Isn't increasing customer satisfaction what every organisation wants? Satisfied customers are often repeat customers. They are the ones who tell others about your organisation and can attract new customers through word-of-mouth recommendations. But how do you increase the customer satisfaction of your clients?

Our customer service experts have been dealing with customer contact every day for many years, including via chat, email, and phone. We know better than anyone what customers find important when they contact your customer service. Before we tell you how you can increase your customers' satisfaction, we'll explain what clients expect from you when they get in touch with a complaint or question.

Start with your employees!

Our main tip is: ensure satisfied and professional customer service employees first! Invest in your staff, maintain essential skills (such as empathy), and ensure they are well-informed about your organisation and its services or products. Your employees are the ones who ultimately deliver for your clients, so having motivated, enthusiastic, and professional staff is the beginning of higher customer satisfaction. If your employees need help with this, take a look at our tailored Telephone Trainings.

Your customer wants to be helped quickly

Whether a customer emails or calls, every customer wants quick assistance. By increasing your accessibility, you can easily ensure that your customers are not left on hold for long. Or even worse for the customer: they call and find out your organisation is already closed... Good accessibility is crucial for your clients' satisfaction.

Keep it (where possible) to one staff member

It's common for a client to contact customer service only to be put on hold after a few minutes, then redirected to another staff member, having to retell their story. This leads to frustration, as the customer (as mentioned in point 2) wants quick assistance. Try to ensure that your client deals with one staff member as much as possible, which also makes the interaction more personal.

Your customer wants to feel understood

It seems obvious that customer service staff should show understanding towards customers, especially when they contact with a complaint. However, in practice, customer service representatives don't always know how to handle various situations. Showing understanding goes beyond saying 'that's unfortunate for you.' A client doesn’t feel understood until their complaint/problem is acknowledged, promptly addressed, and resolved. Of course, don't make false promises by saying 'I'll solve it for you today' if it's not feasible, but always try to provide an estimate for resolving complaints and keep the customer informed about the process. This way, they know their issue is being worked on.

Maintain a personal touch

We cannot stress enough how important the personal, human 'touch' is. Customers don't want to feel like a number; they want to feel that they are given real time and attention and that the staff member knows who they are dealing with. Your customer service staff can achieve this by occasionally mentioning the customer's name, but also, for example, by summarising the customer's story briefly. It’s also about sensing the situation: do you notice a client wants to chat a bit or simply starts a different topic? Don’t cut off the conversation, but let the customer know you're taking your time and showing interest. You'll see that by being personal (and a bit attentive), you can quickly satisfy your customer.

Don’t forget your satisfied customers!

To increase customer satisfaction, organisations tend to focus on satisfying dissatisfied customers... But don't forget your satisfied customers! You don't want to take this group of clients for granted, as a satisfied customer becomes an ambassador for your organisation much faster than a complaining customer. You can truly make satisfied clients fans of your organisation by letting them know you appreciate them and that they are valuable to your organisation. For instance, send an email to ask if the service/product is still satisfactory. Or offer loyal customers a discount as a token of appreciation. Being proactive as an organisation can quickly turn a satisfied customer into an ambassador who will share their experience with your business – and that's exactly what you want!