6 Tips To Listen To Your Customers Actively And Effectively

Listening can be a passive process, but if it becomes active it leads to effective improvements for organizations. Several questions arise here: What is the importance of listening to your customers? Do we overestimate or underestimate the role of listening in business success?

Companies can learn a lot from their customers, but only if they make the effort to understand what they are saying. The first step is to determine if they “have what it takes” to take advantage of the information they can get from their users.

• Does the organization respect the opinions of its customers? Corporate culture should include treating users with respect and showing empathy for their comments.
• Do you really want to hear what your customers have to say, even if their comments are harsh, annoying, or critical? Too often, companies ask for feedback only from satisfied customers, and sometimes avoid any negative feedback.
• Do you have the will and ability to respond to customer comments, questions, and suggestions in a way that makes them feel respected and important? There is nothing worse that can be done to encourage that customer feedback is unimportant than to ignore their feedback.

If the company really wants to hear from their customers, and then use this information to constantly improve the customer experience, they will need to establish some key points of contact and take advantage of automation technology to provide a complete picture of their users. Only then can you offer true customer engagement.

6 Tips To Listen To Your Customers Actively And Effectively

1) Facilitate Customers To Express Their Opinion

It is important to put a link for users to explain their opinion. For this, a link can be included in the emails, whether they are order confirmations or post-sale messages.

2) Use social networks and the web

Two-way communications can be established by allowing customers to post comments or by encouraging them to share their reasons for selecting your product or service instead of those of the competition through social media and the company’s website.

3) Keep Communications Fluid Throughout The Customer Experience After The First Interaction

Too often, companies consider the experience complete once the sale has been closed or the order has been received. In today’s environment, marketing is a continuous cycle. Post-sale marketing can be a critical element if you want to build relationships and turn customers into advocates for your brand or earn loyalty.

4) Customers Are The Best ‘Testers’

No matter how much rigorous testing a company does, customers will find increasingly creative ways to find gaps in their services. In a way, users are the best beta testers. Therefore, listening to your customers can provide organizations with details about products and services in general, as well as facilitating problem solving.

5) Do Not Censor Or Control Customer Comments To Be As Honest As Possible

Many companies worry about the possibility of negative comments appearing on their websites or on social media. In this case, organizations need to have a contingency plan that includes planning on how any negative feedback will be addressed to demonstrate their willingness to resolve any issue quickly.

6) Maintain Communications With Customers In Real Time

This means that companies need to have a strategy to monitor their various sites regularly to have sufficient responsiveness to user questions or comments. For example, if you can’t quickly respond to questions posted on Facebook’s customer service page, you may be doing yourself more harm than good by allowing such posts.

In conclusion, valued customers can provide businesses with the kind of information that marketing cannot buy. Word-of-mouth, referrals, and positive posts can be essential to facilitate your marketing efforts and increase your conversion rates. Encouraging customers to give you the feedback you need is one of the best ways to show your customers that you respect them and value their insights and opinions.