Customer Satisfaction - If Only You Knew

In a down economy when every company you know is holding off on purchasing anything, why would you risk losing current customers because they were not happy and you did not know about it? Upper management in almost every industry is guilty of not implementing a customer satisfaction program that does not require a customer to fill out a form. Most people, even the unhappy ones won't take the time to fill out a form and will just quit or not come back. Larger corporations just don't seem to place the same value on satisfied customers as the smaller company does. Smaller companies have more to lose than larger companies who accept losing customers as part of the business model.

The most effective way to contact a customer and get their feedback is to call them. Hiring an outside company is the best way to ensure that you are getting an impartial survey. It is better to have an unbiased negative report from an independent 3rd party than it is to have someone in that department, or worse, having the sales person report on him or herself. The most important part of the survey report is the comment section.

It is important to find a company that will give you a complete narrative of the conversation. It is much better to have the complete story ahead of time before you pick up the phone to call that unhappy customer and find out the hard way. A report with fixed answers like yes/no, or a multiple choice rating system is great for adding up percentages but does not give you a complete picture. Knowing what your customers are thinking ensures that you have a chance to correct any problems before it is too late.

Customer satisfaction is not all about the negative. Customers will also tell you that they think you are doing a great job and would refer you to anyone. Those are the reports that give you a sense of satisfaction. Either way, you will never know unless you ask.

Brian Groves is the Vice President of Sales for Hot Calls inc. He has over 20 years of experience working in the automotive sector. He is committed to helping businesses (including automotive dealerships) realize the importance of lead generation and the value of customer follow up. His clients include several global fortune 500 companies.

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