How to Create and Share a Google Reviews Link

One of the most effective ways to improve your company’s search ranking on Google is to use a Google reviews link to generate high-quality online reviews of your business locations.

A Google review link makes it easy for your customers to share their experiences with your business online. Proactively asking for feedback in the form of Google reviews is a great way to strengthen customer relationships, connecting your brand to the voices that matter the most. A review link for Google is also a tool that can dramatically improve your search engine performance, essential to attracting more customers and increasing your conversion. 

According to research by InMoment:

  • About 70% of reviews come from companies reaching out to customers to ask for / request reviews.
  • Reviews from review requests produce higher ratings (an average of 4.34 stars) than unprompted reviews (3.89 stars).

Google reviews are particularly important marketing assets for any business organization. Online reputation management statistics show that the purchase decisions of 90% of consumers are influenced by reviews, and a majority (63%) use Google reviews before they even visit a business or store location.

Your customers are no more than a few clicks away from sharing their experiences and writing authentic reviews of your business. A Google reviews link is the perfect tool to help your team capitalize on this opportunity.

What is a Google Reviews Link?

A Google reviews link is a direct URL that leads users to a specific page on Google Maps where they can read and write reviews. 

Savvy marketers and brands use a Google review link to encourage customers to leave reviews, as this provides a convenient way for users to access the review section on a Google Business Profile directly without having to search for the business manually on Google. There are various ways for your team to create and share this link, which fits well with other efforts to build a community of advocates building hype for your business. 

Can’t People Just Search for Your Business on Google and Leave a Review That Way?

Anyone with a mobile device or computer can simply search for your business or brand name on Google and select “Write a review” when they find your Business Profile. However, not all of your customers are aware of how to review businesses on Google; asking them to do so without providing a Google reviews link may lead to them abandoning the process. 

Simply put: people are more likely to leave a review if the process is streamlined and straightforward. Learning how to get a Google review link (and share it with customers) eliminates unnecessary steps, increasing the likelihood of customers taking the time to leave valuable feedback.

Creating and sharing a review link for Google also gives your company more control over the review process. By providing a direct link, you can guide customers directly to your Google Business Profile, ensuring they are leaving feedback on the correct listing and minimizing the chance of them getting sidetracked or leaving reviews on the wrong page.

How to Create a Google Review Link

There are various ways to create and share your Google reviews link. Here are some of the most popular options, along with step-by-step instructions:

Option 1: Google Search

Conduct a Google search of your business or brand name using a computer. To the right side of the search results page, you will find a section that displays a summary of information from your Google Business Profile.

Click the “(Number of) Google reviews” link or button, usually found below your business name and photo gallery. When the review window pops up, copy the URL in the address bar on the top of your web browser.

Option 2: Google Business Profile Manager

If you are using Google Business Profile to manage your business information on Google, it should be simple and easy to create and share a Google review link. Just log into Google Business Profile Manager. 

Choose the business you want to get a link to Google reviews for (if you own multiple businesses) then click “See your profile.”

This will open a new tab on your browser, with information about “your business on Google.” Scroll down to see the actions you can take on your Business Profile and choose “Ask for reviews.” This functions as a Google review link generator: a popup window will appear, containing your unique link which you can then share via email, WhatsApp, or Facebook, among others.

Option 3: Place ID Finder Tool

Another way to find your Google review link is to use the Place ID Finder tool, which you’ll find on this Google Maps developer page

A Google Maps developer page features the ever-so-handy Place ID Finder tool. All you need to do is enter the name of your business location (that you’d like to ask reviews for) in the search bar.

Once you have found and selected the location, a text window above the business will appear on the map. This will contain a series of numbers, letters, and symbols that make up the “Place ID”. Copy that Place ID onto the URL below after the “placeid=” string.

  • https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=

For example, if your place ID on Google is 123456ABCDE2024, then your Google reviews link will be: 

  • https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=123456ABCDE2024

Copy and save this URL, which you can then use to share with customers as your Google reviews link.

Option 4: InMoment’s Online Reputation Management Software

Companies can also use InMoment’s reputation management software solution as a Google review link generator. With InMoment’s robust review management feature set, you can streamline the process of requesting reviews from customers in order to improve your local search visibility and acquire more customers. 

In particular, the survey and review request tools within InMoment enables teams to capture valuable feedback and generate links that direct your customers to your Google Business Profile, as well as your review pages and listings on other online review websites.

Where and How to Share a Google Review Link

You can share your Google review link through various channels to encourage customers to leave reviews of your business or store locations. Here are some of the ways you can share the link effectively:

Send an Email

Include the Google reviews link in your email newsletters, order confirmation emails, or follow-up emails after a customer’s purchase or service experience. Personalize the message and politely ask customers to leave a review.

Generate a Google Review QR Code

QR codes in stores and business locations have become ubiquitous. You can use this technology to generate more Google reviews for your locations by placing or printing the code on your checkout counters, receipts, post-transaction emails, and other marketing materials.

Share the Link on Social Media

You can also share your Google review link on your company’s social media profiles. Craft a post explaining the importance of reviews and encourage followers to share their experiences. You can also pin the post to the top of your profile for increased visibility.

Add the Link on Your Website

You also have the option of adding a “Leave a Review” button or link on your website. You can place it prominently on your homepage, in the footer, or on the contact page. This makes it easy for visitors to find your unique Google review link and leave a review.

Best Practices to Get Reviews

When sharing your Google reviews link, it’s essential to provide clear instructions on how to use it and why leaving a review is valuable to your business. Make it as easy as possible for customers to click the link and leave their feedback. 

Additionally, consider offering incentives or rewards for leaving Google reviews to further encourage participation. (This will also motivate customers who are part of the Google Local Guide program.) However, be sure to adhere to Google’s guidelines regarding soliciting reviews to avoid any potential violations.

To ensure that your efforts successfully generate reviews for your Google Business Profile, follow these best practices: 

  • Claim your Google Business Profile and get verified.
  • Remind customers to leave reviews.
  • Stay compliant with review guidelines.
  • Learn how to respond to negative reviews as well as positive feedback so that you can build trust and goodwill among customers who leave reviews. 
  • Shorten your Google review link and keep it so you can track it.

Get Google Reviews and Build Consumer Trust with InMoment

A stream of reviews from customers created by your Google reviews link helps showcase the best of your brand and creates powerful social proof for inspiring consumer confidence and driving sales. Take InMoment’s reputation management solution for a test drive to learn how our software can help your team generate more reviews, boost your brand reputation, and improve your search engine performance.

Every Brand’s Guide to Online Reputation Management

In today’s digital age, the reputation of organizations can be significantly impacted by what is being said about them online. This is why online reputation management has become a key growth driver for businesses: it is crucial for maintaining a positive digital footprint for your company and brand, while also helping build trust with your stakeholders. 

What is Online Reputation Management?

Online reputation management (ORM) is the use of multiple strategies and tactics designed to monitor, influence, and improve the online perception of your company, organization, and brand. It ensures that online content accurately reflects your business’s desired image. Ideally, ORM is approached as a holistic process that involves a combination of activities, including:

  • Reputation measurement
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Media and public relations
  • Online review management
  • Social listening and social media marketing
  • Customer experience management
  • Employer branding
  • Local listings management

Benefits of Online Reputation Management

Effectively managing your online brand reputation can inspire consumer confidence, foster loyalty, and drive bottom-line growth. On the other hand, a negative online reputation can drive prospects away and lead to the loss of existing customers; at the same time, it can pinpoint areas of improvement, helping your team update business processes to meet customer needs.

  • Only 5% of users look past the first page of Google search engine results. First impressions count, especially online. 
  • Customers don’t trust companies with lower than 4-star ratings. The most common filter applied is to see only companies with 4-star ratings and higher. Meanwhile, 84% don’t trust advertising and traditional sales messaging.
  • Positive reviews make 74% of consumers trust a business more. On the other hand, 60% of consumers say that negative reviews made them not want to choose a business. 
  • 84% of job seekers say the brand reputation of a company as an employer of choice is important.

These numbers highlight the importance of effective digital reputation management. Key benefits include:

  • Improved brand image: Managing your online reputation will help your company maintain a positive online presence, reinforcing the desired image and values associated with your brand.
  • Stronger customer relationships. Organizations that are responsive to what’s being said about them online (such as in reviews and social media comments) are better positioned to foster strong and lasting relationships with customers. 
  • Improved brand credibility and trust. Positive online reviews, testimonials, and content build credibility and trust among customers and stakeholders.
  • Improved search engine performance. Positive content generated through Internet reputation management efforts can help improve your search engine rankings, making it easier for potential customers to discover and choose you over the competition. 
  • Better crisis prevention and management. Good reputation management allows organizations to detect and address potential reputation threats early, minimizing the impact of negative publicity, reviews, and crises. ORM strategies can also help repair damaged reputations and rebuild trust. 
  • Improved talent acquisition. A positive online reputation improves your organization’s ability to attract and retain top talent, which is key to company success and growth.

Most importantly, effective online reputation management ensures that everyone who comes into contact with your brand — customers, prospects, employees, suppliers, the media, and stakeholders — will have a reliably positive, engaging, and valuable experience.

Is Online Reputation Management the Same as SEO?

Online reputation management (ORM) and search engine optimization (SEO) are related concepts in digital marketing, but they have key differences in their areas of focus and how results are measured.

  • Managing online reputation typically involves monitoring and managing mentions, responding to reviews and customer feedback, engaging with the audience to build trust and credibility, and creating positive content to influence public perception. ORM’s primary focus is to shape and manage the online perception of your brand. 
  • SEO, meanwhile, focuses on improving your brand visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) for specific keywords or phrases. The main goal is to drive organic traffic through content creation and optimization.

ORM and SEO serve distinct purposes and employ different strategies to achieve their respective goals. However, there can be overlaps, as aspects of ORM, such as managing online reviews and generating positive content, can indirectly contribute to SEO efforts by enhancing your brand reputation and credibility, which can then positively impact search engine rankings.

Managing Online Reputation: How to Protect Your Brand

If your business performance hasn’t matched expectations, it may be useful to check up on your reputation and see how customers talk about and perceive your brand. Let’s dive deeper into the ways you can manage your online reputation and protect your brand. 

Audit and Monitor Your Brand Reputation

Learning how to audit, measure, and monitor your digital reputation is a great way to understand how people feel about your brand and what they think of when they come across your company’s products and services.

When auditing the content that appears online about your brand, ask questions like: 

  • Is your brand well-known online? Does it have a good following on social media and other digital platforms, and does it show up prominently in search engine results?
  • How do customers and leads perceive your brand, and what is the underlying sentiment behind their interactions and experiences with your business? 
  • What kind of content appears on search engine results pages, review websites, and social media sites whenever your business or brand is being searched? Is the content positive, neutral, or negative? 
  • How does your reputation stack up against competitors? Does your company have an understanding of industry benchmarks and online reputation management statistics to help influence your goals?

Win Your Local Search Market

97% of people learn about and find local businesses online. Whether you’re running a small business or an enterprise-level organization with hundreds or thousands of business locations, it’s important to establish your visibility in search engines through the management and optimization of your local business listings.

These listings appear in search results when people search for your company online. Not only do they display your business information; they also play a vital role in determining your brand reputation, search engine rankings, and revenue.

Part of successful brand reputation management is creating effective local listings that accurately reflect your brand as well as drive customers to your business locations. This involves a good amount of research, data entry, verification procedures, and manually logging in and out of websites — which you have to repeat every time your business information changes: say, you moved your business address or your store hours changed. 

To stay efficient, you must have an understanding of which ones matter most to you. When managed and optimized properly, listings can serve as powerful marketing assets that can do wonders for your brand. They can do the same job as traditional advertising and marketing, but where offline or print efforts may fall short — specifically: getting your business found online — a sound local listing management strategy can make the most impact.

Engage Effectively On Social Media

Many of the world’s top brands are known for having an active, thoughtful, and engaging social media presence. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Linkedin, brands with an excellent reputation often have rapidly growing communities of social media fans and followers.

Social media, after all, offers a great platform not only for raising awareness about your products and services but also for establishing your company’s thought leadership and expertise. 

Apart from pushing promotional brand content, your team should keep an eye out for conversations about your brand. Develop a social listening strategy if this is something you don’t yet have. Answer questions that users bring up when they mention you, steer them towards content that provides additional context if they have an early interest in your offerings, or simply thank people if they mention their experience at one of your locations.

Social media is also an effective channel for generating goodwill for your brand, and for crafting your digital reputation in ways that inspire customers’ trust. Your organization may also consider investing in social listening tools to understand the full spectrum of conversation around your brand, as well as to monitor social media for any negative comments or mentions.

Master the Art of Responding to Reviews

Companies need to learn how to respond to negative reviews, especially in situations where these reviews might damage their brand reputation.

According to InMoment research, companies aren’t responding fast enough (or at all) to reviews. 53% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week. 1 in 3 have a shorter time frame of 3 days or less.

Ensure that your team has a process in place for getting back to customers and replying to their reviews. When you receive low ratings or negative feedback, act quickly to resolve issues. Take time to thank your reviewers for sharing their feedback, and always personalize your responses and reinforce the positives in the customer experience. 

By mastering the art of responding to reviews, you can protect and strengthen your brand reputation while also driving meaningful engagement with customers.

Encourage Customer Reviews Online

When you deliver experiences that customers love, they won’t hesitate to vouch for you. All you have to do is ask. So, as part of your online reputation management strategy, establish a workflow for requesting reviews from customers. 

A stream of 5-star reviews from customers helps showcase your business and creates powerful social proof for inspiring shopper confidence and driving sales. Proactively asking for reviews and customer feedback is also a great way to perform instant outreach: it helps strengthen customer relationships and connects your business to the voices that matter the most. This isn’t to mention the SEO impact of new reviews, which can improve your search engine visibility and amplify your listings’ local SEO signals. 

Plan for Crisis

By planning for potential crises in advance, a company can develop communication strategies and procedures to respond quickly and effectively when a crisis occurs. This proactive approach allows you to mitigate the negative impact on your brand reputation before the situation escalates. 

In times of crisis, stakeholders also look to the company for leadership and transparency. A well-planned crisis management plan helps maintain trust by demonstrating the organization’s commitment to addressing issues responsibly. 

Capture and Analyze Customer Feedback

There is a range of reputational benefits that can come from listening, acting, and responding to what customers say about your brand, product, service, or business location. By capturing and analyzing customer feedback, you can also: 

  • Measure and improve your customer experience KPIs and metrics
  • Customize your products and services to respond to the voiced needs and wants of your customers 
  • Drive customer satisfaction and loyalty 
  • Prioritize high-impact customer issues, trends, and developments that are impacting the customer experience
  • Evaluate new ways of gaining a competitive advantage 
  • Generate advanced marketing insights and opportunities

When capturing customer feedback, be sure to collect data from sources such as surveys, focus group discussions, field reports, and customer roundtables. Digital innovations have expanded the ways you can listen to the voice of the customer, which means you can also capture feedback from emails, NPS results, usability tests, online reviews, social media comments, and more.

Choosing Your Online Reputation Management Solution: Features to Look For

When selecting an online reputation management solution or services provider, it’s crucial to consider various features that align with your specific needs and goals. Here are some key features to look for:

Review Management

The best reputation management solutions help companies efficiently manage and respond to online reviews.

Reviews on websites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Tripadvisor can impact your online brand reputation. By having a review management tool in place, your team can streamline the process of monitoring, responding to, analyzing, and generating reviews. A review response workflow is of particular importance: by getting back to customers promptly and professionally, you can build goodwill and inspire customer loyalty. 

Social Media Listening and Monitoring

Social listening is a marketing concept that’s used to describe a wide range of processes that involve tracking and monitoring online mentions and social media comments containing your brand name. Social media listening tools can even help teams interpret data and gain actionable insights from social media conversations.

In today’s age — where first impressions of brands are often created on digital properties and social media platforms — a good understanding of your brand awareness and reputation is critical. An effective social listening strategy can help you achieve this type of understanding.

Apart from enabling your company to monitor social media mentions and comments, social listening also gives you access to the full spectrum of conversation around your brand. This, in turn, can help you discover trends and patterns that shape your brand reputation and define the customer experience — helping you achieve a more accurate, complete, and unified view of the customer, as well as implement changes based on feedback.

Local SEO and Local Listings Management

Incorrect and outdated business data that appears online can drive away customers who could have become customers and loyal fans of your brand. When looking for an online reputation management solution, consider looking for features that help you manage your local listings. This helps you achieve brand consistency in the digital landscape and prevents situations — incorrect hours, an outdated phone number, missing website URLs — that could frustrate potential customers.

Customer Experience Management

Beyond monitoring mentions and reviews, it’s also useful to look for Internet reputation management solutions that are capable of capturing and analyzing trends, topics, and data that impact the customer experience. This can provide valuable insights into potential areas of improvement, emerging issues, and opportunities for engagement.

For organizations of any size, this can be a complex and challenging process that involves strategy, integration of technology, and executive commitment. A customer experience platform should help your company achieve a complete and accurate picture (360-degree view) of your customers, with integrated up-to-date reputational data and customer data, so that your company can monitor, manage, and organize every interaction throughout the entire customer lifecycle.

Competitive Intelligence and Industry Benchmarking

Competitive intelligence tools give you access to insights that help your organization understand the target market, identify areas where competitors outperform you, benchmark your performance against competitors, and measure your progress against theirs.

One of the most important insights you can gather is accurate information on how potential customers perceive and talk about your brand vs. the competition. When evaluating solutions, it’s useful to look for an online reputation management tool that offers the ability to evaluate and monitor the competition in terms of their online reviews, ratings, search rankings, and reputation.

The competition’s review data, automatically categorized, can deliver insights into areas that the competition excels in as well as areas where they are lacking. That way, you can build strategies to create more desirable consumer experiences.

Employer Brand Monitoring

Companies with positive employer branding get twice as many applications as companies with negative brands, and they spend less money on employees. As part of your online reputation management activities, your leadership team must put their employer brand under careful watch.

An employer brand monitoring solution can help you better understand your value proposition (as an employer), listen to authentic, candid feedback from employees, grow your company’s social media presence, and effectively monitor employee reviews on websites like Indeed and Glassdoor. 

Build and Grow Your Online Reputation with InMoment

Companies of every size and across every industry or business category can benefit from effective online reputation management software and strategy. This couldn’t be more true in today’s age, when consumers make purchase decisions based on your online reputation, more so than on your advertising, direct sales messages, pricing, or branded promotional content. 

The world’s top brands partner with InMoment to manage, protect, and strengthen their online reputation. By combining reviews, ratings, and social media data with multichannel Voice of the Customer feedback, InMoment provides integrated insights companies need to build a rock-solid online reputation as well as deliver captivating customer experiences.

References 

Poll the People. “Value Of #1 Position On Google – Positional Analysis Study” (https://pollthepeople.app/the-value-of-google-result-positioning-3/). Access 2/8/2024.

The Complete Guide: How to Respond to Google Reviews

Learning how to respond to Google reviews should be part of every company’s brand reputation management strategy. 

These reviews, which appear on Google Maps and Google Search as well as on your company’s Google Business Profile, give people a way to share their experiences not only with businesses but with fellow consumers, too. Meanwhile, Google searchers rely on these reviews to discover great businesses, products, services, and brands. 

This makes responding to Google reviews extremely important, especially for companies looking to convert prospects and casual visitors into customers and loyal fans. 

The Importance of Responding to Google Reviews

Learning how to respond to Google reviews is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it directly impacts a company’s online reputation and customer relationships. According to research by InMoment, Google is the world’s number 1 online review platform, with 63.6% of consumers saying they are likely to check Google reviews (through Maps and Search) before visiting a business location — more than any other review site. 

Responses also show that a company values and appreciates customer feedback, while also demonstrating transparency and a commitment to addressing customer concerns or acknowledging positive experiences.

Research by InMoment underscores the importance of learning how to respond to negative reviews as well as positive feedback on Google. 

  • 94% of consumers say that a negative review has convinced them to avoid a business.
  • 53% expect companies to respond to negative reviews within 7 days. However, after posting a review, 63% say they’ve never heard back from the business they reviewed. 
  • 45% of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a store or business location if they see that its management responds to negative reviews on Google as well as on other review websites. 
  • Based on online reputation management statistics, Google is number one in the list of top review sites, with 63.6% of consumers saying they’re likely to check reviews on Google before visiting a business — more than those consulting any other review site.

In short, responding to reviews helps in building consumer trust and brand credibility. Engaging with reviews can even improve your company’s visibility in search engine results; after all, Google tends to favor businesses that actively manage their online presence. 

How to Respond to Reviews on Google

Google provides a free tool (the Google Business Profile dashboard) for business owners to easily manage their information and respond to reviews posted by their customers. Alternatively, larger organizations and enterprise-level brands with hundreds or thousands of locations can drive efficiency and streamline their review response workflow by using an online review management software solution. 

Respond to Reviews from Google Search or Maps

To get started on how to respond to Google reviews, you’ll first need to claim your company’s Google Business Profile. This should give you access to respond publicly to your reviews via the Google Business Profile management dashboard.

To respond to reviews, follow these steps:

  • Sign into Google using the account associated with your Google Business Profile.
  • Using your computer or mobile device, go to Google Maps and tap Business. Alternatively, you may use Google Search and enter your business name in the search bar.
  • Select Reviews.
  • Next to the review you’d like to respond to, select Reply.

With a Google Business Profile account, you should also be able to edit your review replies after they have been posted. Look for the review you would like to edit the response to, and click Edit. 

Respond to Reviews with Reputation Management Software

For larger organizations getting started on how to respond to negative reviews as well as positive feedback on Google and other review websites, investing in online reputation management software can introduce efficiencies and make the task of responding to reviews a lot easier than if it were to be done manually.

InMoment, for example, offers direct integration with the Google Business Profile platform. This means that companies can respond to Google reviews from within InMoment’s reputation management solution. Moreover, teams can manage their “Response” status and workflow from within InMoment, ensuring that every Google review and piece of unsolicited feedback gets a prompt response. 

Best Practices: How to Respond to Negative Reviews

Oftentimes, the way you respond to customers has just as much impact on your online reputation as what’s being said in the first place. Knowing how to respond to negative reviews skillfully minimizes the potential damage the reviews may have on your brand.

You can follow these best practices as you navigate the (sometimes treacherous) waters of Google reviews and ratings.

Assign Ownership and Create a Review Response Policy

Success in managing reviews starts with the commitment to becoming a responsive business. This may sound simple enough, but for organizations with multiple locations represented by multiple business listings and profiles, trying to figure out how to respond to Google reviews can sometimes present a real challenge — especially without an effective review response program or policy in place. 

First, identify people in your organization who will be directly involved in managing your Google Business Profile and responding to reviews. They can be your branch or location managers, your social media marketing team, or even your customer service staff. Be sure to assign ownership to teams or individuals with a good understanding of the guidelines of each review site, who can transform feedback into insights for your company, and who — most important of all — can keep their temper in check.

If you operate in multiple locations, chances are more than one person will be assigned to respond directly to online reviews. This makes it crucial to have an organization-wide policy that guides how your company should proceed whenever new customer reviews are posted on Google or other review websites. 

Response Guidelines for Reviews

Your policy should cover things like:

  • What language and tone you should use
  • What the timeline is for getting back to customers
  • To whom in your organization should the reviews and feedback be shared
  • What types of situations do escalations become necessary
  • What the ideal response rate is
  • Other items that may affect how your company handles reviews

The timeliness of your review responses is particularly crucial. The more clearly defined your policy is, the more smoothly your review response program will run.

Respond in a Timely Manner

According to InMoment research, more than half of your customers who have written reviews expect a response in 7 days or less. 1 in 4 have an even shorter time frame: they expect to hear back from the business within 3 days. To ensure that you don’t miss their feedback, set up review alerts so you are notified of new reviews. 

Also, you definitely don’t want to be logging in and out of every review site manually — this is where a review management software solution will come in handy. Remember: the clock begins ticking once reviews are posted, and customers are waiting to hear back from you.

Address the Reviewer and Say Thank You

Your customers want to be heard individually and addressed personally. Remember to include your salutations and, if possible, avoid generic phrases like “Dear guest” or “Dear customer.” With Google reviews, you can usually get the first name of the reviewer; not addressing them by their names is not an excuse if the information is there. 

Examples of Thank You Responses to Reviews

Remember to also say thank you and show customers that your business appreciates and values candid feedback. Here are examples of how you might phrase your review responses:

  • “Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear you had a frustrating experience, but our team appreciates you bringing this issue to our attention.” 
  • “Thank you for your Google review and for bringing this to our attention. We’re sorry you had a bad experience. We’ll strive to do better. ” 
  • “Thank you for letting us know about this. Your honest feedback helps us get better. We are looking into this issue and hope to resolve it promptly and accurately.”

Take Responsibility and Apologize

This is one of the most difficult best practices to follow when you’re learning how to respond to negative reviews. Saying sorry shows that you care about your customers and that you’re not too proud to own up to your mistakes. Even if it’s not your fault, and there will be times when this is true, apologize anyway. Besides, people don’t like brands that are too perfect or too proud to apologize.

There will be times when your company has to take full responsibility, particularly in cases where the negative review is accurate. Even if what happened was an uncommon instance, an isolated case, an unfortunate incident, or an off day — acknowledge the customer’s experience. At the same time, provide reassurance that your company holds itself to high standards. 

Here are a few examples of how you can respond: 

  • “We always aim to deliver a great experience. We are gutted when we miss the mark! Thanks for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We will use the feedback to make us better and to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
  • “We’re so sorry that your experience with our company did not match your expectations. This is on us.” 
  • “We set a high standard for ourselves, and we’re so sorry to hear this was not met in your interaction with our business. We’d like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further.”
  • “We are truly sorry. We are known for our exceptional attention to detail, and we regret that we missed the mark on this occasion.”

Be Nice and Don’t Get Personal

It’s important to maintain a professional and courteous tone in all your review responses. Never engage in arguments or confrontations online. Even if a review is negative, responding with professionalism can help defuse the situation.

Another key to success is to be solution-oriented, instead of taking the criticism personally. Offer ways to resolve the issues raised in the negative review. This shows that you are proactive in addressing customer concerns. No matter how cutting the feedback is, don’t slam the door on your reviewers. Extend a hand and invite them to come back. This creates an opportunity for your company to change the conversation.

Investigate Issues, Analyze Feedback, and Take Action

As you learn how to respond to negative reviews, remember that your team can always harness customer feedback and use it as an opportunity to learn and improve your products and services. Investigate specific issues that are impacting the customer experience and use analytical tools to gather insights from review data. 

As you reply to your customer, be careful not to use cookie-cutter responses that do not resolve or address the main points of the review. Be as specific as you can about the customer’s experience, and communicate any changes or improvements you have made or will make as a result of their feedback.

If Necessary, Take the Issue Offline

For more complex or sensitive issues, encourage the reviewer to contact you directly through private channels to address their concerns in a more personalized manner. 

Here are examples of how you can phrase this in your review response:

  • “We would like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further. Could you please contact our team via (your contact information)? We look forward to working with you to resolve your issues as quickly as possible.” 
  • “Thanks for your candid feedback. We are gutted to hear that your experience with our business didn’t quite match your expectations. Our team would love to know the reasons why so that we can deliver a better experience for you next time. You may reach us via (your contact information).” 

Negative Review Response Examples

Here are some more examples of how to respond to negative reviews:

  • “Hi (customer’s name), thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re truly sorry to hear that you had a less-than-satisfactory encounter with our (product/service). Your feedback is important to us, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused.”
  • “Hello (customer’s name), thanks for taking the time to share your honest feedback. We’re so sorry to hear that your experience with us did not meet your expectations. We understand how frustrating this must be. Your concerns have been shared with our team, and we are actively working on improvements. We would love the chance to make it up to you. If you could reach out to us via (your contact information), we’d be happy to discuss your experience further and address any specific issues you encountered. Your satisfaction is our priority.”
  • “We appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review on Google. Your feedback is so important to us, and we want to assure you that we are taking steps to address the issues you raised. In the coming weeks, we have plans to implement improvements to enhance our offering. We hope you’ll give us another chance to exceed your expectations in the future. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.”

Best Practices: How to Respond to Positive Reviews

As for what to do with positive reviews — they also warrant a response. Think of it as an opportunity to reinforce and spotlight the things customers already love about your brand. (Not to mention, it’s the polite thing to do.) 

Responding to positive reviews also allows you to express gratitude to your satisfied customers. It can do wonders for your brand to have members of your team acknowledge customers’ positive feedback and let them know that you appreciate their support.

Thank Your Reviewers

It’s important to show appreciation for customers who took the time to share their positive experiences. Positive reviews and high ratings can serve as powerful social proof for attracting potential new customers and influencing their decision-making process.

Here are some examples of what you might want to include in your positive review responses:

  • “Dear (customer’s name), thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us. We’re grateful for customers like you who make our work a joy. We appreciate your support and look forward to serving you again soon.”
  • “This review made our day! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us your amazing feedback.”
  • “Our team is so thankful for your kind words. Thank you for sharing your feedback with us and the Google community.” 

Reinforce the Positive

Positive reviews serve as great testimonials for your brand. By responding to them, you not only acknowledge the reviewer but also showcase positive aspects of your products and services to a wider audience. (Responding to the review of a Google Local Guide should also improve the level of engagement other users have with your Business Profile.)

When responding to a positive review on Google or another review website, try to write in a way that lets your brand personality and company values shine through. This can help humanize your brand and make your interactions more relatable. 

Another great tip: often, positive reviews mention specific things that the customer liked best about their experience. Try to identify what this is, then mention it in your response. For example, you can explain that the matcha mochi cakes that people love so much are homemade; let them in on how your company works with local organic farmers when sourcing vegetables and fruits; and tell them that others have also commented on the spectacular views that can be enjoyed from your beachfront hotel properties.

Pass Along the Compliment

Responding to reviews is a way for you to share the best feedback you get, but also make it a point to let your teams know when they’re doing great work, and to call out individuals who contributed to the customer’s positive experience. 

Creating a culture where positive feedback is celebrated fosters a positive working environment. It reinforces the importance of customer satisfaction and encourages a collective effort toward delivering exceptional experiences.

Sharing positive reviews is also a form of recognition for your team’s efforts. It validates their work and reinforces the idea that their contributions are making a positive difference for customers.

Positive Review Response Examples

Here are some more examples of how to respond to positive reviews:

  • “Hello (customer’s name), thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your experience with our company. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we look forward to serving you again soon.”
  • “We’re delighted to receive your positive feedback about (specific aspect of your product or service). Your review means a lot to us, and we thank you for taking the time to share your experience. Our company is committed to maintaining this level of service, and we can’t wait to welcome you back.”
  • “Thank you for your glowing review! We are so happy to hear that you had a great experience with us. Your satisfaction is our motivation. We can’t wait to see you again soon. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out!”

Protect Your Brand Reputation with InMoment

As your company gets started with learning how to respond to Google reviews, remember to approach your replies carefully and remain empathetic to the customer’s experience. By engaging with customers and showing that your company appreciates and values their feedback, you can minimize the impact of negative comments and reinforce positives in the customer experience. 

For managers of brands with multiple business locations, you can take InMoment’s reputation management software for a test drive to discover how our solution can improve your efficiency, supercharge your response strategy, and help your organization stay on top of what customers are saying on Google and across all the important review websites. 

The Importance of Employee Loyalty in the Workplace

We all know that employee loyalty is important, but oftentimes we forget how employee loyalty is connected with customer loyalty and how loyal employees contribute to the success of the entire business.

What Is Employee Loyalty?

Employee loyalty refers to the dedication, commitment, and allegiance exhibited by employees towards their organization, resulting in long-term engagement, productivity, and a willingness to go above and beyond in their work.

Why Is Employee Loyalty Important?

Employee loyalty is crucial in the workplace as it fosters a sense of stability, trust, and mutual benefit between employees and the organization. Loyal employees are more engaged, productive, and committed to achieving organizational goals. They contribute to a positive work culture, enhance team collaboration, and are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere, reducing turnover costs. Moreover, loyal employees become brand advocates, attracting top talent and positively influencing the organization’s reputation and success.

How Leadership Impacts Employee Loyalty

There is a strong relationship between employee satisfaction and employee loyalty. There is also a strong connection between employee loyalty and customer loyalty and, ultimately, profitability. So what is the secret to fostering employee loyalty and preventing employee turnover? Effective leadership.

A staggering 79% of employees who decide to part ways with an organization cite a lack of appreciation as their primary reason for departure. This emphasizes the pivotal role leadership plays in acknowledging and valuing the contributions of its workforce. When employees feel seen, recognized, and appreciated, it fosters a sense of belonging and loyalty that transcends beyond mere job satisfaction.

Leaders who make a concerted effort to express gratitude and recognize the efforts of their team not only boost morale but also contribute significantly to the establishment of a loyal and committed workforce. Regular acknowledgment of achievements, both big and small, builds a positive work culture where employees feel their contributions are integral to the success of the organization.

Investing in Employee Development

Equally noteworthy is that a substantial 94% of employees express a willingness to stay with a company that actively invests in their professional development. This statistic underscores the importance of leadership in shaping a workplace environment that not only recognizes the potential of its employees but actively seeks to enhance and nurture their skills.

Effective leaders understand that supporting employee growth is a two-fold benefit. It not only equips the workforce with the tools needed for personal and professional advancement but also demonstrates a commitment to their long-term success. This commitment, in turn, fosters a deep sense of loyalty among employees, as they perceive their employer as a partner in their career journey.

Factors That Influence Employee Loyalty

  • Organizational culture and values
  • Leadership and management practices
  • Career development and growth opportunities
  • Recognition and rewards programs
  • Work-life balance initiatives
  • Employee well-being and support

8 Tips for Fostering Employee Loyalty

These tips, which are drawn largely from the experience of customer service reps (CSRs), are meant to serve as a comprehensive guide for organizations seeking to not only retain their valuable workforce but to cultivate a workplace environment where loyalty is not just an expectation but a natural outcome of thoughtful leadership and employee-centric practices.

1. Cultivate a Culture of Appreciation

Showcasing gratitude and recognizing the contributions of employees is foundational to building loyalty. Regularly acknowledge individual and team achievements, whether through formal recognition programs, team meetings, or personalized messages. A culture of appreciation makes employees feel valued and integral to the organization’s success.

2. Ensure Effective Onboarding

Investing in a thorough and effective onboarding process significantly influences how long an employee remains with the company. A well-structured onboarding program goes beyond introducing new hires to the basics; it immerses them in the organizational culture, values, and expectations. Clear communication about roles, responsibilities, and the broader mission of the company during the onboarding phase sets a positive tone for the employee’s journey.

3. Invest in Professional Development

Demonstrate a commitment to the growth and advancement of your employees by investing in ongoing training and development opportunities. This not only enhances their skills but also communicates that the organization is dedicated to their long-term success. Employee loyalty often flourishes when individuals see their careers evolving within the company.

4. Provide a Clear Path for Career Progression

Outline transparent career paths and advancement opportunities within the organization. When employees can see a future where their contributions lead to meaningful career progression, they are more likely to stay committed. Regularly communicate about potential career trajectories and provide guidance on skill development aligned with organizational goals.

5. Foster Open and Transparent Communication

Create an environment where communication flows freely between leadership and employees. Address concerns promptly, provide constructive feedback, and encourage an open dialogue. Transparent communication builds trust, a crucial element in fostering loyalty, as employees feel informed and included in the decision-making process.

6. Offer Work-Life Balance Initiatives

Recognize the importance of work-life balance and implement initiatives that support it. Flexible work hours, remote work options, and policies that respect personal time contribute to employee satisfaction. By promoting a healthy work-life balance, organizations not only enhance loyalty but also contribute to employee well-being and overall job satisfaction.

7. Recognize and Address Burnout

Proactively identify signs of burnout and implement strategies to mitigate its impact. Burnout can erode loyalty and productivity. Encourage employees to take breaks, use their vacation time, and establish boundaries. Implement wellness programs and provide resources to manage stress. Addressing burnout demonstrates a commitment to the health and happiness of your workforce.

8. Offer Perks and Incentives

Provide enticing perks and incentives that go beyond standard compensation. This could include wellness programs, travel discounts, recognition events, or even unique benefits tailored to your workforce. Such offerings not only enhance the overall employee experience but also contribute to a positive and loyal work environment.

Remember, these tips are interconnected, and implementing them collectively can create a robust foundation for fostering lasting employee loyalty. Tailor these strategies to fit the unique dynamics of your organization, and consistently reassess and adapt them as your workforce evolves.

Fostering Loyalty with An Employee Loyalty Program

In the pursuit of fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes employee satisfaction and longevity, organizations are increasingly turning to Employee Loyalty Programs. These initiatives go beyond traditional employee recognition strategies, offering a structured framework designed to acknowledge, reward, and retain valuable talent. Let’s explore the compelling benefits of implementing such programs and highlight some noteworthy examples.

Benefits of Employee Loyalty Programs

Employee loyalty programs can have numerous benefits that range from increased engagement to completely changing company culture. 

Enhanced Employee Engagement

Employee Loyalty Programs serve as catalysts for heightened engagement. By recognizing and rewarding employees for their contributions, these programs instill a sense of pride and ownership, fostering a positive and motivated workforce.

Increased Retention Rates

Retaining skilled and experienced employees is a perpetual challenge for many organizations. Loyalty programs create a bond between the employee and the company, reducing turnover rates and the associated costs of recruitment and training.

Boosted Morale and Job Satisfaction

Acknowledgment and rewards contribute significantly to job satisfaction. Loyalty programs elevate morale by demonstrating that the organization values the efforts and dedication of its workforce, resulting in a more content and committed team.

Improved Productivity and Performance

Motivated employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles. Loyalty programs act as incentives, inspiring employees to excel in their responsibilities and contribute actively to the overall success of the organization.

Positive Impact on Company Culture

A well-designed loyalty program becomes an integral part of the company culture, emphasizing the importance of loyalty, collaboration, and mutual appreciation. This cultural shift promotes a harmonious work environment and strengthens the employer-employee relationship.

Employee Loyalty Program Examples

Employee loyalty programs can take many forms. Depending on the purpose and structure of your organization, there are many different types of programs that you might find success with. 

Recognition and Rewards Platform

Many companies utilize online platforms that allow peers and managers to publicly recognize and reward employees for their achievements. These platforms often offer a variety of rewards, such as gift cards, vouchers, or even personalized experiences.

Professional Development Opportunities

Some loyalty programs focus on the long-term growth of employees by providing access to training programs, workshops, and certifications. Investing in the professional development of employees not only enhances their skills but also reinforces their commitment to the organization.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Recognizing the evolving needs of the workforce, some loyalty programs offer flexibility in work arrangements, such as remote work options, flexible hours, or compressed workweeks. These initiatives demonstrate an understanding of work-life balance and contribute to employee satisfaction.

Wellness Programs

Employee well-being is a key aspect of loyalty programs. Organizations may offer wellness programs that include gym memberships, health screenings, mental health resources, or even on-site fitness facilities. Prioritizing employee health contributes to a positive and caring workplace culture.

Service Milestone Celebrations

Recognizing employees for their long-term commitment through service milestone celebrations is a classic loyalty program approach. This can involve personalized gifts, public acknowledgments, or special events to commemorate significant anniversaries with the company.

Employee loyalty programs represent a strategic investment in the overall success and sustainability of an organization. By implementing these programs, companies not only retain valuable talent but also create a workplace where dedication, engagement, and mutual appreciation thrive.

Increase Your Employee Loyalty with InMoment

InMoment client alphaborder was able to increase their employee loyalty by 10% year-over-year utilizing tools such as Moments. Your organization can see similar success. Schedule a demo to see how we can help you increase your employee loyalty!

References 

The Hill. Only 21% of U.S. Employees Trust The Leadership At Work (https://thehill.com/lobbying/4001575-only-21-of-u-s-employees-trust-the-leadership-at-work/) Access 12/4/23.

Zippia. 20+ VITAL EMPLOYEE LOYALTY STATISTICS [2023]: ENGAGEMENT TRENDS + DATA (https://www.zippia.com/advice/employee-loyalty-statistics/) Access 12/5/23.

Power up Your Productivity to Drive Experience Improvement

Elevating Customer Experience Through Strategic Productivity Insights

In a recent workshop conducted at the XI Forum 2023 in London by industry experts Simon Fraser, VP, Insights and Consultancy at InMoment, and Simon Hedaux, Founder of Rethink Productivity, the focus was on enhancing productivity to drive experience improvement within businesses. This hands-on workshop emphasised the significance of integrating customer and employee perspectives into experience enhancement strategies, whilst leveraging productivity studies and insights to make informed investment decisions.

The workshop gathered professionals from diverse sectors such as retail, travel, services, grocery, and healthcare. Participants delved into diverse dimensions of experience delivery, encompassing efficiency, role dynamics, design considerations, and customer journeys. Here are the highlights and takeaways from the session! 

Understanding the Core Elements

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation, it’s important to conduct efficiency assessments. These assessments prioritise the identification of operational discrepancies, the reduction of non-value-added tasks, and the optimisation of resource distribution. An evaluation of roles within the organisation sheds light on various aspects, including customer interactions, management visibility, team composition, and potential upselling opportunities

In addition, assessing the design element entails an examination of how the layout impacts both the employee and customer experience, with the aim of enhancing the overall environment. The exploration of customer journeys also allows you to go beyond surface-level observations, encompassing a thorough analysis of both front-end and back-end processes that significantly influence the quality of the delivered experiences.

Macro-Environmental Insights

The workshop started by contextualising businesses within macro-economic and social environments, considering factors like inflation, evolving consumer behaviours, and societal habits. These elements influence how businesses operate and make decisions.

Participants delved into specific customer touchpoints, such as the ‘Fitting Room’ and ‘Coffee Shop’ experiences. Through diverse lenses—customer, employee, and business perspectives—participants identified critical success factors, pain points, and optimisation opportunities.

Insights and Learnings

Rethink Productivity’s Simon Hedaux shared insights derived from global studies across varied industries and environments. The essence lies in the challenging trade-off between investing in time, cost, and quality, as very few businesses can simultaneously optimise all three. Strategic decision-making is pivotal to prioritising where to focus investments.

Key Strategies for Experience Enhancement

The primary takeaway emphasised the importance of a triangulation approach, aligning customer, employee, and business experiences for effective decision-making. Achieving harmony between signals, abilities, and expectations is crucial.

A systematic understanding and anticipation of customer and employee expectations, coupled with responsive processes, are vital for successful experience improvement initiatives. The importance of utilising multiple lenses for investment decisions, aligning them with ROI goals, was a focal point.

Listening to the voice of the customer and recognising their value emerged as a significant strategy. The necessity of an integrated CX data ecosystem, supported by the right organisational culture, was underscored as the ideal approach.

Practitioners need to consider this triangulation of experiences between customer, employee, and the business when making decisions on how best to invest, and support experience improvement transformation.  To be successful there needs to be harmony between signals, abilities, and expectations. 

  1. The customers – what they take away from all their encounters with your brand, the signals they are looking for, and what they expect?  How clear to them is the process, how easy it is to access and have privacy, and how easy is it to get help when needed?
  2. The employees – what they can deliver, what they are trained to do, what is the culture, and what are their KPIs?
  3. The business – what you say you do (the expectations being set / how this is marketed), and where the budget should be spent? What measures can be taken to prevent loss prevention? What are the staffing levels that are being provided for in the budget?

In conclusion, the workshop underlined the intricate balance needed between productivity, customer experience, and business success. By aligning strategies with the intertwined needs of customers, employees, and the business, companies can drive impactful improvements that lead to sustainable growth and enhanced customer loyalty.

Download the full summary of our XI Forum Europe 2023 here

7 Steps for Implementing a Closed-Loop System

With so much riding on each interaction with your brand, you can’t afford to leave a negative customer experience unresolved. Research shows that it takes about 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience. In fact, a study by Lee Resources reveals that 91% of unhappy customers won’t return to your brand at all. That’s where a closed-loop system comes in!

What Is a Closed-Loop System?

 A closed-loop system is “the ability to identify and resolve individual customer issues and larger organizational patterns and trends based on those issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees,” as defined by Bain & Company in “The Ultimate Question 2.0.” 

This system consists of an inner loop, the ability to identify and resolve individual customer issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees, and the outer loop, the ability to identify and resolve larger organizational patterns and trends based on individual customer issues while communicating solutions back to customers and employees.

Why Is a Closed-Loop System Important?

And though closed-loop systems have been around for a while now, they are still just as vital to your customer experience (CX) program! Here are just a few reasons why: 

  • A closed-loop system gives you a competitive advantage. Many organizations don’t have a formal process for closing the customer feedback loop. If you have one, that places you above more than half of the competition in terms of making your customers feel seen and heard. 
  • A closed-loop system increases your customer loyalty. Did you know that 83% of customers feel more loyal to brands that respond and resolve their complaints? Getting feedback is one thing, but acting on that feedback is what will keep your customers coming back time and time again. 
  • A closed-loop system will decrease customer churn. By reducing your customer defection rate by just 5% using an effective closed-loop system, you can increase profits by 25-95%!

Additional benefits that come from putting effort into closing the customer feedback loop:

  • Prevent problems – By implementing a closed-loop element into a customer feedback program like Net Promoter Score, you can identify problems before they escalate. Using automation and data analytics, you can recognize recurring themes in customer surveys that need to be addressed to avoid those same problems for future customers.
  • Discover upsell opportunities – Even satisfied customers can have great feedback on how you can improve your product or service. Maybe you don’t offer a product in a certain color, or something on the website is confusing. Either way, there is always room for improvement, and those improvements can become upsells for your customers. 
  • Create and foster long-term relationships – When a customer feels that you listen to their concerns and respond to them, they are more likely to be return customers and bring referrals. Every time you acknowledge your customers for taking the time to provide feedback, you are strengthening your relationship with them.
  • Retain current customers – studies show that returning customers spend 60% more money on purchases and provide more referrals than new customers. It is also 5 to 25 times more expensive to find new customers than to retain existing ones. By closing the customer feedback loop, you help customers feel more loyal to your brand and come back for more.
  • Avoid customer churn – 89% of customers switch brands after a bad experience with a company if the company does not respond to their problems or complaints.

Are you convinced? Great! Now that you’re on board, we’ve outlined the 7 most important steps you need to take to get started with an effective closed-loop system. 

Getting Started with a Closed-Loop System

1. Get Executive Buy-In

Customer experience is an investment, and for your program to have a positive impact—and succeed—you need buy-in from your executive team. For best results, we’ve found that closed-loop pilot programs focused on a few locations usually are the easiest for executives to get behind. With fewer locations, it’s easier to prove the efficacy of the program without straining your brand’s resources too much.

2. Prioritize Initiatives

Implementing a closed-loop system is a marathon, not a sprint. No matter the size of your company, setting up your program will take time. As your program matures, look for the easy wins to gain credibility and prove success within your organization. Once you’ve found your stride, gradually move on to more complicated issues.

3. Harness Existing Business Knowledge

Identify employees with an understanding of your organization’s operations, and empower them to resolve customer issues as they occur. Your employees know your business and are in a unique position to help your customers and quickly close the loop on customer issues.

4. Commit to Faster Resolution

As technology advances and the customer experience evolves, consumers expect more and more from your brand. Expectations have risen to the point that 42% of consumers said that if they contact your brand for support, they expect a response within 60 minutes. Resolve customer issues in a timely fashion, and your customers will reward you with repeat business and brand advocacy throughout the years.

5. Increase Organizational Agility

Don’t get too comfortable with the way things have always been done in regard to your CX program. Treat every customer issue as you would if you were a small business, and resolve it as quickly—and personably—as possible. Customers want to feel special, and the quicker you’re able to adapt to individual customer issues, the more you’ll be able to reduce customer churn and ensure organizational success.

6. Make Individual Contact

Your customers don’t care about the size of your business; they care about how your brand treats them on a personal level. Study your brand’s customer journey, gather feedback, and identify ways to increase the amount of personal contact during the process of resolving a customer issue. A simple note or phone call can have a profound impact on the success of your program.

7. Empower Your Employees

As mentioned earlier, your employees understand the way your organization operates better than anyone else. This knowledge puts them in a unique position to understand customer issues and know the right solution for resolving the problem. Have faith in your employees and give them the autonomy they need to address customer issues on a case-by-case basis and resolve them as efficiently and personably as possible.

closing the loop on customer issues with a closed loop system

The Value of Closing the Loop

Closed-loop systems are one of the most effective ways to not only reduce customer churn but proves the financial impact of your brand’s customer experience program. One client of ours implemented a closed-loop system that helped them identify nearly $23 million in potential revenue.

Other studies have found that closed-loop programs help retain customers, which can increase company value (up to 30%) and increase profits (up to 125%).

You can learn more from InMoment expert Jim Katzman about the value of closing the loop in his article here.

3 Myths Around Closed Loop Systems

When developing an effective closed-loop system, it is just as important to think about what to do as well as what NOT to do. We’ve put together a list of 3 myths revolving around closed-loop systems—and what you can do to avoid them. 

Myth #1: Closed-Loop Systems Are Not Profitable

An effective closed-loop system will not only help you break even, it will help save you money! While many people think that closed-loop systems handle singular cases, they actually help you identify business trends and get ahead of them! By anticipating, not merely reacting, to your customer’s needs, you’ll be improving experiences before they even happen. 

Myth #2: Closed-Loop Systems Are Only Relevant for Certain Industries

There is a stigma surrounding closed-loop systems—that they only belong in certain industries, such as retail or food service. While those industries definitely benefit from closed-loop systems, they are not the only ones with something to gain! Every business, regardless of the industry they operate in, can benefit from a system that gives you the ability to identify the next best action for a customer and address the root cause of issues to ensure continuous improvement. 

Checkout this case study to see how one of our Financial Services clients utilized a closed-loop system to improve their NPS score as well as other business-specific metrics! 

Myth #3: Closed-Loop Systems Are Too Complex

A system that allows you to quickly respond to customer complaints, analyze data to identify customer trends, and share knowledge within your organization to create a holistic view of the customer experience? It sounds like it would be a headache to implement. Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth—if you have the right partner!

Automating the Customer Feedback Loop-Closing Process

Closing the loop shouldn’t be a complex process, with automation you can simplify the method. For example, if you use Intercom to communicate with customers, you’re in luck. It’s extremely easy to implement a customer experience (CX) program that will close the customer feedback loop with InMoment’s entirely code-free Intercom Messenger Integration and start gathering feedback right in Intercom chat. InMoment’s NPS microsurvey can be integrated with Intercom Messenger with one click and survey responses automatically appear in Intercom user records. This makes it easy to set up automated follow-up messages to survey respondents based on their sentiment. Whether or not you use Intercom and InMoment, you can adapt a closed-loop process to your own systems as you handle customer feedback. 

Real-Life Example of an Automated Closed-Loop System

Lead-gen software startup Albacross recently shared how they were able to swiftly automate a full-cycle NPS program. While the team started by simply sending NPS surveys through Intercom, they quickly realized the value in closing the customer feedback loop with all of their respondents–detractors, passives, and promoters. For Albacross, automating a close-the-loop process took just a few simple steps and the results have been incredible. Albacross has been able to understand its detractors on a whole new level, and they’ve been able to leverage promoters to drive more business. 

Ask Detractors for Product Feedback

Sure, it might not feel great when you’ve received some low scores from valued customers on your customer surveys. But, qualitative feedback from detractors can become a guiding light for your organization as it chooses what issues and insights it wants to prioritize in closing the customer feedback loop. You should also pay attention to detractors because a low score is often an indicator of customers who are at higher risk of churn. In other words, it’s crucial that you leverage your detractors – there is so much that you can learn from them. And, it’s quite simple – here’s how Albacross automated their messages for detractors: 

For users who rate their app low (0-6), Albacross sends two Intercom messages that ask for additional feedback. The main purpose of asking for additional customer feedback is to start the conversation and gain a deeper understanding of how the customer feels, what they’re struggling with, and why they’re disappointed.

Albacross sends messages via email: 

and via in-app messages that appear immediately after the user completes the survey:

When creating these automated messages, it’s important that you pay great attention to the simplicity and brevity of the message you’re sending out. In this case, Albacross only asks users for a single thing that they can improve to make it as easy as possible for customers to answer.

Ask Promoters to review you on Capterra or G2 Crowd

What about all of your promoters? How can you make use of all this praise and admiration coming from your customers? 

Here’s the answer: close the customer feedback loop by getting your promoters to share their experience on online review sites. 

Online reviews are of utmost importance in a buyer’s evaluation process, especially in the B2B world, since these transactions often involve many people and large investments of money. According to a study done by G2 Crowd and Heinz Marketing, 71% of B2B buyers look at online reviews during the consideration stage. In addition, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review. By getting happy customers to share their positive experiences online, your organization can build credibility, improve trust, and increase brand awareness among potential buyers. If you’ve got happy customers, the momentum is already there – it’s now your job to transfer that positive momentum from your surveys to review sites. 

Let’s take a look at how Albacross closes the loop with their promoters. 

For users who give the app a passive rating (7-8), Albacross sends an email of gratitude to let them know that they appreciate the user’s feedback. This is sent via in-app message.

You’ll notice that Albacross’s message is short and sweet, and at the end, they ask their users to leave them a review on Capterra. 

For users who rate the app very high (9-10), the Albacross team sends an email with similar content, but this email is sent from their CEO. 

Closing the Customer Feedback Loop with Automation Leads to Results

Automating your close-the-loop process is guaranteed to uncover invaluable insights and drive high-impact action, whether that’s fixing a common issue for detractors or sending promoters to a review site to share their praise for your product. We cannot stress the value of closing the customer feedback loop enough. 

In the case of Albacross, their efforts in closing the customer feedback loop and automating their program saw two key tangible effects:

Albacross’s NPS Score is consistently climbing. In just a short period of time, Albacross has more than 2x’ed their NPS score. Anyone with any experience with NPS knows that this is not an easy feat. 

Secondly, Albacross now has a rating of 4.5/5 and 100+ reviews on Capterra. Most of the reviews that they’ve gathered recently have come from promoters who were directed to Capterra from Albacross’s automated Intercom messages. 

So, go forth and close the customer feedback loop with survey respondents. It’s easy when you automate!

For more tips and tricks on closing the customer feedback loop, read our whitepaper designed to help you learn all you need to know to help you make a difference in your company using customer feedback.

Get the Closed-Loop System Starter Kit with InMoment’s Closed-Loop Action Package

Not sure where to start? No worries, we are here to help. We have developed a Closed-Loop Action Package that contains everything you need to get started with a system that will improve your business tomorrow, today!

Our Closed-Loop Action Package consists of four products: Case Management, Alerts & Notifications, Moments, and Reporting. Let’s break down what those are and what they mean for your business. 

  • Case Management:  Manage, track, prioritize, and resolve customer experience cases. Supports the ability to track communications with customers about their experience and helps to surface the root cause of customer issues from the employee perspective. Case Management is available on all managed survey programs purchased with XI Platform and allows for flexible filtering, for example, case status (closure or expiration), case owner, or case timer
  • Alerts & Notifications: Provides the ability to notify designated users based on specified criteria which may include scores and/or verbatim content tags.  Includes up to 5 notification workflows per survey program from employee recognition, phrase/score recognition, and customer rescue alerts. Alerts can be sent via email, text, or other custom systems.
  • Moments: Case Management integrates with the Moments mobile application to enable the creation of cases and close the feedback loop on the go. With Moments, users can create and amend favorite collections, share feedback, create a case, mark moments invalid, or complete and close the loop so they get the insights they need to take immediate action.
  • Reporting: Offers insights into closed-loop data. Users can visualize and monitor cases at a high level. Program owners can immediately see stats such as average days to close a case, hours to first action, and number of escalated cases. 
  • Voice of Employee: Supports the ability to track communications with customers about their experience and helps to surface the root cause of customer issues from the employee’s perspective. Incorporate the voice of the employee tasked with case resolution with a built-in questionnaire to uncover actionable intelligence from your employees; including customer and employee sentiment, and the root cause of the customer issue.

Ready to start closing the loop? Schedule a whiteboarding session with our experts today!

References 
  • Khoros. Must-Know customer service statistics of 2023 (so far) (https://khoros.com/blog/must-know-customer-service-statistics). Accessed 3/12/2024.
  • Forbs. Don’t Spend 5 Times More Attracting New Customers, Nurture the Existing Ones (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jiawertz/2018/09/12/dont-spend-5-times-more-attracting-new-customers-nurture-the-existing-ones/). Accessed 3/12/2024.
  • Bain. Loyalty (http://www.bain.com/publications/business-insights/loyalty.aspx). Accessed 3/12/2024.
  • Help Scout. 107 Customer Service Statistics and Facts You Shouldn’t Ignore (https://www.helpscout.net/75-customer-service-facts-quotes-statistics/). Accessed 3/12/2024.

Realistic and Personal: How Avnet Strengthens the Bond Between EX and CX in a Post-Pandemic Workforce 

These days, social media seems polarized with posts from friends or colleagues either about starting new positions or sharing that they’ve been a part of recent layoffs. This hectic environment is on the top of both employees’ and employers’ minds, making employee experience (EX) initiatives vital to retaining talent and keeping morale up.

Peggy Carrieres, Avnet’s VP of Global Sales, Enablement, and Supplier Development, shared with InMoment how Avnet is taking a realistic but personal approach to strengthening its employee experience to sustain its customer experience (CX).

Where Employees Will Work—And Why It’s Complicated

Most employees are grappling with what work-life balance means in the new normal, and while some CEOs say they don’t care where employees work (at home, on the beach, etc.), others are pushing hard to get everyone back in the office. 

Carrieres shared that the answer of whether employees should return to the office full-time is much more complex than anyone is giving it credit for. She says the last two years of pandemic living are not truly in the past.  While employees and clients adjust to this new normal and experience stress and change, reconnecting to each other may result in a dynamic that is difficult to navigate. This new challenge makes an effective EX program much more important in a company.

A good EX program needs to be realistic by looking at employees holistically. Because when they come to work, they come as their whole selves, and a burnt-out employee can be a detractor to the overall employee experience, which may, in turn, affect customer experience. 

Creating a Culture of Community

In these unprecedented times, allowing employees to voice their stress and worry is a big part of a productive employee experience. Carrieres says a good EX program has to allow employees a safe space so they know they’re not alone in their struggles. 

Carrieres shared an experience of a time she became aware of a specific piece of employee feedback. She then gave the employee’s concerns an anonymous platform in a staff meeting, where she found that nearly every employee in attendance shared a similar worry. This act of acknowledgment uncovered a conversation that led to ideas and changes that may have been overlooked otherwise. This experience proved that how employers leverage employee feedback for learning and growth is crucial to reducing churn and growing a healthy employee base that is sustainable. 

What’s Next for EX Programs

Employee choice and control within their professional experience is invaluable, and taking a holistic view of the organization and its employees will allow companies the opportunity to meet their people where they are, help them feel valued, and, ultimately, reduce churn. 

Providing optimal customer experiences hinges on employees feeling valued, happy, and confident. That’s why it’s so important to include the voice of employees in your experience programs!

Learn more about how your employees can impact your customer experience in this eBook!

Q&A: B2B Customer Experience Conversation with Avnet’s Peggy Carrieres About Supply Chain Challenges, Capturing the Voice of Customer, and More!

One of the best ways to overcome obstacles is to fall back on your community and brainstorm solutions together. That’s why InMoment hosts regular Experience Exchanges to help customer experience (CX) professionals do just that. 

InMoment XI Strategist Jim Katzman had the opportunity to sit down with Peggy Carrieres, Global Vice President of Sales Enablement and Supplier Development for Avnet and electronics components-industry expert. 

In the conversation, she offered insight into how B2B brands can create transparency, combat supply chain challenges, redefine “customer loyalty,” and drive trust for customers who face an increasingly complex supply chain in one of the most volatile market cycles in recent history.

Our Conversation with Peggy Carrieres of Avnet

Jim: Great to see you again, Peggy! I’d like to start the conversation about the connection between the supply chain challenges many B2B companies are facing and how these challenges affect loyalty. What role does Experience Improvement play here, and how? 

Peggy: I have been in this industry for over 25 years, and back then, it was all about process-focused engineering and technology—and that’s great. Still, we’ve seen the pervasiveness of electronics, and everything we use—from work to play—is packed with technology to make our lives easier. 

For example, a simple light bulb used to house a filament and now has many semiconductors in it. It’s a huge industry and growing like crazy, but over time, it has gotten incredibly complex.

Our product goes to 40 countries to get to market, and we sit in the middle of the value chain between suppliers and customers. 

We’re a value-added distributor with almost 2K engineers globally who work on designing a journey to help our customers get their products to market in a complex supply chain. But at the end of the day, what we’ve found from our trend data since we started our CX program back in 2014 is that relationships still matter. That is probably the most significant lesson in our voice of the customer journey: relationships can drive so many other factors in your business, and if you miss the boat, you are going to miss your customer. 

Jim: We all know about supply chain challenges, but in the semiconductor industry specifically, can you talk about how or what role agility plays?

Peggy: It’s important to know that this industry, by nature, is cyclical; it ebbs and flows about every four years and is driven by technology.  What we’re seeing today is different and more complex and has permanent changes to initially temporary solutions. Early 2020 COVID-19 hit but didn’t drive the situation yet, but as it became more and more complex, its influence grew. 

Avnet is a broad-line distributor, operating in over 140 countries globally in every region. We are able to move our customer’s demands from one country to another quickly.  So when you put that through a CX lens, I would say in this industry, what we’ve learned is that it’s imperative to understand global and cultural norms and how people get work done on a day-to-day basis in different cultures.

A lot of the hiccups that happen in B2B are due to miscommunication. We’ve learned that being agile through our supply chain means distributors like Avnet become the control tower, creating transparency across the full product lifecycle.  If you think about it, a customer may have 300 suppliers to purchase from to get their product to market. Their demand signal can be diluted, but because we have established relationships with suppliers, we can get the early warning and adjust to be flexible in our supply chain with our clients.  I don’t think this is a temporary standard; it’s going to completely change how we get business done on a daily basis. 

Jim: Would you say Avnet is like a hub for those 300 suppliers? 

Peggy: Absolutely, 100% I do—a global hub! We have customers who’ve engaged with us that haven’t traditionally engaged with “the channel” and who prefer or even try to go direct to the supplier, but the process is so complex it’s just very difficult. They can’t physically manage every supplier and every step of bringing their products to market, so they come to us. 

Jim: Since Avnet is a global company, you have many different cultures to navigate. How do you listen for, understand, and drive action to counter the communication problems you may encounter due to those differences? 

Peggy: That has been one of the most significant values of our voice of customer program. When we started it, we wanted to build a coalition in every country, but every country did its own thing and tracked its own trends over time.

It’s essential to give the feedback to someone who has context and insight into that culture. For example, we have one response that came through in Hebrew, and our translation team couldn’t translate it. So, I took it to someone who is Israeli, who works on our team here in Phoenix, and who knew the context. She relayed that the feedback was such an endearing phrase that no translation can convey its special meaning. 

This experience taught me that we need global understanding and empathy across the organization. However, we also need context in regions and countries that offer nuance because it’s hard to hear those things sometimes. 

We do that in a consultative manner, and by doing that, over time, our teams have been conditioned to get that feedback and use it to drive revenue and benefit, our teams have made that connection, and it has been highly successful. 

Jim: How does customer experience play a role in how Avnet deals with global supply-chain challenges?

Peggy: The market will change—we are seeing signs of it now. Who the customer is can also change over time. We’re the largest revenue-generated AZ-based company, with 45% in Asia, 30% in Europe, and 25% in the US, so we’re well-balanced. But from the perspective of customer experience and relationships, we needed more. 

We did a cross-correlation with NPS and what has the most uplift in “loyalty,” which is a term I hate because it can change quickly depending on how you react and respond. However, the pillars and drivers for us are ease of doing business, the quality of products and services, and, at the end of the day, how we engage with customers matters. 

For instance, how we respond to a customer’s challenge will be remembered when a customer’s partnership is on the line. I am their advocate to our supplier base; being present at the table to show them I care is mission-critical. These relationships are what drive the B2B space. 

Jim: Yes, I learned that when the executive escalation call comes in, you first hit mute and listen for pockets where you can fix something, even if it’s not everything. I think the key is honing your skill of listening to encompass the whole pain point and resisting the urge to jump in immediately at the first sign of distress.

Peggy: Right, and we’ve seen a complete shift in the focus of this industry. Raw materials, labor, and logistics all cost more now, and so we’ve had to change an industry’s discussion.  It used to be from the total cost down to total price, but now it’s the total cost of ownership, which is the assurance of supply and mitigating risk for our client. 

The conversation has shifted, and if we didn’t have a finger on the pulse of the market and work collectively with our customers, we would’ve missed the boat. If you just show a price increase without offering a conversation, you’ve hurt your relationship as well, and you don’t just come back from that. 

Jim: One thing I hear from our clients is that it’s hard to capture the B2B voice. I’d love to hear how you think and process capturing that flavor in your design approach and how Avnet built its relationship survey with the employee experience in mind. 

Peggy: The value of feedback is trends over time, so one thing we do (as we know who our demographics are) is we have the customers self-identify their role in the organization. We’ve got buyers, engineers, executives, and supply chain materials, and because they see the relationship differently at each level, it’s important to know the perspective behind the individual feedback.

I own our design tools and capabilities, and I focused specifically on the feedback from customer engineers. One thing that has been valuable is we ask them in a simple survey if they’d like to opt-in for a focus group, and we’ve had a pretty good response there. This volunteer participation allows us to quickly pose further and more profound questions to that group about what we’re developing at Avnet.  So, I think it’s important to ask customers to self-identify because every company is different in B2B. A supply chain person in one company may be completely different from a supply chain person in another.

Another thing we are seeing is what we call “customer lifecycle convergence,” where the supply chain and design chain are becoming more integrated than ever before, so you have to be in touch with both of those voices if you want to be successful. 

Jim: So, do you have different relationship questions for the different audiences you’ve identified?

Peggy: We actually just did a voice of the engineering survey, and what we found was that 93% said they spent the majority of their time looking for parts and needed someone to help them.  With this, we were able to develop a new design process based on the current state of the market and trained the field application engineers to use that process.  

In return, our revenue, that’s tied to what we call demand creation, has really increased over the last two years. So having that outside-in perspective and then changing the approach and the selling motion had a huge benefit for us.

That’s a Wrap!

This B2B Experience Exchange was packed with valuable insights about the supply chain challenges. Additionally, awesome employee experience insights also packed a powerful punch in this conversation, and we’ll be including those as part two! Look out for our next quarterly experience exchange, and in the meantime, check out this Guide to building a customer-centric B2B  experience.

Embracing Consumer Duty to Deliver Positive Outcomes for the UK Financial Services Sector

The new FCA Consumer Duty is intended to improve customer outcomes and promote better customer experiences in the financial industry in the United Kingdom (UK) by setting higher and clearer standards of consumer protection. By prioritising customer interests and designing products and services that meet their needs, firms can create more positive and beneficial experiences for customers.

What Is Consumer Duty?

Consumer Duty Principle, proposed by FCA, is a significant new legislation for the UK Financial Services sector. The legislation aims to set a consistent and increased standard of care to customers, and mandates organisations to put the needs of the customer first. 

What Are the Details of the New FCA Consumer Duty?

The FCA Consumer Duty has three golden rules that every UK financial organisation will need to adhere to:

  1. Act in Good Faith Towards Customers: Organisations are required to act in the best interests of their customers and prioritise their interests over their own. They must also ensure that their products and services meet the needs of their customers.
  1. Allow and Support Customers to Pursue their Financial Objectives: Organisations must design their products and services to meet the needs of their customers and ensure they are fit for purpose. They must also ensure that their pricing is transparent, fair, and not misleading.
  1. Avoid Causing Foreseeable Harm to Customers: Organisations must provide clear and accessible information to their customers about their products and services, including any risks associated with them. This includes communicating in plain language and avoiding jargon or technical terms that customers may not understand.

How Will the Act Benefit Consumers and Financial Organisations?

If you get it right, our experts at InMoment foresee the Consumer Duty Principle bringing many benefits to consumers and financial organisations alike, such as: 

  • Customer Trust and Loyalty: Putting the customer’s interests first can lead to increased customer satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth, and repeat business.
  • Efficiency and Effectiveness: By designing products and services that meet the needs of your customers, you are likely to see increased efficiency and effectiveness in your business operations. This can lead to cost savings and improved profitability.
  • Brand Image and Reputation: By promoting responsible business practices and prioritising customer outcomes, you can enhance your company’s reputation as a socially responsible and ethical business.

Consumer Duty + Experience Improvement = Customer Centricity! 

Customer experience (CX) platforms can help financial services organisations comply with the FCA Consumer Duty more effectively by helping them better understand their customers’ needs, improve their products and services, and ensure that they are acting in their customers’ best interests. With an integrated CX approach of leveraging the right data, technology, and CX expertise you can take the right action to comply with Consumer Duty in the following ways:

  • Data Management: Managing customer data more efficiently helps to better understand your customers’ needs and preferences, which is essential to designing products and services that meet those needs.
  • AI-powered Analytics: Analysing customer behaviour and preferences helps you identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to products and services in order to better serve customers.
  • Communication Management: Managing communications with customers more efficiently ensures that they receive clear and accessible information about your products and services and  any concerns or questions can be addressed immediately.
  • Compliance Management: Tracking compliance activities ensures that all customer interactions are recorded and monitored and reported correctly and efficiently. 

Five Ways Financial Organisations Can Prepare for Consumer Duty

To comply with Consumer Duty, better technology, data management, and improving customer experiences will be crucial to the success of every financial organisation in the UK. At the onset and in the future, it will be necessary to make experiences, compliance, and reporting processes more efficient. Here’s a few ways InMoment ca help you to prepare and ensure your organisation is set up for success.  

#1: Proactively Detect Consumer Intent to Complain

Ensure you respond to complaints. Simplify the process by applying a tool that automatically identifies and alerts you to those customers who intend to complain or even switch providers. Using InMoments AI-powered technology, those customers who intend to complain, but have not yet done so, can be flagged, with a formal case raised to resolve their issue, avoiding a formal complaint and potential fine.

#2: Comprehensive Review and Audit of Survey and Listening Posts

Start a comprehensive review and audit of all of your existing survey and listening posts, ensuring you are asking the right questions and capturing the most appropriate metrics in regards to consumer duty. We can provide actionable recommendations to ensure your listening posts are set up to deliver the right outcomes, and that your surveys are WCAG 2.0 compliant.

#3: Evaluate and Solve Compliance Issues at Scale 

Delivering consistent and compliant customer communications can feel like a daunting task. We can help you evaluate all structured, semi structured, and unstructured communication to advise if each piece of communication is compliant with the consumer duty before they go live, providing recommendations for areas of improvement. 

#4: Create Seamless Experiences for Your Most Vulnerable Customers 

It is critical that your most vulnerable customers continue to have a seamless experience with your brand. Our technology can automatically alert you to any aspects of your customer journey that are not providing an inclusive experience. Through our unique Consumer Duty Taxonomy consisting of DEI, Compliance, and the Financial Services Industry Pack, we can identify those customers who are NOT getting the right outcomes, and provide recommendations on how to improve their experience.

#5: Combine a Compliance Focus With a Customer-Centric Culture

The most successful brands will be those that focus on enhancing their customer-centric culture, putting the customer at the heart of all decision making, rather than focusing only on a compliance- first approach. Celebrate and socialise positive customer experiences, champion positive customer outcomes across the entire organisation.

If you’d like to learn more about how InMoment can help, please reach out to voc@inmoment.com or click here to read our full consumer duty solution brief!

Moments That Matter in the Customer Experience: How Driver Analysis Helps Identify Which to Focus on & Why

In our recent blog, we discussed how you can improve your customer experience (CX) strategy in five simple steps. Customer experience often relates to the long-term relationship between customers and the companies they do business with. It reflects the summary of experiences at different points along the customer journey—such as considering doing business with a brand, making a purchase and becoming a customer, receiving additional services, having issues resolved, etc—and includes multiple channels: phone, in-person, email, and so on. These various interactions along the customer lifecycle—and, more specifically, those that have the most impact on the business—are what we like to call “Moments That Matter”  (MTM) in customer experience.

But are there some moments that matter more than others in the overall customer experience? And if so, how do we assess their importance?

Five Questions to Address

  1. What Are “Moments That Matter?”
  2. How Are “Moments That Matter” Determined?
  3. How Are “Moments That Matter” Measured?
  4. How Is the Importance of Each “Moment That Matters” assessed?
  5. Why Does the Technology You Use to Understand These Moments Matter?

Question #1: What Are “Moments That Matter?”

In the past couple of decades, it has become more clear that consumers are after more than just the “product” they purchase. Their choice to support a brand is more than just rational decision-making; it’s about emotions, too. Today’s organizations realize this; so, they try to continuously improve the way in which they deliver those experiences. 

For example, many organizations measure call center experiences as a part of their CX program, which is a smart move. Service and support is a key element that defines customer experience, and it frequently generates memorable moments. But is the call center interaction all that matters for the customer?

Moments That Matter” are the specific interactions—like a particularly superior or terrible call center experience—that trigger customers’ feelings and leave lasting impressions. These are the specific experiences that stand out more than others and impact the customers’ long-term opinions about the organization overall. Additionally, they can likely lead to a make-or-break decision about their future relationship with the organization. 

Question #2: How Are “Moments That Matter” Determined?

A key step to identifying the “Moments That Matter” is understanding the customers’ journey throughout their relationship with the organization, from consideration and researching the product or service they need all the way through using said product or service. 

Mapping this journey starts with the organization’s knowledge of its key customer touchpoints. Next, customers provide feedback and further input to pinpoints those touchpoints most important to them. They also provide context about their best and worst experiences, wins, and pain points. This mapping helps brands focus on the key “Moments That Matter,” because, in reality, not every touchpoint and every experience is as impactful as others in creating healthy and long-lasting relationships.

Question #3: How Are “Moments That Matter” Measured?

After understanding what “Moments That Matter” are, the next step is to measure the brand’s performance at each of those moments. This is typically done using a survey format that first asks customers to evaluate their overall experience with the company. Then, it should ask which MTMs they have experienced and evaluate those they are familiar with.  It may also be effective to rate some MTMs on a battery of actional deep-dive attributes.

Question #4: How Is the Importance of Each “Moment That Matters” Assessed?

There are two general ways to assess the importance of each MTM: 

  • Ask how important each MTM is (so-called “stated importance”), or 
  • Mathematically derive importance from each MTM’s ratings and the overall experience with the company (“derived importance”). 

Derived importance has an advantage in that it does not require additional questions and simply uses respondents’ evaluation of each MTM they experienced. In general, the rating for each MTM is aligned with the overall experience rating, and the MTM that best follows the overall experience rating is therefore the most important. This type of analysis is called “driver analysis.” At InMoment, we use a technique called True Driver Analysis, which surpasses other approaches in quality of results. 

Question #5: Why Does the Approach You Use to Understand These Moments Matter?

Different statistical approaches can be used to conduct a driver analysis and assess the importance of each MTM: correlation analysis, regression analysis, structural equation modeling, and partial least squares, to name a few. The results of these approaches, however, may be biased in the presence of a strong relationship among the MTMs themselves (called “multicollinearity”). 

For this reason, InMoment uses True Driver Analysis, which is a technique designed specifically to avoid this type of bias and to assess the “true” relative impact of each MTM on an overall outcome metric. As an output of True Driver Analysis, organizations can identify the key Moments That Matter, focus their efforts, and be able to improve customer experience, loyalty, and ultimately, the bottom line.

A Visual of InMoment Driver Analysis

With continuous experience improvement being a key enabler of happier customers and long-lasting customer relationships, it is most critical to identify and focus on the Moments That Matter in every experience delivered. 

To read more about a proven strategy for continuously improving experiences across your brand in five steps—as well as the brands who have found success with it—check out this article for free today!

3 Staff Motivation Challenges & How to Combat Them

Anytime you enter a retail store or dine at a restaurant, we bet you have some very definite expectations, one of which is to have a pleasant interaction with the staff. And as the world’s most successful brands know, in order to meet that expectation they need to provide both staff training and staff motivation to make that happen.

Employees, regardless of the products or services they provide, are the ones setting the tone for their company and brand. They are the ones on the front lines interacting with customers each and every day. And when employees are fully engaged and satisfied with their job, it shows. They become passionate advocates who positively affect the customer experience. The reverse is also true: When employees are not satisfied, they become liabilities to your brand.

The question is, then, “What is the critical element to helping employees engage in their work?” It’s called motivation, and you can’t have engagement without it.

Areas of Staff Motivation to Keep in Mind

Staff motivation can be a huge challenge for even the best location managers. With so much to manage during every operating hour, a manager’s ability to inspire and motivate employees is limited—but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Managers can greatly improve staff motivation by keeping these three areas in mind:

1. Focus: Ensure that employees are focusing on the right things to drive a positive customer experience.
2. Communication: Make sure communication is grounded in the customer experience.
3. Visibility: Keep the customer experience front and center in employee’s minds.

4 Strategies to Drive Staff Motivation for Location Managers

Location managers can master these key areas by implementing some simple and effective strategies in order to drive staff motivation in order to deliver a continued exceptional customer experience:

Strategy #1: Be Generous With Praise

It’s one of the easiest things you can give, not to mention it has a phenomenal cost-to-impact ratio. Praise every improvement you see in your team members, both in one-on-one situations and in front of their peers.

Strategy #2: Make Your Ideas Theirs

Don’t tell your staff what to do. Instead, consult with them in a way that helps them arrive at correct conclusions on their own. For example, ask, “What do you think about trying this?”

Strategy #3: Don’t Criticize or Correct

No one enjoys hearing that they did something wrong. Try an indirect approach to get people to improve, learn from their mistakes, and fix them. Ask, “What will you do differently if that situation arises again? Why?”

Strategy #4: Recognize and Reward

Give a shout out to top performing employees. Run contests or internal games with a simple incentive and keep track of results in an area that everyone can see. You can also leverage InMoment’s Moments, a motivational tool that helps everyone from frontline staff to executives to gain insight into real-time customer feedback, understand the role they play in the customer experience, and take action to improve experiences.

When you display Moment’s in the workplace, you can showcase location-specific feedback, allowing employees to see the state of the experience at their location. That means that when employees are called out by customers for the awesome work they do, they will see it, and so will their team members! This level of recognition gives staff members a direct view into their big-picture impact on the customers and the business, which creates additional motivation to perform in their role.

How Moments Helps Encourage Motivation from Frontline Staff to Executives

Moments empowers users to socialize and share customer and employee feedback, gain insights, and quickly take action to drive experience improvement while fostering a customer-first business approach. Here are just a few of the benefits:

InMoment's Moments helps to increase staff motivation and engagement

Increased Visibility: Deliver high transparency to anyone from frontline staff to location managers, all the way up to executives on incoming customer and employee feedback through a curated data feed of comments published through filtered saved views tailored to users.

Instant Insights: Access experience feedback analytics that provide clarity into customer sentiment, themes and trends, NPS score, and more.

Organizational Engagement: Quickly distribute and socialize customer feedback and get the organization engaged with your customer experience program with an intuitive mobile application.

Improvement from Individual Verbatims: Armed with the right data, users can quickly share feedback with others, create a case for comments that need following up on, add a comment to a collection of similar feedback, and promote experience improvement by rewarding employees for positive feedback.

Case Management: Easily create a case for an experience(s) requiring followup through an integrated case platform. Users can track experiences and respond to feedback through the Moments mobile application and respond to feedback, and mark a case complete or invalid. Plus, users can view actions taken on any given experience for a historical record.

Digital Signage: Showcase filtered experience feedback views on a monitor or television to create a more customer-centric culture within an office environment (we even have Moment’s on display in every common space at InMoment HQ!)

If you take care of your staff and implement the above strategies, you’ll be well on your way to providing a great work environment. In turn, your locations and overall brand will continue to deliver an exceptional customer experience and benefit from return visits, active brand advocacy and loyalty, and, ultimately, an increase in revenue. And isn’t that what every business is looking for?

How Financial Services Brands Can Grow Share of Wallet with Their CX Program

Financial services brands are facing more complex challenges than ever before, especially when it comes to customer experience (CX) and growing share of wallet. Additionally, the added stress of today’s economy and the fall out of a global pandemic makes finance an even more sensitive topic for customers than usual, making the experiences brands even more pivotal. 

Luckily, there is good news for brands even in these troubled times—if they play their cards right, they can use their experience programs to not only create great experiences for customers, but also grow their business simultaneously.

There are four key business goals finserv brands can accomplish with their CX programs (we talk about them in our latest eBook here), but today we are going to focus on just one: growing share of wallet. 

The Importance Share of Wallet (and How Your CX Program Can Help)

Growing your share of wallet can be achieved by growing your customer base (acquiring new customers or expanding the financial institution’s geographic or product/service footprint) or by capturing a greater share of current customers’ financial wallet with additional products and services. 

Growing wallet share means more than just maintaining the customers you already have—it means understanding if they are also utilizing services from your competitors, which services, and why those customers are going elsewhere. With this knowledge, you can make changes that help you go from being one of a few brands a customer utilizes to the only brand your customers trust. 

Being your customer’s one and only has some major implications for your bottom line. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, if your brand is one of only two a customer uses for a given purpose, the difference between being their first choice and being their second choice can mean that “half of each dollar you could be collecting from the customer is going to your competitor instead.” 

With the right CX program, however, you can narrow that gap. Here are two specific examples of how experience tools can be leveraged to grow wallet share:

CX Benefit #1: Acquire More Customers

Customer acquisition is one of what we at InMoment like to call the four economic pillars of customer experience return on investment (ROI). Why? Because it’s absolutely key to making sure that your CX efforts (along with marketing campaigns, promotions, and more) are paying off.

Understanding the effects your actions as a brand have on different customer segments is crucial, as it allows you to further target your initiatives. You can then acquire more of that type of customer, then quantify the value of those new customers for your bottom line.

For example, an InMoment client sought to capitalize on acquisitions by optimizing its surveys to find new types of customers. By targeting respondents between the ages of 18 and 35 with specific questions, the company was able understand this demographic and what drove it so that this intelligence could be included in the brand’s expansion initiatives.

The practitioners who ran this initiative were then able to prove its worth by tracking the new customer acquisition, increases in unique customers, and market share growth that it generated.

CX Benefit #2: Understand How You Measure Up

Equally important to acquiring more customers is understanding what your competitors are doing that convinces those individuals to choose a brand other than yours. Understanding competitive differentiation in terms of brand, experiences, and product and servicing offerings can inform the organization on target audiences, competitive customers who are most vulnerable, and how to position the organization’s product and servicing offering in the most attractive way. 

With competitive perceptions, a financial institution may find a specific opportunity to attract competitive customers who may not be happy with the digital offering available with a current provider. An institution may also spot a chance to attract customers’ attention with a specific product offering targeting their defined needs.

For Financial Services, Intelligence Is Key

There are plenty of other benefits a CX program can bring to a financial services brand, but they all have one thing in common: intelligence.

With an experience initiative that is able to collect data from anywhere and everywhere, apply powerful technology, and give you access to experts who can guide you on your journey, you gain the kind of intelligence that helps you make informed decisions about your experience. And when you make informed decisions, you can truly delight your customers and transform your business. Sounds like a win-win, doesn’t it?

Want to learn about the other three business goals financial services brands can accomplish with their CX program? Read the full eBook here for free!

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