One of the challenges facing organizations today is the changing landscape of customer expectations. As more resources are funneled into making service better, customers are receiving better service which then changes their expectations going forward. Due to the different levels of investment into service technology and the wide range of customer levels of adaptation to this technology, organizations are having a tough time figuring out the changing levels of customer expectations. As a result, businesses are spending a lot of time and energy on service recovery when service goes bad due to misunderstanding customer expectations.
A different way to approach service is to focus on obtaining real time feedback from the customer and then sharing the positive sentiment back to both the employees and the customer. By having this positive cultural shift, a business is spending more resources on the proactive side of service and fewer resources on the reactive side. The first step in this journey is to capture real time feedback.
Real time Feedback
The key to real time feedback is the power it provides a business to make positive changes fast. Hidden pain points can be discovered quickly and then addressed as soon as possible. Also, positive experiences can be emphasized and shared to repeat the successes at different touchpoints or locations. Another benefit to real time feedback is that it gives a customer an instant voice in the service they receive and the employees receive quick feedback on how they are that providing service. This is preferred by both the customer and the employee. The customer is not taken off task later in the day or week as they attempt to recollect an experience. With real time feedback, customers can share their opinion while they are still IN the experience. From an employee perspective, attempting service recovery days or weeks later is not as conducive or productive as collecting real time feedback to make quick changes to customer pain points.
Sharing Positive Customer Feedback
Businesses certainly need to address negative feedback. With whatever system a business has, customers will find a way to make sure their negative experience are told. A solid strategy is to focus on the positive feedback and having a shift at the business to change the way feedback is done, shared, and addressed. By sharing the positive results and comments to employees from the real time feedback, an emphasis is shared on what employees are doing right and increasing that engagement that can exist between employees and customers. Instead of a reactive way of receiving and addressing negative feedback, the culture can be more creative and curious which leads to better interactions between staff and customers as well as increasing the amount of possibilities to provide more solutions.
Wrapping it up
Chasing service recovery after the fact is not the best option in today’s competitive service environment. Organizations need to be on top of what their customers feels while they are still IN the experience. This can be done with real time feedback to capture that emotion while a customer is feeling that sentiment. By focusing on the positive contributions the employees are making and sharing the positive feedback and comments that customers do make, a culture shift can occur which can be more positive and curious versus negative and fearful.
SmileyAnswers can help organizations capture real time feedback with the four Smileys from HappyOrNot®. For quick, one push feedbacks, options include the Smiley Terminal and Smiley Wall. The Smiley Terminal is a battery-operated kiosk that can be moved easily to capture various touchpoints. A Smiley Wall is similar to a Smiley Terminal and can be placed on a wall when floor space is limited. There is also a Smiley Touch which can obtain instant feedback along with more granularity as to the reason why the customer chose their response. Lastly, a Web Smiley can obtain real time feedback for online experiences.
With the help of the HappyOrNot® Reporting System, SmileyAnswers can help organizations share the positive feedbacks to customers, employees, and other stakeholders. By sharing the Positive Feedback Results through email, presentations, at the point of experience, an employee’s break area, a digital board, or through social media, both customers and employees can see how many previous customers are positive about their experiences. This focus on the positive helps both employee morale and how a customer sees their experience. The employee gets more positive feedback from both the customer and the organization. The customer receives information and proof from previous customers, not just the organization, on how many have rated the experiences positive.
Let SmileyAnswers help you celebrate positive customer and employee experiences!
