Just about all companies today tout customer satisfaction as a key priority. Businesses in every industry invite feedback, solicit ratings and encourage both praise and complaints. Communicating with customers already doing business with you seems to be a no-brainer, and it’s easy to see why having an ongoing conversation with customers would benefit all players.

However, the reality is that this process only works in theory for many businesses today. Collectively, an average of 37% of the comments or inquiries posted from customers are being ignored or abandoned without response or closure. That’s a huge problem–and a big opportunity.

A Desire to Be Heard 

If you don’t listen to your customers, someone else will

Sam Walton

As human beings, we all desire to be heard. Whether that’s within our family lives, our friendships, or our professional interactions, we want someone to listen to our cares and concerns.

Conversely, if you fail to acknowledge customer feedback or respond in an inappropriate or unhelpful manner, it shows indifference and disregard for the customers’ experiences and concerns.

Be Reactive, Not Proactive

Although in many aspects of life and business, it’s better to be proactive and think ahead then to be reactive, which is often akin to “putting out fires”, that’s not the case when it comes to customer feedback.

Today’s businesses conduct millions of post-transaction surveys each year. Most customers participate in routine business transactions every day, when nothing unique happens and no problems are encountered. And yet, they are asked questions such as “What is the likelihood that you’ll recommend the product or company to a family or friend?” Many of these post-purchase surveys are ignored or simply not relevant to keeping customers happy.

Instead, the easiest and best way to build long-term customer loyalty is to be there when customers have problems. When you listen to an issue, apologize for a mistake, answer a question, or work to solve a problem, customers will almost always respond positively and keep coming back.

A Disconnect in the Communication Channel

Businesses spend billions trying to attract and keep customers. The simple truth is that many are not set up with the systems that can help them keep pace with the growing amount of feedback.

An ever-growing number of channels are now available for customers to provide that critical feedback, whether directly or through a third-party review. Most companies lack the tools and processes to monitor and respond to their customers through these omnichannel effectively.

Guest-Note helps businesses manage and take advantage of the value within customer feedback. Available in three versions Lite, Standard, and Enterprise. There is a budget-friendly version for your organization.  Visit us today at www.Guest-Note.com to learn more or to schedule yourself for a brief demo.