The attention span of the customers today is short. This is the time it takes for them to judge your brand. An annoyed customer would remove a brand out of their consideration basket and never look back. Conversely, they love an attentive brand- it makes them feel heard and valued. They would not rethink their decision (who has the time!) of going with your brand and stay loyal. That is why marketers now have to continuously monitor the satisfaction with the brand across the customer journey, not just at an aggregate level but also at an individual level at all times.
Brands that opt in for real time analytics and gather customer feedback more frequently, can see a 70% faster growth opposed to marketers not willing to go the extra mile.
The old fashioned, batch processing of feedback hampers the brands
Say you are trying to lose weight. Every week you check your measurements. Some weeks it goes up, while other weeks it is down. The weighing machine does not tell you why that is. After months of doing this, would you be surprised if you have not really lost weight?
Accumulating data over time and analyzing them to understand brand performance is how companies have traditionally measured satisfaction. This is similar to checking your weight periodically. The mere act of measurement itself would not help achieve the desired results. One needs to dive deeper into causes of any upward or downward movement in satisfaction, identify the issues and rectify them immediately, understand the delight factors and institutionalize them.
Consumer brands today cannot afford to do annual or quarterly tracking of customer satisfaction. Monthly? No. Weekly? No. Consumer interactions do not stop even when half the globe is fast asleep. Satisfaction tracking needs to be continuous and real time. If you have a disgruntled customer, they need to be handled now. If you have a delighted customer, you need to act now to get them to advocate for your brand or to upsell. If your customer service scores are falling at a touchpoint- i.e. your customer service is failing not an individual, but a significant number of them, you better act now.
The power of social listening via Instagram, Facebook and other apps
We all have heard of moment marketing. A well designed moment marketing is a magnet for footfalls and potential profit margins. Similarly, organizations who opt for real time data can dust cobwebs off of out-of-sync strategies. Businesses become proactive, vigilant and seize opportunities to stay on top of the game.
The idea of batch processing of feedback robs the brand of invaluable in-moment engagement- the ability to delight the customer or remedy a less than ideal interaction.
Since data is freely available over the internet, social listening is the best way to gauge consumers. be it website feedback or a positive review, in-moment conversations can push organizations to build a roadmap to cater to these audiences.
The technology today makes real-time satisfaction tracking possible
Customers interact with brands via multiple social media channels. This also gives brands the ability to access customers through these same online communities.
If your customer is at your store, they are carrying their mobiles and with it, channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, RCS, Instagram and Twitter at all times. It does not matter which corner of the world the store is. It does not matter what time or time zone it is. It does not matter what language your customer speaks. It is a veritable wormhole that connects companies with their customers. Automated feedback systems via these channels can be deployed ‘in-moment’. This is the right time to collect short, conversational customer surveys.
Similarly, if the customer visits your website, you have chatbots for live chat assistance. If a customer calls your customer service line, you can request feedback through SMS or RCS on the number they called you from. A well timed, low effort (for customers) interaction with consumers is the goal.
Integrating the feedback with CRM tools makes real-time data collection really powerful
Once you have your real-time data streaming, you need to create standard processes for handling the overall customer experience. This is where integrating the type of feedback with the CRM makes the process, action oriented. Via the CRM, you can ensure that the customer service team is apprised of every negative feedback from unhappy customers or support team can be informed about potential upselling opportunities with a delighted customer.
On an aggregate level, any slippage in service at a touchpoint (for example at a dealership or on your website) can trigger an email to the relevant managers to investigate and solve.
Using automation, Merren enables brands to capture live interactions and integrate it with CRM tools
Merren is a customer satisfaction journey mapping tool that is automated so marketers do not have to worry about manually deploying feedback surveys. Valuable information from loyal customers is constantly processed and analyzed as they are fed to the CRM.
Merren is an omnichannel tool and can leverage the power of channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SMS, RCS, Emails etc to capture every valuable feedback. Since Merren operates in-moment and through the channels of least friction at a touchpoint, the response rates and quality of service or product feedback are significantly higher.
Every customer data (including positive feedback) is collected close to the time of interaction. This data is segregated on various relevant metrics such as a buyer’s pain points, queries from new customer etc. This means that brands can easily reach out to distressed consumers and close the feedback loop.
With the help of automation, consumer feedback is also taken at various consumer touchpoints for better insights.
Collect customer feedback using real time data: the actual result
Customers love prompt response. It makes them feel heard and in return. They are willing to invest in your brand and show up as repeat customers. To add to this, word of mouth can also bring more potential customers via a clever customer feedback strategy.
Attention is an expensive currency so staying on top of a customer’s mind is the need of the hour. Real time data tracking will enable brands to identify individual issues faster. This will also help brands study collective reviews and create their future strategies around current responses.
Ultimately, real time data analysis will enable better conversions, upselling and more customer retention.
Ditch the old methods and discover new processes for your business. Create a free account and try our 14 day trial on this platform (no credit card needed). We also extend assistance via a consultation call here.
