situation for your customers and brand.

We hope you are not satisfied until your customer is, extremely.

Santiago Solutions Group – Predictive Analytics & Growth Consulting TM
SSG helps marketers focus where the highest market opportunities exist, and which strategies advance maximum, efficient Total Market growth fueled by Hispanic, Multicultural & Millennial segments.