The success of every company depends on understanding the needs of its customers. In today’s era of big data and artificial intelligence, technology seems to be the key to determining the best way to attract customers. But while these tools provide compelling statistics about behaviors and preferences, they do not necessarily provide a global view of customer experience. Just as customers express higher satisfaction when they receive a humanized service, a company also gains greater insights when interacting with customers personally. Here are five ways to better understand your customers and provide them with a great experience using technology and personal connections.

Ask customers for direct feedback

Sometimes the best way to solicit raw feedback is to ask direct questions. Don’t be afraid to ask customers how they feel about your brand—a strict response will only help your company become stronger. For example, on social media channels, you can ask customers how they feel about new products or services. Business representatives working on these channels should carefully monitor all comments, interact with customers naturally, and ask customers if they are important to customers. Traditional surveys should also include a free response section, inviting customers to provide additional comments. Finally, companies with retail locations should always seek feedback in person. For example, employees may ask customers how they rate their visits when they leave the store. Another strategy is to display new products in the store, thereby providing customers with opportunities to interact with employees and leave their feedback on the product.

Conduct focus groups and events

Focus groups are a great way to build friendly relationships with current and potential customers and hear honest feedback. For example, your company may choose to organize a focus group to test a new product. In addition, you can hold events in retail stores or participate in trade shows to further participate. Your brand may launch new products and services at these events and provide free gifts to participants. Focus groups and events are great for meeting potential customers, satisfying existing customers, and collecting valuable information about customer profiles and preferences. Your marketing team can use this information for targeted communication.

Create customer profiles

When collecting information about customers, always pay close attention to all demographic and ethnographic data. This may include customer age, median income, geographic location, and even cultural identity. These statistics can provide huge insights for your target audience and help your brand create specific customer profiles. For example, by defining some key customer profiles, your brand can create a customer journey map for each customer and determine the best way to meet everyone’s preferences. When creating their journey map, be sure to clearly outline each customer’s preferences, dislikes, and reasons for buying.

Study social media habits and comments

Social media can provide a lot of information about your customers. Study their habits to determine the channels and times they use most often. Agents should actively work on these channels to enable customers to participate in discussions, while also answering questions in a timely manner. Your brand should pay attention to all comments on social media channels, and listening tools can display other mentions of your brand on social platforms and the web.

Analyze all data sources

Careful analysis of all data is essential to fully understand customer needs. Make sure to consider all the data collected. For example, customer comments on review sites and blogs should not be ignored. The analysis of your browsing habits on your website and the analysis of keywords used to search for products on your website is particularly useful for determining which webpage has received the most attention. Surveys and call logs can also provide valuable information about the customer’s experience in the company. When collecting information about your customers, please analyze the data and direct feedback at the same time. Interacting with them personally and studying their habits is the key to understanding how to best serve them.

Deliver on brand promises

Once your company understands the needs of your customers, you can always meet or exceed their expectations. Delivering on your brand promise is especially important. For example, product information should be clear, and any prices or promotions advertised should be accurate. If a customer encounters any problems with your brand, please take immediate action and comfort the dissatisfied customers with a friendly attitude and follow-up contact to ensure that the problem does not occur again.

Assess customer feedback to improve service

In order to continuously improve the customer experience, please review all sources of feedback. Your survey and customer satisfaction score are both a good starting point. However, please also pay attention to the customer’s emotions. Use voice and text analytics on all brand channels to better understand what people think of your company. Also, connect with customers on social media and set up focus groups to understand how your brand might improve.

Engage employees when designing experiences

Your employees can provide valuable insights on the best ways to improve your brand. For example, a customer service agent can provide input on recurring issues on a specific channel, and a sales agent can suggest ways to make the buying process more seamless. Employees can also discuss ways to improve communication and practice internally, thereby creating a better working environment, which translates into better services.

When your brand is committed to improving its practices, it pays off. According to Dimension Data, 84% of companies committed to improving customer service have increased their revenue. By fully understanding the needs of customers, creating the products and services they want, and involving your employees, your company can design experiences that make customers a champion.

Source: Vocalcom