8 Ways to Improve Your CSAT Score

A happy customer is a loyal customer. And in a business landscape that’s as competitive as ever, loyalty matters. It costs up to seven times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, so once the sale has been made, it’s more than worth the effort to ensure ongoing satisfaction.

To understand their customers, many businesses measure the success of their customer relationship by utilizing a Customer Satisfaction Score, or CSAT. This key performance indicator illustrates how much the level of support that was experienced meets the customer’s expectations. If you’ve ever been asked to stay on the line after a customer service call and rate your interaction on a scale of one to five, your survey response has been used to measure CSAT.

In order to cultivate an audience of happy and loyal customers, you need to understand the most effective ways to move the CSAT needle in the right direction. We’ve compiled eight tips to help ensure that you’re taking the right steps to boost your company’s CSAT score.

1. Treat customers the way you’d want to be treated.

It’s called the Golden Rule for a reason. Anything you would expect when contacting customer support yourself should be provided to your own clients — and then some. Go as far as treating the customer as if s/he is your boss: with respect, full attention, and a commitment to providing top-notch quality. Act as though your job depends on it; ultimately, it does.

2. Minimize wait times.

This one should be a no-brainer, but we’ve all called support lines that “are experiencing higher than normal call volumes.” Whether due to an unexpected rush or understaffing, it’s the customer that gets the short end of the stick. Plan ahead and have a flexible support staff on hand for peak periods.

3. Offer multichannel support.

Many customers would rather have their issues resolved through methods other than a traditional phone call. If your audience is more comfortable communicating via chat, email, or social media, meet them where they are. In fact, providing positive support experiences through social media can help drive customer loyalty.

4. Empower your agents.

Allow agents to manage a customer issue themselves rather than needing to escalate up the chain of command. By empowering your agents, they’ll feel greater pride in their work while making life easier for your customers, who won’t have to repeat themselves to a supervisor or manager.

5. Survey says…

How can you make your customers happy if you don’t know exactly what they’re looking for? Read online reviews to discover what they’re saying about not just your product but your support team. Proactively resolve issues you discover through these reviews. You’ll also gain valuable insights by soliciting feedback through user surveys. Be sure to allow customers to explain their ratings and offer suggestions on how your customer service can be improved.

6. Follow up on the data you’ve gleaned.

Those surveys you asked your customers to take are filled with pearls of wisdom, if you take the time to look. Examine any complaints from your audience and follow through: act on them, learn from them, and acknowledge them with your customers. Identify and improve where your service is lacking and build upon the cited strengths.

7. Set expectations.

When can your customers expect to have an issue resolved? Will they hear back from a member of your team today? Is their feedback being directed to the right party? Let the user know exactly how you’ll proceed… and then raise the bar with a quicker-than-expected response or similar grand gesture. Exceeding their expectations brings you that much closer to winning their loyalty.

8. Your customers have a name… use it.

Everybody appreciates being recognized as an individual, rather than a customer ID number. Use your customer’s name in verbal and written interactions, and make that extra effort to make them feel special. Reward them on their birthday or on the anniversary of their initial purchase. It’s little things like these that can have a big effect on customer sentiment.

Keeping your customer top of mind is one of the best investments you can make in your business. Use your knowledge of what’s working and what isn’t with your customer service to make informed business decisions. In today’s rough-and-tumble marketplace, you owe it to yourself… and your customers.