Anyone who wants to conduct customer satisfaction research to measure and improve customer satisfaction can use various methods. From the traditional CSAT to NPS or, for example, CES. But even more important than the measurement method is the way in which you use it within opinion research for your customers, product or service. Because commonly used assumptions such as 'reducing customer effort increases customer loyalty' are not always true. Extra customer efforts can also increase customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Measure and improve customer satisfaction with CSAT, CES or NPS
Various KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) can be used to measure customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. CSAT (the Customer Satisfaction Score) is old and familiar, in which customers indicate how they value certain things with a score of 1 to 5. Since 2003, the measuring instrument NPS (the Net Promoter Score) has been added, with an extra focus on customer loyalty and the longer term. In 2010, another powerful tool for customer opinion research followed: the Customer Effort Score (CES). CES indicates the extent to which a customer feels they have to make an effort to complete a certain action. Whether he buys something or, for example, wants to have a problem solved by de klantenservice.
Continue to measure flexibly with customer opinion research
An organization that wants to get started with customer opinion research often first focuses blindly on systems and measurement methods for customer satisfaction. A false start that often immediately causes delay, disappointment, postponement or even adjustment. Shame! Provide a flexible platform that can handle multiple measurement methods and focus on what you really want to know. Go measure that first. This creates new questions and insights and you soon look much further than you can think of beforehand. Where necessary, you also look beyond the beaten track, because the principles on which measurement methods are based do not always turn out to be infallible 'laws'. The opposite can also be true.
Learning from pancakes
A fundamental premise of CES is that service organizations mainly win loyal customers by reducing customer effort. That is certainly not always true. IKEA and pancakes teach us the opposite. Customer satisfaction and experience – or the customer experience (CX) – can also be more positive if customers have to put in some effort themselves in certain phases, especially if there is something in return for them.
Customer research IKEA looks beyond CES
IKEA makes good use of that principle. Their customers are happy with an affordable new Billy bookcase, especially since they have to assemble it themselves. And do you know those bottles of pancake mix where you only have to add milk and an egg? That egg could already be in it in powder form. It is only designed to give the maker the feeling that he is delivering a culinary achievement. And it works!
Find out more by measuring customer loyalty
So sometimes a solution is better appreciated if it doesn't come naturally. But then you have to know VERY well which efforts customers do and do not appreciate. You have to measure well for that. Because then you can choose between what customers do for themselves and what you do for them. Good sales professionals sense that. Ultimately, their organization focuses especially on those things that make the difference. And if customers themselves can make a small effort with disproportionate satisfaction, it can be a good strategy to give them that role too.
Thinking in possibilities
Where exactly the mogelijkheden to make a bigger difference for customers, which of course differs per company, product and sometimes even per customer. Take advantage of it, start measuring and, above all, don't let yourself be stopped by focusing blindly on measurement methods and systems for customer research beforehand.
Flexible feedback platform for customer research
GrowPromoter's online feedback platform deliberately gives you the freedom and flexibility to ask multiple types of research questions for customer research. Because one time you may need NPS, but the next moment you may need a CES question or a completely different method. At GrowPromoter you can experience experts help you always ask the right smart question at the right time within your customer satisfaction survey. Or would you rather arrange it yourself?
