How to improve customer satisfaction in 2017

For entrepreneurs, getting a business venture up and running can feel like a major victory. You have secured investment, established your company, gained your first clients and suddenly everything feels rosy. However, as any experienced businessperson will tell you, the hard work does not stop there. There are a host of next steps to consider, including marketing and how you intend to further grow your client base.

But what about those you’ve attracted to your business already? Amidst the clamour and ambition to push your business to the next level, have you stopped to consider the customers you already have customer satisfaction is vital, not just in terms of securing regular business but also in the respect of them becoming brand advocates for your organisation.

The Institute of Customer Service (UKICS) recently released their latest report on the state of customer satisfaction in the UK. What insights does it offer about keeping your customers happy?

Make things easier

A key suggestion for boosting satisfaction is to make the user experience easier. According to the UKICS, keeping things straightforward leads to a great level of loyalty.

But how do you do that? Well, an improved experience can come in a variety of ways, such as offering a range of payment options to suit all types of customers. For example, mFortune offers its customers the chance to make a bingo deposit by phone bill, in order to keep their account in credit for online gaming. It may not seem like much on paper, but little steps like this boost convenience and keep customers happy.

Of course mobile wallet services like PayPal are huge now and, with talks underway to offer that specific service as a payment option on Amazon, they are only likely to grow further. Are you using these services and if not, why not?

The best of both worlds

The UKCIS research found that a large number of customers want service which has a balance of speed and efficiency alongside a level of care and proactive help.

This means businesses need to be able to offer both effectively, as well as be able to switch between quick, quality service and a more in-depth level of care very easily.

Understand your customer relationship

Another interesting point made by the UKCIS report is that customer satisfaction tends to be higher among customers who are in touch with an organisation on a weekly basis.

What does this tell us? You need to consider how often you have interactions with customers and what this means for your larger relationship, as well as what expectations they have for an easier service.

The hard work has just begun

How many of us as customers have signed up to services only to feel ignored or under appreciated by businesses as the months go by? As the UKCIS highlights, taking care of your customer base offers huge potential in terms of the growth of your business.

Keeping customers satisfied could prove to be a key new year’s resolution for many businesses as they make plans for the rest of 2017.