Identifying customer pain points is key for delivering an excellent customer experience and retaining customers. In this blog, we will understand the different types of customer pain points and their impact on overall retention. Finally, we will explore how to address these pain points and improve your overall CX using omnichannel surveys.
What are Customer Pain Points?
Customer pain points refer to the issues or difficulties that customers encounter while using a product or service. Pain points can also occur during the product usage lifecycle. For example a product does not work as intended (perhaps buttons don’t work or the functions do not apply). Recognizing these pain points at the right time is an opportunity to avoid negative reviews. Usually the first point of contact will be the customer support who can address issues. So the team needs to be equipped with the right information and tools to resolve them at the earliest. Closing the feedback loop can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
How To Identify Customer Pain Points?
To identify customer pain points, gather feedback through online surveys, telephonic calls, and periodic conversations with the customer. Monitor social media and online reviews for complaints. Analyze customer data to spot patterns in issues. Use feedback to develop solutions and improve the customer experience holistically.
Ask the right questions
To address various customer pain points effectively & improve CX through omnichannel surveys requires adequate qualitative market research. Conducting surveys is an easy task that provides first hand information about prospective customers’ needs and preferences. Analyzing customer reviews on social media platforms like Twitter helps understand common customer pain points. This can include support teams’ inefficiencies or long buying processes.
Sales team insights
Sales people play a vital role in this by conducting surveys to gather feedback and identify common complaints or issues. They should also analyze customer reviews and comments on social media platforms. Social proof such as testimonials can be an easy way to address common pain points. The customer service teams often stay in touch with various customers. While they pose open-ended questions, respondents often come up with candid conversations. This forms a basis of understanding a customers’ pain points. This process can be conducted via live chat support or phone calls.
Customer reviews analysis
Launching surveys is a great way to capture customer’s pain points. This can be done via various metrics such as net promoter score (NPS), customer satisfaction score (CSAT) or customer effort score (CES). These close-ended questions can be accompanied by open ended options to enable customers to express themselves freely. A combination of qualitative research and quantitative research can help us see different types of pain points.
Competitor analysis
Conducting a competitive analysis allows businesses to identify areas where their competitors are lacking. This information can be used to improve the business’s internal processes, products or services, as well as to market them more effectively. By leveraging this knowledge, businesses can tailor their messaging and offerings to highlight their unique strengths. Upgrading internal business strategy includes how can a marketer make the customer journey a little more seamless. The crux is to enhance user experience as a crucial part of the marketing strategy.
7 Common Customer Pain Points
Your customer base may have multiple issues or they might need assistance for a specific problem. The first step is to identify the different aspects of a business that can cause much discomfort to a potential customer or prospective customers of your business. Here are some the common customer’s pain points that can affect your overall success:
Delayed support response
Customers want their problems to be solved as soon as possible. Delayed support response can create a negative impression and lead to customer frustration, ultimately resulting in pent up frustration. This can also negatively affect how your patrons talk about the brand on social media sites and Google business reviews. This can deter new customers from approaching the business. This also denotes that a business may not be genuinely invested in sorting out the customer’s pain points.
Inconsistent customer experience
Not offering consistent experience from the start to the end can be a drawback. A prospect may purchase a product due to a brand’s clever marketing strategy. However, not keeping up with customer support teams can hinder their impression of the brand. You may get a new user but not retain them. To add to the misery, negative word of mouth can hamper a brand’s online reputation.
Poor quality of products & services
Poor quality of product is one of the important causes of maximum customer churn, negative reviews and erosion of trust. Customers expect value for their money. Providing substandard quality products/services can damage your brand’s reputation and lead to customer dissatisfaction. It is important to focus on delivering quality in all aspects of the business, from product development to after-sales service.
Lack of adequate knowledge & experience
It is important to empower the customer support team to offer instant solutions, assistance and a more streamlined experience across the buying process. For example, a buyer can call the sales rep as the first line of approach. The hierarchy of transferring calls across levels can cause frustration. While the caller may not have much time, the support team should be granted with authority and know-how to offer feasible solutions.
Complicated buying process
Customer onboarding can also witness some pain points. A complicated buying process can easily discourage potential customers. If the process is too lengthy or requires multiple steps. It may result in a high rate of cart abandonment. A simple and straightforward buying process with clear instructions and user-friendly interface can help to reduce customer dissatisfaction and increase sales.
Financial and payment process
Another common customer pain point is the financial and payment process. Customers can become frustrated with unclear pricing, hidden fees, and difficulty in making payments. To avoid this, businesses should ensure that all pricing information is transparent and clearly stated via website pages, emails or calls. Additionally, offering a variety of payment options can increase customer satisfaction and reduce payment-related issues. Providing secure payment methods can also build trust with customers and prevent any potential fraudulent activities.
Post-sales service for high investment products
High investment products often require after-sales service and maintenance. Inconsistencies in the quality of after-sales service can bring customer dissatisfaction and lost business opportunities. To avoid this, businesses should invest in training their support team to provide excellent after-sales service. This includes offering timely assistance, ensuring that customers are well-informed about product usage and providing proactive maintenance solutions. Good after-sales service not only enhances customer loyalty but also helps to create a positive brand image.
How to Address Pain Points and Improve CX?
Improving customer experience involves identifying pain points through surveys and data analytics, providing targeted solutions, and continuously tracking customer behavior. Employee training is also one of the main aspects for addressing issues effectively and delivering excellent service. Here are some of the ways businesses can address customer issues and improve CX:
Conduct regular omnichannel surveys
Solicit frequent or in-moment feedback from patrons and new consumers alike. This can be done via Whatsapp surveys, Facebook messenger feedback forms, or via interactive email based surveys. Omnichannel surveys are a good strategy to reach out to your user base right where they are. To add to this, sales representatives can also offer call assistance and analyze recorded calls to capture candid conversations.
Ensure pricing information is mentioned upfront
Consumers often get frustrated when they are charged with hidden fees. To avoid this, businesses should provide transparent pricing information to customers before any transaction. This builds trust and helps in creating a positive brand image. Offering flexible payment options and discount programs also helps in enhancing customer satisfaction. Along with this, offering reminders about existing subscriptions via emails can go a long way.
Invest in technology across touchpoints
Instant chatbots, automated AI chat options can allow users to immediately reach out to the brand at any time of the day. Alternative, offering a 24 x 7 toll free number can give you an opportunity to attend to upset customers promptly. This can be deployed on the websites or chatbots inside the application. In case a brand cannot provide round-the-clock support, they can mention this across their sites to manage customer expectations from the get go.
Invest in training the support team
One of the key elements of delivering excellent customer service is having a well-trained support team. Investing in training programs, internal employee surveys and workshops can improve the skills and knowledge of your team. This can lead to better communication skills, empathy, and problem-solving abilities. In addition, providing ongoing training opportunities can help keep your support team up-to-date with the latest technologies and industry trends, which can ultimately enhance the overall customer experience. Consistent coaching and feedback on their performance also helps motivate employees and boost their job satisfaction levels.
Robust tools to analyze data (including online testimonials)
To truly understand your customer pain points, it’s important to analyze data from multiple touchpoints. This includes social media platforms, customer service interactions, website analytics and omnichannel surveys. Investing in robust tools to analyze this data can help identify patterns and trends that can help you address customer pain points before they become churned consumers. Utilizing this data also enables brands to stay ahead of the competition and make informed business decisions that are aligned with their customers’ needs.
Offering delightful checkout experience
The checkout experience is a critical touchpoint in the customer journey. This can be achieved by streamlining the process, reducing unnecessary steps, and providing clear and concise instructions. Implementing features such as saved payment information, multiple payment options and real-time updates. By focusing on providing a seamless checkout experience, brands can increase conversions and build long-term customer loyalty.
Personalize the customer experience
Customers appreciate personalized experiences that cater to their specific needs and preferences. Brands can achieve this by using customer data to tailor products and services. Personalization also means offering apt incentives on survey completion, offering gratitude for being a loyal customer etc. Personalization also goes as far as curating specific services as per the patron’s requirements and offering specific solutions. Even when delivering a product, it can be noted that not all buyers will have similar experiences. For example installing a washing machine for a senior citizen will need patience when offering product demonstration and after sales service.
Conclusion
Identifying customer pain points is only half the battle won. You must go the extra mile and address these issues to improve your customer experience. Omnichannel surveys help you gather feedback from multiple sources, which can then be used to create an action plan to address the pain points identified. By resolving customer concerns, you can increase brand loyalty and ultimately boost sales.
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