How to Measure Customer Service: A Practical Guide
Measuring customer service starts with understanding what the customer thinks about the product they bought and the service too.
Measuring customer satisfaction starts with understanding what the customer thinks about the product they bought and the service too.
What are the customer’s expectations?
You won’t be able to give them a pleasant, enjoyable experience unless you know the minimum they expect to feel satisfied with the level of service they’ll receive. Seek to understand what your customers want so that the service you offer is a good one. As they say: know your customer first, then build your strategy to reach your goals and make the best use of all your resources.
With the Kano model, you can get to know your customers’ needs. It’s a theory developed by Professor Noriaki Kano of the University of Tokyo. This model highlights three distinct types of attributes that, together, make up the experience your product or service’s consumer or customer lives through. Those attributes are as follows:
- Basic attributes: these are the fundamental features a customer expects when they receive a product or service. They’re the foundation that any customer service should have.
- Performance attributes: these are the features that increase or decrease the customer’s level of satisfaction, such as how easy the product is to use, the price, or whether the service is fast and efficient. Unlike basic attributes, performance attributes aren’t usually offered as part of the standard service.
- Excitement attributes: these are the details and actions that delight customers because they go beyond what anyone else in the market does as part of their service, setting them apart from many other companies.
Customer satisfaction is truly important, since it’s the starting point for doing more or spotting potential areas of opportunity within our business. How we see the service or product is one thing; how your customer sees it is another, so we have to consider every aspect in order to offer the best we possibly can. It’s likely that the product you offer isn’t exactly what the customer is looking for, and that’s actually an opportunity to create variety in your product so you can truly satisfy your target market.
Businesses today are always seeking your opinion as a customer in order to improve. The most common questions to gather this data are:
- Did you find this information helpful?
- Was our product what you expected?
- Will you use our services again?
- Will you shop at our store again?
- Would you recommend us?
Read: Why I Should Survey My Customers: It’s Crystal Clear!
Customers are the engine of any business. It’s essential to understand how they feel, perceive, and think about your company in order to achieve the success you’re after in the best possible way.
The information you gather is, and always will be, there to help you offer the best you can to your customers and in the way they’re looking for. We often think the way we see things is the right one, but we always have to listen to those who drive our business; without customers, there is no business. We always have to keep in mind what they want and whether we’re making them happy with our product or service. The solution is always to measure what’s happening; the numbers are what convey what’s truly going on with our customers and help us make decisions and create strategies.
Read: Who Is the Most Important Person in Your Business?
If you liked this article, leave us a comment and share any tool you know for measuring customer satisfaction.
We invite you to read: Customer Service: The Disney Model