Topic: Why You Can’t Rely on Numbers to Illustrate Customer Experience

Customers have limitless options, but people still crave a great customer experience, and they’re willing to pay extra for it. In a competitive and challenging marketplace, offering a stand-out customer experience is your best chance to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

Business leaders know this, which is why “customer experience” is a major buzzword today. But too many companies claim to be customer-first without delivering on this commitment. They forget that the customer experience includes every touchpoint on the customer journey, and it therefore takes the effort of everyone at your company to make it a reality.

Some companies have an account management team that handles the customer experience. These teams often rely on metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and Customer Effort Score (CES) to measure their progress. When only one team is responsible for CX and they’re relying on high-level metrics, companies aren’t getting the full picture. Quantitative metrics are helpful, but if you’re relying on numbers to gauge the customer experience, you’re missing many pieces of the puzzle. Reading customer reviews and comments provides the valuable insight companies need. It offers the full picture into customer experience that many companies aren’t seeing.

Negative Comments Are an Opportunity

Let’s face it: reading customer reviews and comments can be downright painful at times. But it’s the best way to understand the tone and nuances in their feedback, which are important elements you won’t get from summarized survey data. As a business owner myself, I start every morning by reading anywhere from 100 to 1,000 pieces of customer feedback, whether positive or negative, from surveys, support tickets, social media posts, employee exit interviews, etc. I follow this with regular calls with customers and I look forward to hearing from customers in-person post pandemic at tradeshows and other events.

It’s typically an overwhelmingly positive and uplifting experience. But there are times when you have to hear something hard, that challenges you, and makes you rethink your approach. I have learned to view even the negative comments in a positive light because they’re a guidebook for customer pain points and a signpost to opportunities. Negative feedback provides clarity on the ways you can improve, so instead of letting unflattering comments create frustration, use them as your source of innovation.

Topic Discussed: Why You Can’t Rely on Numbers to Illustrate Customer Experience

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