Blog

10 Benefits of Measuring Customer Satisfaction over the Phone

It is widely believed that acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing customer.


In this respect, high levels of customer loyalty and repeat business are desirable and it makes sense for every business to have some mechanism to understand and meet customer needs.In a more competitive global market with less product differentiation, where consumer power and social media channels can make or break a brand, many companies have customer satisfaction and loyalty programs and benchmark themselves against their competitors.

Whilst measuring customer satisfaction is more common place, there is also a risk that it becomes a tick-box exercise, rather than a genuine effort to understand customer needs and improve performance. Any successful survey program must have a clear set of objectives that can lead to improved performance. The key to success is not to measure everything, but only what is important to your customer in the context of your products or services, and therefore what can positively or negatively impact your business. It is not enough to take a generic approach. The many different survey tools and methodologies available can be overwhelming but, setting clear objectives and priorities, makes it easier to find an approach which best fits your needs.

Here are 10 of the main benefits of measuring satisfaction over the phone:

 

1. Quality of feedback

The level and quality of communication is better when it results from human interaction. Aside from the literal meaning of the words, lots can be learnt through tone of voice and the emotion, it conveys. A human can pick up signals and patterns more quickly and easily than will necessarily be conveyed through the data alone.

2. Call Recordings


Capturing a conversation on a call recording, which can be listened to and analysed after a call, gives extra clarity to the feedback provided and ensures it is properly understood.

3. Response Rates


As it is difficult to ignore the phone, response rates are generally much higher than those of other channels. If you need to reach a certain sample size, lower response rates from channels such as email can make this difficult.

4. Open Questions and Insight


Customer Satisfaction Indexes and Net Promoter Scores are useful for benchmarking but provide little insight into what issues are, or what to do about them. With open questions during a phone conversation, it is possible to identify patterns and develop a good understanding of the customer viewpoint.

5. Rapport


The personal nature of a phone conversation enables the caller to build rapport with a customer. An experienced agent will make the customer feel secure so they are comfortable opening up and sharing their opinions, perhaps more so than with other, less personal, approaches.

6. Qualitative and Quantitative


Phone research can be both qualitative and quantitative, either combined or used in a staged approach, where qualitative research identifies key areas of focus for a broader quantitative survey. A phone conversation can be scripted; presenting a set of pre-defined options for consistency or include open questions that capture insight that may not have been foreseen, or a mix of both.

Be careful what you wish for…


We always advise our clients to include an option for open feedback. If you give the customer a set of pre-defined responses to choose from, that is what they will do. Allowing for open feedback ensures you will learn something you didn’t know already and get a true customer perspective.

7. Additional Value


A phone call can provide outcomes and value, in addition to the survey’s planned objectives. Additional information gleaned during the call, either as notes or through the call recording, can help with organisation and market mapping, or provide valuable competitor insight. Other outcomes such as database updates and email opt-ins can also be obtained in the same call.

8. Regulatory Compliance


For industries subject to regulation, including financial services, telephone research can be particularly effective in getting the right level of feedback in the format required for legislative compliance or to meet TCF (Treating Customers Fairly) standards. Aside from the call recordings as a reference point, a bespoke framework can be established within a specialist CATI system, which provides the paper trail and capture of verbatim response often required. Call recordings also help maintain interviewer performance and allow the correct behaviours to be incentivised where standards are critical.

9. Targeting


As phone research is based on data, it is easy to control and target your survey according to your priorities and required criteria. You may, for example, need to target a particular geographical area or a specific demographic group. As it is data-led, telephone research enables you to focus your efforts only where they are needed.

And Finally…

10. Prioritisation


Whilst it is generally accepted that repeat business is more profitable, it is also true that most companies have a broad mix of customers with varying costs to acquire and maintain, depending on their profile. Pareto’s principle or the 80-20 rule, suggests that on average 20% of customers provide 80% of a company’s revenue. 


If Pareto's Law holds true, it makes sense to focus on understanding the needs and retaining those customers, that are most valuable. A data-led approach such as telephone research, means you can profile and segment your database to prioritise the most profitable segments based on potential lifetime value, and focus on ensuring their needs in particular are addressed.

Related articles

Ethical telemarketing: a reality, not a myth

Ethical telemarketing: a reality, not a myth

Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Find out more
Maximising marketing ROI with telemarketing analytics

Maximising marketing ROI with telemarketing analytics

Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Find out more
The importance of storytelling in sales and marketing

The importance of storytelling in sales and marketing

Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Find out more
The power of relationship selling in B2B

The power of relationship selling in B2B

Thursday, August 8, 2024
Find out more

Our full range of telephone services

Data Services

Flexible Data Services

Data Cleansing
Data Cleansing
Clean, up-to-date data delivers better quality leads and boosts sales
Read more
Data Enrichment
Data Enrichment
Data enrichment helps you better connect with your target audience and delivers actionable insights, improved conversion
Read more
Email Opt-ins: GDPR
Email Opt-ins: GDPR
Do you have a clean, compliant, opted-in database?
Read more

Pre Sales Research

Drive your sales strategy with telephone interviewing

Pre Sales Research
Pre Sales Research
Arm your sales and marketing teams with clear customer intelligence and actionable insight.
Read more

Telemarketing

Telemarketing that’s personal, agile, smart and insightful.

Lead Generation
Lead Generation
A steady stream of qualified buyers
Read more
Call Handling
Call Handling
We can provide your customers with an expert, personalised service - making every interaction count
Read more
Appointment Setting
Appointment Setting
Successful appointment setting requires meaningful human interaction with senior decision makers
Read more
Lead Management
Lead Management
Improve lead flow and quality - turn inbound leads into sales
Read more
Event Marketing
Event Marketing
Engage high value attendees and drive registrations
Read more
Lead Qualification / Nurture
Lead Qualification / Nurture
Move leads through the funnel more strategically with our expert lead qualification and lead nurturing services
Read more

Sales

High-performance Telesales

Telesales / Inside Sales
Telesales / Inside Sales
Flexible, high performance transactional telesales and complex inside sales services.
Read more
Account Based Marketing
Account Based Marketing
Increase profitability, reverse churn and increase customer lifetime value.
Read more

Post Sales Research

Strengthen customer relationships

Welcome Calls
Welcome Calls
A welcome call is an opportunity to reach out to new customers and reduce customer churn, as part of an effective customer management strategy.
Read more
Customer Satisfaction
Customer Satisfaction
Gain a more nuanced view of your customers’ experiences through phone-based surveys.
Read more
Treating Customers Fairly / Compliance
Treating Customers Fairly / Compliance
An FCA authorised and regulated business, our expert team can help you meet your TCF compliance needs.
Read more