| Why Customer Satisfaction Advocacy is so Important | | | | across various leaders, geographies, departments, you |
| at Year Beginning | | | | should show results in aggregate and then results |
| It's the start of the new year. It is time for taking stock | | | | broken down by geography, sales branch, or service |
| of how your organization has done: revenue, profits, | | | | group. Create competition within the organization. |
| key product results, and services statistics. It is also | | | | 4. Ranking: Take the customer satisfaction results and |
| one of the most powerful times to demonstrate to | | | | then break it down to the next lower level of |
| your employees, management's commitment to | | | | management. Then rank the departments or groups |
| customer satisfaction. Employees and managers hold | | | | from top to bottom. Put the good results in green and |
| the key for customer satisfaction success and this is | | | | the results that didn't meet the target in red. No |
| an ideal opportunity to ensure they are engaged, | | | | manager and his or her employees want to be at the |
| aligned and committed to providing a superior | | | | bottom of the list. Show the results in group meetings |
| customer experience. Customer Satisfaction | | | | to the employees. |
| strategies, importance and results should be part of the | | | | 5. Celebrate Success: Reward those who have |
| normal year end performance metrics review. | | | | performed well, publicly recognize them, and tell their |
| Employees will be watching what 'results' are | | | | stories for other employees to emulate. Sometimes |
| publicized internally as this gives them an indication of | | | | budgets are tight and monetary rewards or |
| management priorities. Employees like to feel that they | | | | promotions are not available. Recognition fills in the gap. |
| have contributed to their company's success. They | | | | Everyone likes praise. Mentioning an individual's name in |
| watch who is being recognized and for what | | | | a presentation, putting their name on a plaque on the |
| achievements, so they know what gets rewarded. | | | | wall or even on a virtual plaque or trophy provides |
| They use these clues to develop their own skills and | | | | recognition. |
| plan their careers. | | | | What to do first? |
| If Customer Satisfaction results are not highlighted | | | | 1. Assemble survey, service and web sentiment data |
| during year end reviews and those that contributed to | | | | and analyze the results for key drivers and areas to |
| its success are not recognized and / or rewarded, | | | | improve. |
| employees will get the message that customer | | | | 2. Prominently publicize customer satisfaction results in |
| satisfaction is less important than other areas of the | | | | your year end / year beginning communication.The |
| business. Employees will reflect this attitude in their day | | | | best place to put them is at the beginning of a year |
| to day activities resulting in an inevitable decline in what | | | | end / year beginning presentation, report or email, even |
| your customers experience. If, on the other hand, | | | | before financial results. Don't put them in the appendix |
| Customer Satisfaction results are highlighted as equally | | | | or at the end of the communication. It looks like an |
| important as revenue and profit and other objectives | | | | after thought. |
| and the heroes are lauded, it is a strong message that | | | | 3. Reward and recognize Heroes. Publicize people's |
| employees will notice. | | | | names and recount the situations they were involved |
| If you want your customer satisfaction efforts to be | | | | in and their challenges and successes. Demonstrate |
| successful, then ensure your employees see that | | | | the desired employee behavior that you want |
| customer satisfaction results are part of the review of | | | | replicated. |
| the prior year achievements and understand the | | | | 4. Highlight actions plans to improve. Assign ownership |
| dynamics that drive superior results. | | | | and estimate time frames for improvements to be |
| What are Customer Satisfaction Results? | | | | noticed by customers.Any leader of a group that has |
| Customer satisfaction results can take various forms, | | | | failed to achieve the desired objective, needs an action |
| depending on what is being 'measured'. For many | | | | plan. If an action plan is not already in place, the |
| organizations, it is the results of formal surveys of | | | | responsibility to create one should be assigned with a |
| customers. It may also include the results of the | | | | promise to come back to the employees affected |
| customer service organization, its metrics and the | | | | with what needs to be changed and how it will be |
| volume of calls and complaints. If your organization has | | | | accomplished. Often this process is done at the |
| started evaluating satisfaction sentiment on the web, | | | | management level, from lower manager to senior |
| through social media sites, blogs and complaint sites, | | | | management. But it is equally important to tell the |
| then include these insights as well. | | | | employees of the whole organization and of the |
| How to get Maximum benefit from Customer | | | | specific areas of concern that actions are underway |
| Satisfaction results | | | | and how they can help. |
| There are five key areas to focus on | | | | 5. Ensure customer sentiment from the web (Social |
| 1. Results against Target: Did the organization have a | | | | Media, blogs, and complaint vehicles such as complaint |
| target or targets to meet? Were the targets | | | | sites and Sidewiki) are being monitored and |
| achieved? Which ones were better than others? | | | | appropriate resources assigned to quickly react to any |
| Which were the lowest ratings? | | | | public relations crisis. |
| 2. Trends: Are the results getting better or worse? | | | | 6. Set Targets for the new year. |
| What is the trend of over the past few years, | | | | Summary: |
| quarters, months or whatever schedule of data | | | | Year beginning is a busy time. Ensure customer |
| reporting is being used by the organization? Can you | | | | satisfaction is part of the results gathering and is well |
| explain why? | | | | communicated within your organization. This activity |
| 3. Compare one group within the organization with | | | | sets the tone for the new year. |
| other similar groups: If the results can be broken down | | | | |