From Complaints to Compliments: Turning Customer Feedback into Actionable Insights

Customer experience is a powerful catalyst for the growth of any business.

According to Forbes, customers mention a good brand experience to an average of 9 people, but will talk about a bad experience to 16. Does this sentiment ring true for you?

The culmination of all interactions a customer has with a business, from first contact through support after a purchase provides several customer touchpoints that can be tapped into for better business decision-making. Leveraging these touchpoints can have a significant influence on customer happiness, loyalty, brand reputation, and recurring business. However, a bad experience may result in lost sales, harm to a brand’s image, unfavorable word-of-mouth, negative comments and complaints that spread swiftly via social media.

Brands must thus take customer concerns seriously and deal with them appropriately. They can further leverage these complaints/ comments to analyze areas of improvement and according make the changes for better business performance.

Here’s how customer complaints can be turned into compliments, thus paving the path for loyal customers –

10 Tips to Turn Customer Feedback into Actionable Insights

For every firm, customer complaints are an unfortunate reality. You can’t always win everyone over, no matter how hard you try. But how companies manage customer issues sets them apart from the competition. You can both enhance the consumer experience and build your brand’s reputation by converting unfavorable comments into useful information. Here are 10 suggestions for turning negative customer feedback into positive ones:

Listen actively

The first and most crucial step you should do when a consumer comes to you with a complaint is to actively listen to them. Allow them to voice their worries and demonstrate your sincere interest in their point of view. Ensure you provide an opportunity for customers to provide feedback.

Apologize sincerely

Even if you disagree with the customer’s complaint, it’s crucial to express your honest regret for their unpleasant experience. Recognize their annoyance and sympathize with them.

Stay calm

When dealing with an irate or irritated consumer, it might be difficult to maintain composure, but it’s important to do so. Breathe deeply, maintain your attention, and refrain from defending yourself.

Offer a solution

After hearing the customer’s issue, provide a solution that takes their concerns into account. Be proactive and look for a solution to put things right. This could be short-term (e.g Activating a card), medium-term (e.g Better administrative facilities) or long-term (e.g Modify existing product)

Follow up

Once the issue has been handled, check in with the customer to see whether they are happy with the solution. This demonstrates your dedication to providing outstanding customer service and your concern for their experience. For instance, in Banks, customers expect a proactive follow-up and notification service to inform them of the status of their transaction, application, and activation.

Train your staff

It’s critical to teach your personnel on how to manage consumer complaints since they will represent your company to the public. Give them the resources and tools they need in order to promptly and effectively handle issues. For example, an automated Customer Experience Platform can route back Branch or Relationship manager-related feedback in near real-time.

Use customer feedback to improve

Take advantage of consumer complaints as a chance to enhance your products, services, or procedures. Analyze the comments you get and make the required adjustments to avoid similar problems from occurring in the future. A retailer received constant complaints that their store lacked any promotional offers, thereby removing the “Excitement Quotient”. A price elasticity analysis would reveal which items can be loss leaders after offering discounts and which items can be priced at a premium.

Be transparent

Be open and honest about your pricing, policies, and practices. By doing this, you increase consumer trust and decrease the possibility of complaints. A telecom major complaint focused on the lack of status updates on various applications to a subscription model.

Set realistic expectations

Make it obvious to your consumers what they may anticipate from your products and services. Establish reasonable standards and follow through on your commitments. The following review is a clear articulation of expectations set up by customers, especially on WiFi services.  “Very average all the way! the noise level at night from my neighbors was way too loud. The service was slow and the room had a funny smell. The staff made me feel like an unwelcome visitor, not a special guest. No WiFi service although they advertise there is.”

Say thank you

Remember to express gratitude to your clients for their input, positive or unfavorable. By expressing thanks, you may make a bad situation better and show the other person that you value their feedback.

Building a successful company depends heavily on how well you handle customer issues. You may transform bad comments into beneficial results by actively listening, expressing true remorse, and providing solutions. Be open and honest with your customers and continually look for ways to improve your procedures, services, and products in response to their concerns. By using these suggestions, you may turn negative customer feedback into positive reviews and establish a great company reputation.

We encourage you to join our forthcoming webinar, “Bridging the insight gap from CX touchpoints to brand health and sales,” if you’re interested in learning more about how to use customer feedback to change their experiences.

Register now to get useful information and practical advice from professionals in the field.