In my last blog I discussed 8 warning signs that your customers are about to flee. I pointed out the need for having a monitoring system in place – such as using customer satisfaction surveys to measure customer satisfaction and performing ongoing data analysis – to help alert you to negative trends affecting your business. The idea is to identify patterns early enough so that you can do something about it. So the question becomes what, specifically, should you do when these warning signs emerge?
Here are the first three things you should do:
- Reach out to the unhappy customers. If your customer analysis or survey results indicate that a particular customer appears to be unhappy, pick up the phone and call him or her. Ask what’s going on. Fix any problems that they’re experiencing. Offer a discount or special. Do what it takes to turn things around.
- Look for system-wide problems. For every three people that complain about something there could be 30 others who are just as unhappy but didn’t bother to speak up. So if someone brings a problem to your attention, take this as insight into your operations. Don’t just fix that customer’s problem. Look to see if you have a system-wide issue that needs to be addressed.
- Take steps to improve your online reputation. Make sure that someone at your company is actively monitoring the review sites, blogs and social networks and is alerted any time your company or product is mentioned. Address any problems immediately, and post responses explaining what you did. And don’t forget to let your happy customers know how much you appreciate positive reviews!
I’m sure there are lots of other steps you can take to turn things around once the warning signs emerge. What has worked for your company? Please leave your thoughts below.
