The Impact of Prescriptive Analytics in Business Decisions

In an increasingly data-driven world, it is no longer enough to understand the past. Successful businesses utilize prescriptive analytics to aid in data-driven decisions that will improve their bottom line. Whether it’s reducing your cost to acquire a customer, decreasing your churn rate, or anything in between. Your business can use analytics to drive success and improve customer experiences

What is Prescriptive Analytics?

Prescriptive analytics is a type of advanced analytics that focuses on providing recommendations and insights to optimize decision-making. Prescriptive analytics uses a combination of mathematical models, algorithms, and business rules to analyze data and generate recommendations. It takes into account various factors, constraints, and objectives to suggest the best course of action in a given situation. This type of analytics is particularly valuable in complex and dynamic environments where decision-makers need guidance on how to respond to different scenarios.

What is the Primary Goal of Prescriptive Analytics?

The primary goal of prescriptive analytics is to provide actionable recommendations that help organizations or individuals make informed decisions to achieve desired outcomes. Unlike descriptive analytics, which focuses on summarizing historical data, and predictive analytics, which forecasts future events, prescriptive analytics takes it a step further by suggesting the best course of action.

With InMoment’s award-winning XI Platform, businesses have access to comprehensive analytics and prescriptive actions represented in customizable dashboards. These tools allow your business to digest analytical insights in the way that makes the most sense for your company. 

How Does Prescriptive Analytics Work?

Prescriptive analytics works by using advanced analytical techniques to recommend actions that optimize decision-making. It involves analyzing data, creating mathematical models, and considering various constraints and objectives to suggest the best course of action. 

Consider a retail company using prescriptive analytics to optimize its pricing strategy. The process would involve analyzing historical sales data, market trends, and external factors. Predictive analytics forecasts the demand for products under different price points. The optimization models factor in costs, competitor prices, and revenue objectives.

The prescriptive analytics system then recommends specific pricing adjustments for each product to maximize overall revenue while considering factors like customer demand elasticity and market conditions. The recommendations are not only based on historical data and predictions but also on the optimization of pricing strategies to achieve the desired financial outcomes for the company. Decision-makers can follow these recommendations to adjust prices and potentially improve the company’s profitability.

How Does Prescriptive Analytics Differ From Other Types of Analytics?

When it comes to data analytics, organizations leverage various approaches to extract meaningful insights and guide decision-making. Each type of analytics serves a distinct purpose, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of data. There are four key types of analytics: prescriptive, predictive, diagnostic, and descriptive. 

Predictive vs Prescriptive Analytics

While predictive analytics is instrumental in understanding likely future scenarios, prescriptive analytics takes it a step further by providing actionable insights that empower organizations to make optimal decisions and drive positive outcomes. Both methodologies, when used in tandem, contribute to a comprehensive and strategic approach to data-driven decision-making. Here are some key differences between the two types of analytics:

  • Predictive analytics focuses on forecasting future events, while prescriptive analytics recommends actions to influence or achieve desired outcomes.
  • Predictive analytics is more concerned with “what will happen,” while prescriptive analytics is concerned with “what to do about it.”
  • Predictive analytics helps organizations prepare for the future, while prescriptive analytics guides decision-makers in shaping the future.

Diagnostic Analytics vs Prescriptive Analytics

Diagnostic analytics and prescriptive analytics are two distinct approaches within the realm of data analytics, each serving different purposes in the decision-making process. Diagnostic analytics is focused on understanding the reasons behind past events or performance.  Diagnostic analytics helps organizations understand the factors contributing to past outcomes, prescriptive analytics empowers decision-makers with actionable recommendations to shape future events. Here is a breakdown of some differences between these two types of analytics:

  • Diagnostic analytics looks backward to understand past events, while prescriptive analytics looks forward to recommending actions for future outcomes.
  • Diagnostic analytics is retrospective and focused on root cause analysis, while prescriptive analytics is proactive and provides actionable insights for decision-making.
  • Diagnostic analytics helps uncover the “why” behind events, while prescriptive analytics guides decision-makers on “what to do” to achieve desired results.

As an example, consider an e-commerce platform employing diagnostic analytics to investigate a sudden drop in website traffic, examining factors such as marketing campaigns, website usability, and external events.

Descriptive and Prescriptive Analytics 

Descriptive analytics is centered around summarizing historical data to provide a comprehensive understanding of past events and trends. It seeks to answer the question, “What has happened?” by using data aggregation, visualization, and statistical analysis to present a clear and concise overview of historical performance. Prescriptive analytics takes a more proactive stance by answering the question, “What should be done?” Integrating both approaches offers a comprehensive strategy for effective decision-making.

Consider a retail company that uses descriptive analytics to review sales reports from the previous quarter, visualizing key metrics such as total sales, product categories, and customer demographics. By integrating prescriptive analytics into the decision-making process, the retail company can move beyond analyzing past performance to actively shaping and optimizing its strategies for the future. 

Advantages of Prescriptive Analytics

Prescriptive analytics offers several compelling advantages that make it a valuable tool for organizations seeking to optimize decision-making. One key benefit is its ability to provide actionable insights. By leveraging optimization models and algorithms, prescriptive analytics goes beyond predicting outcomes and offers specific recommendations on the best course of action. This empowers decision-makers with a clear and informed path forward, leading to more effective and strategic choices.

Another advantage is adaptability. Prescriptive analytics systems often incorporate feedback loops, allowing them to continuously learn and refine their recommendations based on new data and changing conditions. This adaptability enhances the relevance and accuracy of the insights provided, particularly in dynamic and evolving environments.

Additionally, prescriptive analytics enables organizations to consider various factors and constraints simultaneously. This holistic approach ensures that decisions align with multiple objectives, leading to outcomes that are not only optimized for a specific goal but also take into account broader organizational priorities.

Disadvantages of Prescriptive Analytics

Despite its benefits, prescriptive analytics comes with certain challenges and disadvantages. One notable concern is the complexity of implementation. Building and maintaining prescriptive analytics models requires expertise in advanced analytics, mathematics, and algorithmic development. Organizations may face obstacles in terms of the technical skills needed, as well as the resources required for ongoing maintenance.

Another challenge is the reliance on data quality. Prescriptive analytics heavily depends on accurate and relevant data. If the input data is incomplete, inaccurate, or biased, it can compromise the reliability of the recommendations. Ensuring data quality becomes a critical aspect of successful prescriptive analytics implementation.

Privacy and ethical considerations also come into play. Prescriptive analytics often involves processing sensitive information, raising concerns about data privacy and the ethical implications of decision-making based on algorithmic recommendations. Striking the right balance between data-driven insights and ethical considerations becomes essential in the deployment of prescriptive analytics.

While prescriptive analytics offers powerful advantages in guiding optimal decision-making, organizations must navigate the complexities of implementation, address data quality concerns, and carefully consider ethical implications to fully realize its potential benefits.

How Does Prescriptive Analytics Help in Business Decision-Making?

Prescriptive analytics plays a pivotal role in enhancing business decision-making by providing valuable insights and actionable recommendations. One key contribution lies in its ability to optimize choices. By leveraging sophisticated mathematical models and algorithms, prescriptive analytics evaluates multiple decision scenarios, considering various factors, constraints, and objectives. This process goes beyond predicting outcomes; it guides decision-makers on the most effective actions to take, ultimately leading to decisions that align with organizational goals.

Moreover, prescriptive analytics contributes to strategic planning and resource allocation. Organizations face numerous challenges in allocating resources efficiently, whether it’s managing production schedules, optimizing supply chain logistics, or determining marketing budgets. Prescriptive analytics analyzes complex datasets to offer recommendations that maximize efficiency, minimize costs, and improve overall resource utilization. This, in turn, enables businesses to allocate resources in a manner that yields the greatest return on investment.

Prescriptive analytics also facilitates risk management. By considering potential scenarios and their associated risks, decision-makers can make informed choices that mitigate uncertainties. Whether it’s in financial investments, supply chain disruptions, or market fluctuations, prescriptive analytics aids in identifying and addressing risks preemptively. This proactive approach empowers businesses to navigate volatile environments more effectively.

How to Get Started with Prescriptive Analytics

Implementing prescriptive analytics involves a strategic approach to harness its benefits effectively. The first step is to establish a clear understanding of organizational goals and challenges. Identify specific decision areas where prescriptive analytics can make a significant impact, such as resource allocation, supply chain optimization, or pricing strategies.

Once the focus areas are defined, the next step is to gather and prepare the necessary data. Data quality is paramount in prescriptive analytics, so organizations should ensure that they have access to accurate, relevant, and comprehensive data. Integration of data from various sources may be necessary, requiring robust data preprocessing to create a unified dataset suitable for analysis.

Collaboration between data scientists, domain experts, and decision-makers is essential throughout the process. Domain experts provide valuable insights into the contextual nuances of decision-making, while data scientists leverage their analytical expertise to build and refine prescriptive analytics models. A collaborative approach ensures that the models align with organizational objectives and are practical in real-world scenarios.

Pilot projects can be instrumental in validating the effectiveness of prescriptive analytics in a controlled environment. Start with a specific use case, implement the prescriptive analytics model, and assess the outcomes. The insights gained from the pilot project can inform adjustments and improvements before scaling up to broader applications.

Continuous monitoring and optimization are critical components of a successful prescriptive analytics initiative. Regularly review the performance of models, update them with new data, and refine algorithms based on feedback. This iterative approach ensures that the prescriptive analytics system remains adaptive and aligned with evolving business needs.

Utilize Prescriptive Analytics with InMoment

InMoment’s prescriptive analytics capabilities give your business the ability to transform raw data into strategic insights. These insights provide actionable recommendations that empower decision-makers to make informed choices and drive optimal outcomes. With the power of prescriptive analytics at your fingertips, you can not only understand historical performance but also proactively shape future strategies, enhance operational efficiency, and stay ahead of the competition in today’s dynamic business landscape. Schedule a demo to learn more today! 

How to Enhance the Guest Experience: Trends and Best Practices

In the dynamic world of hospitality, the ability to manage and enhance the guest experience often spells the difference between those who win and those who get left behind. With today’s travelers raising their expectations while being exposed to a seemingly unlimited number of hospitality solutions, it is critical that operators deliver experiences that reflect the lives of their customers. 

What is Guest Experience?

Guest experience refers to the overall impression and satisfaction that a guest has during their interactions with a hospitality brand or establishment, such as hotels, restaurants, resorts, and attractions. It encompasses every aspect of their stay or visit, from the booking process and arrival to the accommodation, services, and departure.

A positive guest experience involves going beyond basic customer service. (More on this later.) In hospitality, factors that contribute to the guest experience include personalized attention, efficient service, cleanliness, ambiance, health, wellness, and safety, and the overall atmosphere of the establishment, among others.

Operators today should strive to exceed guest expectations and create memorable guest experiences to encourage repeat visits and positive word-of-mouth recommendations. By understanding and anticipating the needs and preferences of your guests, you make them feel valued and ensure that every touchpoint in their journey contributes to positive and enjoyable experiences.

The Importance of Guest Experience Management

Guest experience management is vital for hospitality brands looking to build a positive reputation, foster customer loyalty, achieve competitive differentiation, and ultimately drive long-term success and profitability.

Guest experiences impact reputation. Positive experiences build a favorable reputation, while negative experiences can harm it. With the prevalence of online reviews and social media, managing and enhancing guest experiences is crucial to maintaining a positive brand image.

Positive guest experiences lead to higher customer satisfaction levels. A memorable and positive guest experience drives customer satisfaction and fosters customer loyalty. Happy customers are more likely to choose the same hospitality brand for future stays or visits, while also recommending the brand to others, contributing to repeat business and long-term profitability.

Guest experience differentiates your brand. With travel consumers exposed to seemingly limitless hospitality solutions, providing an exceptional guest experience helps differentiate your brand from competitors. 

Guest experience management drives data-driven decision-making. It often involves collecting and analyzing integrated CX data, which can be valuable for gathering actionable insights, making informed business decisions, improving service offerings, and tailoring experiences to meet customer expectations.

The Difference Between Guest Experience vs. Customer Service

You may be wondering, “What is the difference between managing the guest experience and delivering customer service?” 

Traditionally defined, customer service is the act of taking care of your guests’ needs by providing service and assistance before, during, and after their requirements are met. This is provided, for example, by the receptionist at the front desk checking in hotel guests upon arrival; the tour operator explaining the historical or cultural significance of landmarks in a local area; or the sommelier giving detailed advice about which wines pair best with which dishes. 

Many think of customer service as the act of reacting and responding to guests at certain points of contact: a hotel check-in, a tour, or a restaurant visit. It is often transactional in nature and focuses on meeting immediate needs or resolving issues.

The guest experience encompasses all these touchpoints and is part of a larger strategic effort in which customer service plays a crucial part. 

A single point of contact doesn’t determine the guest experience. It encompasses the entire customer journey — through processes, policies, and people. It can include the guest’s initial awareness or discovery of your brand and can begin long before they set foot in any of your property locations. This means that all interactions and touchpoints the guest has with your brand are considered.

Guest experience isn’t a department. It’s a core value that should involve everyone in your organization, from the C-suite to the front-facing staff. Every team or department, from marketing and sales to front office, customer support, and after-sales, has a stake in managing the guest experience. 

Guest experience management isn’t reactive. You don’t wait for a phone call, an email, or a slew of negative reviews to resolve the guest’s problem or meet their requirements. The premise behind guest experience management is that operators become truly proactive and intuitive, with the goal of seeing through guests’ eyes and better understanding their needs, wants, and expectations.

Key Trends Impacting the Guest Experience in Hospitality

Hospitality is a dynamic industry and new trends continue to emerge, raising expectations in a way that forces operators to rethink boardroom strategies, marketing and sales processes, and business models. Here are some key trends that are currently shaping the guest experience in hospitality.

A Multi-Channel Strategy is Essential

To validate their booking decisions, travel buyers are navigating multiple digital channels to conduct research and find solutions that are suited to their needs. These include online travel agencies (OTAs), social media, mobile apps, and brand websites. Deal-seeking behavior is also on the rise due to the cost of living crisis and record-shattering inflation rates.

A multichannel strategy is therefore essential for hospitality brands looking to reach a broader audience and maximize reach and visibility. Today’s consumers expect seamless and convenient interactions across multiple channels. A multichannel approach allows your organization to meet these expectations and provide guests with the flexibility to engage through their preferred channels.

Each channel should also provide an opportunity for you to collect valuable data about guest behavior, preferences, and booking patterns. By integrating data from multiple channels, you can gain insights into customer trends and make data-driven decisions to improve your marketing and service strategies.

Guests Want More Tailored Experiences

More tailored and personalized experiences, from customized room preferences to targeted offers, are a growing trend in the hospitality sector. Today’s travelers appreciate options and flexibility, choosing providers and operators that go the extra mile to make their stay unique.

Tailored experiences can also create a sense of exclusivity, with things like VIP treatments, exclusive access, and special privileges for repeat guests contributing to a feeling of being valued.

To meet these expectations, a growing number of brands are leveraging customer experience analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to understand guest preferences and deliver tailored services.

There’s an Increased Demand for Local / Regional Experiences

The rise of the independent traveler means that guests are seeking both extreme personalization and unique, authentic local experiences. Guest experiences that give back to local communities or support the local economy are in demand, as are niche properties, staycations, and holidays and retreats that integrate attractions and activities within the local community where the business operates. More travelers than ever are also drawn to properties that reflect the local character and charm. 

This is why hospitality brands are incorporating local elements into their services, from locally inspired decor to partnerships with local businesses for unique guest experiences. Operators are also focusing more on local and hyperlocal sourcing, establishing close partnerships with farmers, artisans, producers, and suppliers.

Guests are Focused on Health, Safety, and Wellness

While health, cleanliness, and hygiene have always ranked among the top factors for travelers when choosing a hotel property, it has risen to the top of the list in the post-pandemic landscape. When making booking decisions, guests are researching sites that specifically offer cleanliness and safety information. 

This means that operators should double down on efforts to ensure that guests feel safe, secure, and clean. Beyond simply meeting compliance requirements issued by authorities, your company should work to respond to guest expectations amidst heightened sensitivity around cleanliness and safety.

Wellness is also a significant focus, with hotels offering amenities like fitness facilities, healthy dining options, and wellness programs. Some brands are incorporating spa services, mindfulness activities, and sleep-focused amenities to deliver a better experience for guests.

How to Measure Guest Experience

You cannot manage something you aren’t measuring. Hospitality brands can measure the guest experience using these common approaches:

  • Guest surveys and feedback forms: Implementing surveys allows guests to provide direct feedback on their experience. To gather both structured and unstructured feedback data, your team can use Likert scales, open-ended questions, and the Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey methodology. 
  • Online reviews and social media listening: Tracking reviews as well as mentions and comments from social media platforms provides a valuable source of unsolicited feedback, which operators can analyze for common themes, areas for improvement, and high-impact issues impacting the guest experience.
  • Employee feedback: Gathering feedback from employees who directly interact with guests can offer insights into the guest experience and areas that may need improvement.
  • Operational metrics: Monitoring and managing metrics such as check-in/check-out times, room cleanliness, and service response times should help you identify areas where operational efficiency can enhance the overall guest experience.
  • Customer experience metrics: Connecting feedback data and operational metrics to customer experience KPIs such as NPS, Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES) lets your organization achieve a more complete and accurate view of the guest experience. 
  • Loyalty program engagement: The level of engagement guests have with your loyalty program will also help you look into repeat bookings, member satisfaction, and redemption patterns in order to gauge overall loyalty and guest satisfaction.

By combining insights from these various sources, hospitality brands can get a more comprehensive understanding of the guest experience and make data-driven decisions that enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

How to Enhance the Guest Experience: Best Practices

Learning how to enhance the guest experience is essential for attracting and retaining customers. Here are some best practices applied by today’s top hospitality brands.

Improve Guest Communication

Effective communication plays a crucial role in shaping the overall guest experience. It can enhance guest satisfaction, foster loyalty, and contribute to positive reviews; meanwhile, poor communication can lead to misunderstandings, dissatisfaction, and negative feedback. Throughout the customer journey, ensure that you’re sharing relevant information with your guests to make their visit or stay as comfortable as possible.

  • Pre-arrival: Information about amenities, policies, and local attractions enables guests to plan their visit and enhances their overall experience.
  • Check-in: Smooth and efficient check-in procedures contribute to a positive first impression. Welcoming and friendly communication sets the tone for the guest, making them feel valued and comfortable.
  • Problem Resolution: Handling guest complaints or issues quickly can turn a negative experience into a positive one, and helps demonstrate your commitment to guest satisfaction.
  • Post-stay: Seeking feedback through surveys or follow-up emails allows guests to express their opinions and provides an opportunity for your company to address any concerns. 

Map the End-to-End Guest Journey

Customer journey mapping allows hospitality brands to gain insights into guest behavior, preferences, and pain points at each stage of their interaction with the brand. Understanding how guests navigate their journey provides valuable information for improving services and anticipating needs. 

Mapping the customer journey also helps identify various touchpoints where guests interact with the brand, both online and offline. This includes pre-booking research, booking processes, on-site experiences, and post-stay interactions. Recognizing these touchpoints allows brands to optimize each stage of the journey. With a customer journey map, you can pinpoint areas that may need improvement or innovation to enhance the overall guest experience.

Embrace Digital Transformation

Hospitality consumers demand tools that simplify and streamline the entire booking or buying process — from research and planning, through engagement, to the post-sales phase. This makes it critical to invest in smart technology that will better engage consumers and make every part of the customer journey pain-free.

Undergoing a digital transformation should help streamline your operations, reducing wait times and improving the overall guest experience.

Having free Wi-Fi for guests isn’t enough. Investment areas you can focus on include digital and contactless services (like contactless payments, voice control, and biometrics); mobile check-ins; smart home devices in rooms; AI-powered chatbots on your digital properties; virtual tours that recreate a digital environment for consumers to picture themselves in; and instant messaging channels that direct guests to management for any questions and issues. For larger chains and enterprise-level organizations, deploying a local listing management solution should also help maximize your visibility and support your brand’s multichannel strategy.

Personalize the Guest Experience

Personalization plays a significant role in meeting the diverse preferences and expectations of travelers. It also fosters a sense of loyalty among guests. When a company consistently delivers personalized services and memorable experiences, guests are more likely to choose the same brand for future stays, leading to repeat business and long-term loyalty.

Examples of tactics used to personalize the guest experience include: 

  • Optimizing your local business listings and refining your marketing content based on guest personas 
  • Providing options to specify room preferences 
  • Giving personalized welcome letters and amenities
  • Creating targeted offers and promotions (for example: emailing guests with their membership details, unique vacation ideas, or personal offers that are in line with their preferences and expectations)
  • Curating local experiences and recommendations
  • Incorporating voice-activated assistants in rooms

Personalization is impossible if operators don’t have the ability and the means to relate to and understand the needs of their guests. To address this, you can implement technological tools like a customer relationship management (CRM) or customer experience management (CEM) solution, which analyzes big data to create highly customized one-to-one interactions between the guest and the host at scale.

Leverage Guest Experience Surveys to Capture Insights

Guest experience surveys help your team capture valuable insights essential to improving your brand, products, services, and overall customer experience. Organizations that can distribute surveys and solicit feedback efficiently also often have a more complete understanding of their guests and can more easily measure satisfaction and loyalty.

The challenge is to move beyond simply collecting data. As part of your strategy, consider investing in a Voice of the Customer program or guest experience software to ensure you are hearing your guests and extracting rich, meaningful insights from their feedback.

Invest in Online Reputation Management

One of the most important aspects of guest experience management in hospitality is your ability to build a strong brand reputation and respond to online reviews and customer feedback. People are drawn to brands that know how to respond to negative reviews, promptly answer phone calls and emails, and proactively join conversations on social media. Online reviews are especially important:

  • 94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business. 
  • 53% of guests expect management to respond to negative reviews within 7 days, but 63% say that a business has never responded to their review. 
  • 45% of consumers are more likely to choose an operator that knows how to respond to negative reviews. 

If a guest wrote a 5-star review or gave your team a nice compliment via email, take the time to say thank you. If the feedback is negative or the review came with a low rating, acknowledge the guest and work quickly on resolving any issues related to their experience.

Power Your Guest Experience Management with InMoment

The future of hospitality is bright for customer-centric operators, restaurants, and hotels that are demonstrating a commitment to managing the guest experience. With InMoment, the leading provider of Experience Improvement solutions, you can adapt to meet evolving expectations, leverage experience data from every touchpoint, and power your guest experience program. Schedule a CX demo to learn more about how InMoment can help elevate your guest experiences.

What You Need to Know About Contact Center AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being used by more and more businesses every day. Specifically, the world’s leading brands have begun using contact center AI to create a more efficient and effective customer service experience. By integrating these advanced technologies, these companies aim to streamline customer interaction, automate routine tasks, and optimize their overall operations.  

What is Contact Center AI?

Contact Center AI, also known as contact center artificial intelligence is the technology that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to optimize customer interactions within a contact center. It aims to streamline and improve various aspects of customer service, from handling routine inquiries to providing personalized assistance.

How Does Contact Center AI Work?

Contact Center AI works by leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and automation to enhance and streamline customer interactions within a contact center. The process involves several key components and steps:

  • Data Collection: Contact center AI starts by collecting and aggregating data from various sources. This data may include historical customer interactions, transcripts of conversations, customer profiles, and information from other relevant databases.
  • Natural Language Processing: NLP is a crucial component that enables AI systems to understand and interpret human language. Contact center AI employs NLP to analyze and comprehend the meaning of customer inquiries, regardless of the channel used (voice, chat, email). 
  • Intent Recognition: Once the customer’s input is processed through NLP, the system identifies the user’s intent. This involves categorizing the customer’s query to determine the specific action or information the customer is seeking.
  • Routing and Automation: Based on the identified intent, Contact center AI can automate the routing of the inquiry to the appropriate department or system. For routine tasks, the AI may directly handle the request without human intervention, significantly reducing response times.
  • Virtual Agents and Chatbots: Virtual agents or chatbots, powered by AI, interact with customers in real-time. These agents can engage in text-based or voice-based conversations that provide assistance, answer queries, and guide users through processes. 

Will Contact Center AI Replace Call Center Agents? 

The simple answer is no. Artificial intelligence will not replace agents in the near future but provide readily available resources and insights to empower them to effectively solve customer inquiries and deliver exceptional customer experience. 

What are the Benefits of Contact Center AI?

Contact Center artificial intelligence offers a range of benefits that contribute to the efficiency, effectiveness, and overall improvement of customer service operations. Many businesses with a contact center would benefit from using AI.

Operational Efficiency and Resource Optimization 

Contact center AI solutions streamline operational workflows by automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. Routine inquiries, such as checking account balances, tracking orders, or providing basic information, can be handled seamlessly by AI-powered virtual agents. This automation reduces the workload on human agents, allowing them to focus on more complex and high-value interactions. As a result, the overall efficiency of the contact center improves, leading to quicker response times and enhanced productivity.

By automating routine tasks, contact enter AI enables businesses to optimize their resource allocation. Human agents can be strategically deployed to handle more intricate issues that require empathy, creativity, and critical thinking. This resource optimization not only improves the utilization of skilled human agents but also contributes to cost savings as the need for additional staff to handle routine tasks decreases.

Scalability and Flexibility

Contact Center AI provides businesses with the flexibility to scale their operations based on demand. During peak hours or high-volume periods, AI systems can seamlessly handle a surge in customer inquiries without the need for immediate human intervention. This scalability ensures that the contact center can adapt to varying levels of customer service demand, maintaining service quality even during peak times.

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction

Through quick and accurate responses, personalized interactions, and proactive issue resolution, Contact Center AI directly contributes to enhanced customer satisfaction. Customers appreciate the convenience of instant assistance, personalized recommendations, and the ability of businesses to anticipate and address their needs. Improved customer satisfaction not only fosters loyalty but can also lead to positive word-of-mouth, attracting new customers to the brand.

In essence, Contact center AI serves as a catalyst for positive change within customer service operations, fostering efficiency, optimizing resources, and ultimately contributing to an elevated customer experience. The integration of AI technologies empowers businesses to navigate the evolving landscape of customer service with agility and responsiveness, ensuring sustained success in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.

AI Use Cases in Contact Center & Examples

Contact center AI is actively transforming customer service across various industries. Here are some real-world examples of Contact Center AI in action:

Banking and Financial Services

Virtual Agents for Account Inquiries: Many banks employ virtual agents powered by AI to handle routine account inquiries, such as checking balances, transaction history, or updating account information. This frees up human agents to focus on more complex financial matters.

E-commerce

Chatbots for Customer Support: E-commerce platforms often use AI-driven chatbots to provide instant assistance to customers. These chatbots can help with order tracking, product information, and even suggest personalized recommendations based on the customer’s browsing history and preferences.

Telecommunications

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems: Telecommunications companies utilize AI-driven IVR systems to efficiently route customer calls. These systems understand natural language and can guide customers through troubleshooting processes or direct them to the appropriate department for support.

Hospitality

Virtual Concierge Services: Hotels and travel agencies employ virtual concierge services powered by AI to provide guests with information about amenities, local attractions, and hotel services. These virtual concierges enhance the overall guest experience.

Automotive Industry

Appointment Reminders and Service Notifications: Automotive service centers leverage AI to send automated appointment reminders and service notifications to vehicle owners. This ensures timely servicing and keeps customers informed about their vehicle maintenance schedules.

What to Look for in Contact Center AI Software

Selecting the right contact center AI software is crucial for maximizing the benefits of artificial intelligence in customer service operations. Here are key factors to consider when evaluating contact center AI solutions:

Scalability 

Ensure that the contact center AI software is scalable to handle fluctuations in customer service demand. The solution should seamlessly adapt to varying call volumes and support business growth without compromising performance.

Integration Capabilities

Look for AI software that easily integrates with existing contact center infrastructure, including customer relationship management (CRM) systems, ticketing tools, and communication platforms. Compatibility with other systems ensures a cohesive and interconnected customer service ecosystem.

Customization Options

Opt for a contact center AI solution that offers customization options. Businesses have unique requirements and industry-specific needs, and the AI software should be adaptable to cater to these specifics, allowing for a tailored customer service experience.

Multichannel Support

Consider AI software that supports various communication channels, including voice, chat, email, and social media. The ability to operate seamlessly across multiple channels ensures a unified and consistent customer experience, regardless of the platform customers choose for interaction.

Analytics and Reporting Features

Prioritize AI software that includes robust analytics and reporting tools. These features provide insights into customer behavior, agent performance, and overall contact center efficiency. Analytical capabilities contribute to data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.

Questions to Ask When Selecting a Contact Center AI Solution

When evaluating contact center AI solutions, asking the right questions is crucial to ensure that the chosen software aligns with your business needs and objectives. These questions will get you on the right track in determining whether or not a software solution will work for your company. 

1. Can the contact center AI software integrate with current systems and workflow?

Integration is vital for a seamless operation. Compatibility with existing systems ensures that the AI software complements your current infrastructure, avoiding disruptions and facilitating a more efficient workflow.

2. What types of interactions are within the capabilities of contact center artificial intelligence?

Understanding the scope of the AI’s capabilities is essential. Different solutions may excel in specific types of interactions, whether it’s handling routine queries, providing technical support, or processing transactions. Ensure that the AI aligns with your business’s unique needs.

3. What’s the estimated time frame from implementing to utilizing contact center AI software?

Knowing the implementation timeline is crucial for planning. An efficient and timely deployment minimizes disruptions to ongoing operations, allowing your contact center to start realizing the benefits of AI without unnecessary delays.

4. Is extensive training required to use contact center AI software and how long will it take?

Assessing the training requirements is essential for a smooth transition. A user-friendly AI system with minimal training needs ensures faster adoption by contact center agents. Understanding the training duration helps plan resources effectively and ensures a quicker return on investment.

Asking these questions empowers businesses to make informed decisions, selecting a contact center AI solution that seamlessly integrates, meets interaction requirements, aligns with implementation timelines, and requires reasonable training for efficient adoption.

Challenges of Contact Center AI

While Contact Center AI offers numerous benefits, its implementation comes with its own set of challenges. Addressing these challenges is crucial for ensuring seamless integration and optimizing the performance of AI technologies in contact centers.

  • Customer Acceptance: some customers may prefer human interactions and find it challenging to adapt to AI-driven customer service. Building trust and acceptance for AI among customers is a significant hurdle.
  • Employee Resistance: Employees might resist the adoption of AI due to concerns about job displacement or changes to their roles. Proactively addressing these concerns and providing training to ease the transition is crucial.
  • Ethical Considerations: AI systems handle sensitive customer data, and ethical concerns arise regarding data privacy, security, and the responsible use of AI. Ensuring compliance with data protection regulations and establishing ethical guidelines for AI use is essential.
  • Training and Skill Gaps: Contact Center AI systems require continuous training and updates to adapt to changing customer behaviors and industry trends. Ensuring that human agents possess the necessary skills to work alongside AI and handle complex issues is essential.
  • Over Reliance on Automation: Over reliance on AI for all customer interactions without appropriate human oversight can lead to issues. Complex queries, emotional situations, or unique customer needs may require the intervention of human agents for optimal resolution.

Overcoming these challenges requires a strategic approach, collaboration between technology and business stakeholders, and a commitment to continuous improvement. By addressing these issues, organizations can unlock the full potential of contact center AI and provide enhanced customer experiences.

InMoment’s Solution for Contact Center AI

InMoment’s contact center solution gives organizations the power to use specialized text analytics models to understand nuanced exchanges in customer interactions. These models, which can be tailored to fit any industry, link customer experience insights to agent performance, call stage, and customer issues. Schedule a demo today and see what InMoment can do for you! 

A Deep Dive into Conversational Intelligence

The advent of conversational intelligence has become a catalyst for transformation in the way that businesses communicate with consumers. More than just a technological innovation, conversational intelligence represents a paradigm shift how organizations understand, interpret, and harness the power of human conversations. 

What is Conversation Intelligence

Conversation intelligence refers to the ability to understand, analyze, and optimize human conversations, particularly in the context of business interactions. It involves leveraging software such as natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and artificial intelligence to gain insights from spoken or written conversations. The goal of conversation intelligence is to enhance communication, improve collaboration, and extract valuable information from interactions.

Why is Conversational Intelligence Important? 

One of the primary reasons conversation intelligence is crucial lies in its ability to enhance the customer experience. By deciphering the nuances of customer interactions, businesses can gain valuable insights into preferences, sentiments, and pain points. This information, in turn, empowers companies to tailor their products, services, and communication strategies to meet the evolving needs of their customer base.

Conversation intelligence also provides a data-driven foundation for decision-making. Analyzing conversations allows businesses to identify trends, evaluate employee performance, and make informed decisions that align with organizational goals. This data-driven approach fosters agility and adaptability, which is crucial in today’s fast-paced business environment.

How Does Conversation Intelligence Work?

Conversation intelligence works through the integration of advanced software, primarily natural language processing (NLP), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI). Here is a breakdown of how conversation intelligence operates:

  • Data Collection: Conversation intelligence platforms can work as part of an omnichannel contact center to gather data from various sources, including audio recordings of phone calls, video conferences, chat transcripts, emails, and other written communication channels.
  • Preprocessing: Raw data often contains noise, irrelevant information, or inconsistencies. Preprocessing involves cleaning and organizing the data to ensure accuracy and reliability.
  • Audio Transcription: Audio data is typically transcribed into text using speech-to-text technology. This step is crucial for analyzing spoken conversations.
  • Understanding Language: NLP algorithms are employed to understand the structure and meaning of human language. This involves tasks such as tokenization (breaking text into words), syntactic analysis (parsing sentence structure), and semantic analysis (interpreting meaning).
  • Analytics and Reporting: Conversation intelligence platforms can aid in contact center analytics and reporting features that summarize key metrics, trends, and insights derived from the analyzed conversations. This information is valuable for making data-driven decisions and optimizing business processes.

In essence, conversation intelligence involves a multi-step process of data collection, preprocessing, language understanding, sentiment analysis, machine learning, and real-time analytics. It leverages advanced technologies to extract meaningful insights from conversations, providing businesses with the tools to enhance customer experiences, improve communication strategies, and make informed decisions.

What’s the Difference Between Conversation Intelligence vs Call Tracking Software?

While conversation intelligence and call tracking software both deal with analyzing interactions, they serve different purposes. Call tracking software primarily focuses on monitoring and analyzing call metrics, such as call duration, source, and outcome. On the other hand, conversation intelligence encompasses a broader spectrum that includes the analysis of both spoken and written interactions. It incorporates advanced features such as sentiment analysis, data extraction, and real-time analytics to provide a comprehensive understanding of communication across various channels.

Benefits of Conversational Intelligence

The adoption of conversational intelligence has become a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to stay ahead in the digital era. This transformative technology not only revolutionizes the way organizations understand customer interactions but also brings forth a host of tangible benefits. From optimizing call center performance and nurturing agents to deriving valuable insights and enhancing productivity, conversational intelligence is reshaping the dynamics of customer service. Here is a deeper look into some of the benefits of conversational intelligence.

1. Optimizing Call Center Performance

Conversational intelligence proves to be a game-changer for call centers by providing real-time insights into customer interactions. Monitoring and analyzing calls help identify areas for improvement, ensuring that customer service representatives deliver a consistent and high-quality experience. This optimization leads to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

2. Agent Nurturing and Training

Conversational intelligence serves as a powerful tool for nurturing and training customer service agents. These platforms offer customer experience metrics such as response times, call resolution rates, customer satisfaction scores, and agent performance indicators. By analyzing successful interactions, managers can identify best practices and provide targeted coaching to enhance the skills of their teams. This fosters continuous improvement, boosts agent confidence, and contributes to a more positive and proficient workforce.

3. Extracting Valuable Insights

Extracting valuable insights from customer conversations is a key benefit of conversational intelligence. The platform’s ability to perform sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and data extraction enables businesses to understand customer preferences, pain points, and emerging trends. These insights are invaluable for making informed business decisions, refining strategies, and staying ahead in a competitive market.

InMoment’s XI Platform utilizes AI technology to generate auto-generated conversation summaries. These insights give users access to conversation themes, product or service mentions, and can also help track agent performance. This feature has been shown to reduce the average handle time (AHT) by up to 33%.

4. Personalized Customer Interactions

By understanding the nuances of conversations, conversational intelligence enables businesses to personalize customer interactions. This personalization goes beyond addressing customers by name; it involves tailoring responses based on historical interactions, preferences, and previous purchase behavior. The result is a more engaging and customer-centric experience that fosters brand loyalty.

5. Efficient Resource Allocation

Understanding the dynamics of customer conversations helps businesses allocate resources more efficiently. By identifying peak hours, common customer queries, and areas of high demand, organizations can optimize staffing levels, ensuring that they have the right resources in place to handle customer interactions effectively.

Conversation Intelligence Examples

When examining conversation intelligence, it becomes evident that the impact of this transformative technology extends across various industries by reshaping communication dynamics and optimizing operational processes. Let’s look at a few industry-specific examples. 

1. Healthcare: Optimizing Patient Interactions

In the healthcare industry, conversational intelligence proves to be invaluable for optimizing patient interactions. By analyzing conversations between healthcare professionals and patients, organizations can enhance communication effectiveness. This includes understanding patient concerns, improving appointment scheduling processes, and ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations. The insights derived contribute to a more patient-centric approach, fostering improved healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction.

2. E-Commerce: Enhancing Customer Support and Sales

In the e-commerce sector, conversation intelligence plays a crucial role in enhancing customer support and driving sales. By analyzing customer interactions across various channels, such as live chat, emails, and phone calls, businesses gain insights into customer preferences, product feedback, and common pain points. This information is instrumental in tailoring marketing strategies, improving the online shopping experience, and providing personalized recommendations, ultimately boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.

3. Financial Services: Ensuring Regulatory Compliance

In the highly regulated financial services industry, conversation intelligence is essential for ensuring regulatory compliance. By analyzing conversations in customer interactions, financial institutions can monitor and enforce adherence to compliance standards and legal requirements. This proactive approach helps mitigate risks, avoid regulatory penalties, and maintain the integrity of financial operations.

These industry-specific examples showcase the targeted application of conversation intelligence, demonstrating its ability to address unique challenges and opportunities within different sectors. Whether it’s optimizing patient care in healthcare, enhancing customer support in e-commerce, or ensuring regulatory compliance in financial services, conversation intelligence proves to be a versatile tool with applications tailored to industry-specific needs.

Conversation Intelligence with InMoment

The adoption of conversational intelligence, powered by advanced technologies like natural language processing and machine learning, is not merely a strategic choice but a necessity in the contemporary business landscape. InMoment’s conversation intelligence technology empowers organizations to navigate the intricacies of conversations and turn insights into actions, and ultimately drive business success. Schedule a demo to learn more today! 

Using Omnichannel Contact Center to Drive Customer Satisfaction

Contact centers are not new by any means. As a matter of fact, the first employed call center agents date back to the 1950s. But, these agents only made and received phone calls. It wasn’t until the turn of the century that these call centers evolved into multichannel contact centers. However, even these are quickly becoming obsolete. The future of the contact center lies in the omnichannel contact center. 

What is an Omnichannel Contact Center? 

An omnichannel contact center is a customer service model that integrates and manages various communication channels in a unified and seamless manner. Unlike traditional multichannel setups, where each communication channel operates independently, an omnichannel contact center provides a cohesive and consistent customer experience across all channels.

What’s the Difference Between Omnichannel and Multichannel Contact Center?

In an omnichannel contact center, customers can interact with a business through channels such as phone calls, emails, chat, social media, and more. What distinguishes it from multichannel systems is the integration of these channels, allowing customers to switch between them without losing the context of their interactions. For example, a customer might start a conversation via chat and then continue it later over the phone, with the contact center retaining the history and context of the entire interaction.

Is an Omnichannel Contact Center Better Than A Multichannel Contact Center?

The debate between an omnichannel contact center and a multichannel contact center often revolves around the depth and quality of customer experience. While both models involve managing customer interactions across various channels, there are distinct differences in their approaches.

While a multichannel contact center provides various communication options, an omnichannel contact center is better positioned to meet the heightened expectations of today’s customers. It not only offers diverse channels but integrates them seamlessly, creating a unified and customer-centric approach that fosters satisfaction and loyalty. Ultimately, the choice between the two models depends on the organization’s commitment to delivering a superior customer experience.

What are the Benefits of an Omnichannel Contact Center?

Embracing strategies that bolster omnichannel contact centers facilitates the delivery of seamless, convenient, and efficient customer interactions. Through the integration of various communication channels into a cohesive system, businesses can enjoy a host of benefits that greatly elevate the customer experience.

Enhanced Customer Engagement

Omnichannel contact center solutions empower businesses to engage with customers on their terms. Whether a customer prefers email, phone, chat, or social media, an omnichannel system seamlessly integrates all these channels, allowing for consistent, real-time interactions. When customers can switch between channels without losing context, it reduces frustration and leads to a more positive experience.

Imagine a customer who initiates a support request through chat but needs to step away. With an omnichannel system, they can easily switch to a phone call later, and the agent will already have the chat history, avoiding the need to repeat the issue. This level of flexibility and continuity in customer feedback fosters better relationships and builds trust.

Efficient Closed-Loop Systems

In a contact center, the value of closing the loop is of the utmost importance. Omnichannel solutions can greatly improve the efficiency of closed-loop systems within a business. When agents have access to a unified view of customer data and interaction history across all channels, they can quickly understand the context of the customer’s issue.  This is a crucial element of customer experience management as it ensures that no customer concern or query falls through the cracks and that each issue is tracked from initiation to resolution.

Omnichannel contact center solutions can also incorporate automation and AI-powered tools. These technologies can intelligently route customer inquiries to the most appropriate agent or department. For instance, a chatbot can handle routine queries, while complex issues are directed to specialized human agents. This streamlines the resolution process, ensuring that customers get the help they need as quickly as possible.

Consistent Brand Experience

Consistency is a key factor in creating a strong and recognizable brand. Omnichannel contact center solutions enable businesses to deliver a consistent brand experience across all customer touchpoints. From the tone of communication to the information provided, customers should feel that they are dealing with one unified entity, not a collection of disconnected departments.

This consistency helps to reinforce brand loyalty and trust. Whether a customer is engaging on social media, talking on the phone, or visiting a physical store, the brand experience should remain uniform. Omnichannel solutions can help achieve this by ensuring all customer-facing teams have access to the same information and guidelines for interacting with customers.

Data-Driven Insights

Omnichannel contact center solutions provide valuable data and analytics. By collecting and analyzing customer interactions across various channels, businesses gain insights into customer preferences, pain points, and behavioral patterns. These insights can inform strategic decisions, improve product and service offerings, and enhance the overall customer experience.

Data-driven insights also allow for more personalized interactions. When agents have access to a customer’s history and preferences, they can tailor their responses and recommendations, creating a more personalized and meaningful interaction. This not only improves the customer experience but can also lead to increased sales and customer retention.

What Does an Omnichannel Contact Center Solve?

An omnichannel contact center addresses several challenges and issues in customer service and provides solutions to enhance the overall customer experience. Here are key problems that an omnichannel contact center aims to solve:

Customer Friction

  • Issue: In a multichannel environment, customers may experience friction when transitioning between different channels, leading to a disjointed and frustrating experience.
  • Solution: Omnichannel contact centers eliminate friction by offering a seamless and consistent experience across all communication channels. Customers can switch between channels without losing context or having to repeat information. 

Operational Efficiency

  • Issue: Multichannel centers may struggle with the inefficiency of managing different channels separately, leading to delays, errors, and increased workload.
  • Solution: Omnichannel contact centers centralize communication management, improving operational efficiency. Agents can access all channels from a unified dashboard, streamlining processes and reducing the risk of information silos.

Enhanced Insights

  • Issue: Siloed data from separate channels can make it challenging to gain a comprehensive understanding of customer behavior and preferences.
  • Solution: Omnichannel systems provide a holistic view of customer interactions, allowing businesses to gather valuable insights. This data-driven approach enables informed decision-making and the ability to tailor services to customer needs.

Features to Look for in an Omnichannel Contact Center

When deciding on omnichannel contact center solutions, there are many things to consider. The functionalities you need will be dependent on the uses and goals of your contact center. Regardless, there are a few main features that any successful contact center should have. 

Agent Scorecards

Agent Scorecards are tools that provide a comprehensive evaluation of an individual agent’s performance within the contact center. These scorecards typically encompass a range of key employee and customer experience KPIs and metrics specific to the agent’s responsibilities. Metrics may include factors like average handling time, first contact resolution, customer satisfaction scores, and adherence to scripts or guidelines. By analyzing these metrics, managers gain insights into an agent’s efficiency, effectiveness, and overall contribution to the customer experience.

A screenshot of a contact center agent scorecard

AI-Driven Text Analytics

AI-Driven Text Analytics refers to the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to analyze and derive meaningful insights from unstructured text data. In the context of an omnichannel contact center, unstructured data often includes customer interactions from various sources, such as emails, chat transcripts, social media comments, and survey responses. Traditional analysis of such data can be time-consuming and challenging due to its unstructured nature, but AI-driven solutions bring efficiency and accuracy to the process.

An online chat between a customer and a contact center agent

Transcription Services

Contact centers often deal with a significant volume of audio data, including customer service calls, feedback voicemails, and internal meetings. Manually processing and analyzing these recordings can be time-consuming and impractical. Transcription services streamline this by converting hours of audio content into text, making it more manageable for further analysis and exploration. This process is essential for making audio content accessible, searchable, and analyzable.

Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance in a contact center involves systematic monitoring and evaluation of customer interactions to ensure that they meet predefined standards of excellence. This process encompasses various elements, including adherence to scripts, accuracy of information provided, adherence to company policies, and the overall effectiveness of customer service.

Strategic Services

Strategic Services in an omnichannel contact center context involve a suite of specialized offerings designed to provide businesses with expert guidance and actionable insights. Engaging in strategic services allows businesses to tap into the expertise of professionals who specialize in optimizing contact center operations. These experts often have a deep understanding of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies. These services also include the provision of detailed and customized reports that dive into contact center analytics and answer key business questions. These questions could revolve around performance metrics, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and other critical aspects of contact center management.

Two data pieces pointing to a piece of a feedback from a representative.

Omnichannel Contact Center Examples

Numerous organizations across various industries have successfully implemented omnichannel contact centers to enhance customer experiences and streamline communication across multiple channels. To represent the practical uses of an omnichannel contact center solution, let’s examine two customers in two different industries. 

Financial Services

A customer, Sarah, encounters an issue with a recent credit card transaction. She notices an unauthorized charge on her credit card statement and is concerned about potential fraud.

The Omnichannel Solution:

  • Mobile App Investigation: Sarah logs into the mobile banking app to review her recent transactions. The app provides detailed information about each transaction, allowing her to identify the unauthorized charge.
  • In-App Chat Support: Using the in-app chat support feature, Sarah initiates a conversation with a customer support representative. She explains the issue and provides details about the unauthorized transaction.
  • Live Video Call Option: The customer support representative, recognizing the sensitivity of the issue, suggests initiating a live video call through the mobile app. This allows Sarah to show any supporting documents or ID verification directly.
  • Context Preservation: Throughout the interaction, Sarah’s information and conversation history are seamlessly transferred from the mobile app to the video call, ensuring that she doesn’t need to repeat information and that the context is preserved.
  • Resolution and Follow-Up: The representative investigates the issue in real-time, verifies Sarah’s identity, and resolves the unauthorized charge. During the video call, the representative guides Sarah through the steps to secure her account and provides assurance. Follow-up communications are sent through secure channels, ensuring privacy.

In this financial services scenario, the omnichannel contact center enables a smooth and secure resolution for the customer, utilizing mobile app features, chat support, and live video calls to address the issue comprehensively.

Retail

Omnichannel contact centers can also succeed in other industries. Let’s say John, a retail customer, purchases a laptop online from a retail store. Unfortunately, the laptop arrives with a defect, and John needs assistance with returning and replacing the product.

The Omnichannel Solution:

  • Live Chat Support: Using the website’s live chat support, John initiates a conversation with a customer service agent. He explains the issue with the defective laptop and requests assistance with the return and replacement process.
  • Email Correspondence: To provide supporting documentation, John uploads pictures of the defective product through the live chat. The customer service agent suggests continuing the conversation via email to maintain a documented trail.
  • In-Store Return Option: The retailer’s omnichannel strategy includes an option for in-store returns. The customer service agent provides John with the option to return the defective laptop at a nearby physical store for quicker resolution.
  • Context Transfer: When John visits the physical store, the in-store staff has access to the email correspondence and live chat history, ensuring a seamless continuation of the resolution process. John doesn’t need to re-explain the issue.
  • Replacement Process: The in-store staff processes the return, facilitates the replacement of the laptop, and ensures that John leaves the store with a fully functional product. Any additional communications or confirmations are sent via email for John’s records.

In this retail scenario, the omnichannel contact center facilitates a convenient and efficient resolution for the customer, utilizing online order tracking, live chat support, email correspondence, and in-store returns to address the issue effectively.

Develop Your Omnichannel Contact Center 

With InMoment’s omnichannel contact center software, you can house all your data in one place. This capability allows you to deliver consistent, quality, and customer-centric experiences. Schedule a demo to see what InMoment can do for you. 

Thriving Senior Living: Mastering Reputation Management Strategies

Guiding a loved one through the customer journey of senior living is an intimately personal and emotional endeavor. At the heart of it; senior care is more than finding a place for a loved one to reside. It’s about fostering a community steeped in care, safety, comfort, and boundless joy. In this context, maintaining a sterling reputation in the realm of senior living becomes pivotal—it’s the bridge aligning with the aspirations of those seeking unparalleled care for their cherished family members. Upholding this reputation ensures that your services deeply connect with and satisfy the needs of those pursuing exceptional care for their loved ones.

Why Reputation Management is Important for Senior Care

More than 90% of families heavily rely on online reviews when deciding on senior living communities, a significant increase from the 82% recorded in 2020. This highlights the critical need for a proactive reputation management strategy, not just for sustained success but as an essential component for care organizations aspiring to attract seniors and maintain a reputation for exceptional service acknowledged online. To effectively appeal to these families and surpass competitors, implementing targeted reputation management strategies within senior care is paramount.

Reputation Management Strategies for Senior Living 

Crafting a robust reputation management strategy for senior living hinges on understanding your core audience, primarily the families of prospective residents. Their needs, concerns, and expectations form the bedrock of your approach. It’s vital to define clear messaging that resonates with this audience, conveying the essence of your care services consistently across all touchpoints. This consistency in messaging cultivates trust and reliability, crucial elements in building a positive reputation within the senior living landscape. 

Once you’ve established alignment with your primary audience and messaging, there are three effective strategies to fortify your reputation: optimizing local business listings, amplifying positive reviews, and harnessing valuable insights from customer feedback. These actions work in unison to bolster your standing within the senior living community, enhancing visibility, credibility, and responsiveness to refine the overall resident experience.

Manage and Optimize Local Business Listings 

The primary step toward building your online reputation involves either creating or claiming your business listing across prominent directories like Google Business, Facebook, Bing Places, and Yelp. Given that nearly half of all Google searches, 46% to be exact, incorporate local intent, there’s a significant surge in people actively seeking services like senior care within their local area. By creating or claiming your business listing, you could show up for common search terms such as “senior living near me” or “senior care near me”, while also securing placement in local search maps such as Google Maps or Bing Places.

Ensure Accuracy and Consistency of Your Business Information

Once your business listing is verified, the subsequent stride involves furnishing comprehensive business information, encompassing the business name, address, phone number, website, and operating hours. Maintaining not just accuracy but also consistency across these details is paramount. Even minor details like abbreviations and punctuations, should be unified across all your owned business listings.

Save Time with Listing Management Tools

Managing multiple locations across diverse business directories can be time-consuming and prone to errors, potentially resulting in misinformation that may dissuade families from exploring your offerings in favor of competitors. Additionally, inconsistencies in information can negatively affect your local listing rankings. To streamline this process and minimize errors, leveraging local listing management tools becomes imperative. These tools facilitate effortless monitoring and management of your business listings with minimal effort, ensuring that your business information remains consistently accurate and reliable for online users.

Crafting an Effective Approach for Gathering Reviews

Ensuring a thriving senior residence involves not just providing exceptional care but also fostering a sense of trust and community. One effective way to achieve this is by actively seeking and encouraging reviews from residents and their families. Begin by creating a positive environment that naturally elicits positive customer feedback and optimizes your senior living reviews. Train your staff to prioritize personalized care, addressing the unique needs and preferences of each resident.

Leverage Popular Review Sites

Encourage residents and their families to share their experiences on popular review sites. You can boost the volume of feedback you receive by simplifying the process like generating a feedback link such as a Facebook or Google review link and sending it directly via email. Another option worth exploring is the integration of QR codes into your mailing materials, contributing to a seamless and efficient feedback gathering process. Additionally, leverage the power of social media to engage with your community. Share heartwarming stories, testimonials, and encourage open conversations. Create an online space where residents and their families feel comfortable expressing their thoughts about the community.

Surveys and Follow-Up

Implementing a structured feedback system is crucial. Utilize online surveys and send follow-up emails after positive interactions to kindly request reviews. By showcasing the positive aspects of your senior living community and actively seeking feedback, you not only create a transparent and open atmosphere but also enhance your community’s online presence, attracting potential residents who value authenticity and personal care.

Highlight and Promote Positive Reviews

For families embarking on the journey to find the perfect senior living community is a significant step often guided by heartfelt experiences shared through reviews. While your messaging can do the best it can to persuade people to visit your community, it’s the sincere stories of families who have walked the same path that truly touch the heart and convince them to schedule a visit. Therefore, it’s important to highlight these positive reviews to showcase the compassionate care your facility provides. 

Don’t be afraid to seek feedback, instead consider it a treasure trove of shared experiences that can guide others on their senior care journey. It also opens the door to uncover opportunities to improve care and trends to outperform local competitors. People prefer to read the authentic voices of those who have interacted with your staff and experienced the warmth of your facilities. These stories hold immeasurable value as they provide a genuine take on the senior living experience. Actively seek out these stories, the ones that capture the essence of your community, and bring them to the forefront. Share them within your marketing materials, website, and social media. 

Managing these reviews and populating them on your website can be time-consuming and tedious. To help automate this process, there are many review widgets and software that can help including InMoment’s reputation management software. With this tool, your team can effortlessly weave review widgets throughout the website starting with the homepage, creating a virtual tapestry of shared moments as they navigate and explore living options. You can even dedicate a whole webpage to these stories highlighting appreciation and gratitude for current residents, offering solace and insight to those considering your community. 

For many families and seniors, these heartfelt narratives become the deciding factor in choosing a senior care service or facility. By delicately placing recent testimonials alongside the commendations from other seniors, you not only simplify the research process but also cultivate trust. It’s a testament to your commitment to transparency and creating a genuinely compassionate senior living experience. Every review is not just a reflection of your facility; it’s a shared journey of care, empathy, and support.

Extract Valuable Insights from Feedback

An integral aspect of any senior care reputation management strategy involves enhancing the overall living experience. Testimonials go beyond attracting new residents; they serve as a reflection of the quality of care. For example, you may receive responses highlighting that cleanliness is frequently associated with positive feedback, while there may be negative sentiment often related to the lack of attentiveness. Therefore, tapping into recent reviews will not only reveal the strengths of senior living but also bring to light areas of improvement that might be overlooked.

Streamline Analysis with AI

However, combing through every feedback can be a labor-intensive and time-consuming task. To accurately understand and uncover overarching themes, you would need to manually identify keywords indicative of positive or negative sentiments. This could take days or even weeks to organize and finalize insights into an actionable strategy that could improve your senior living reputation. 

However, with today’s technological advancements, this process can be automated. By harnessing customer experience AI, hundreds or even thousands of reviews can be analyzed within minutes, providing accurate keyword analysis and trending data. Obtaining this accurate and insightful data in a shorter period of time, allows your team to quickly implement operational changes to positively impact the quality of care. This not only brings satisfaction to current residents but also leaves a lasting impression on those considering your senior care facility. Taking swift action based on review data demonstrates that you’re attuned to the needs of your seniors—a crucial factor for individuals seeking senior care options.

How to Pick the Right Reputation Management Partner

Selecting the appropriate reputation management partner for a senior living community is a pivotal step in ensuring a positive and trustworthy image in the eyes of residents and their families. Begin by clearly outlining the specific needs and goals unique to a senior living environment. Identify areas that require attention, whether it’s maintaining positive reviews, managing feedback, or enhancing the overall perception of the community.

Research and Proof of Success

Conduct comprehensive research to identify reputation management companies with expertise in the senior living industry. Explore their track record, focusing on case studies, client testimonials, and online reviews related to senior care facilities. Seek recommendations from other senior living communities or industry professionals who have faced similar challenges.

Open Communication and Transparency

Transparency is crucial in this partnership, particularly in the realm of senior care where trust is paramount. Opt for a reputation management partner who is open about their strategies, methodologies, and reporting processes. Effective communication is key, ensuring that the partner keeps you informed throughout the entire process, addressing concerns and aligning their efforts with the unique values and objectives of the senior community.

Evaluate Services

While budget considerations are important, prioritize value over cost. Evaluate the services offered by potential partners, looking for options that cater specifically to the needs of a senior living community. Assess the long-term benefits of their solutions, considering how their strategies can positively impact the community’s reputation and resident satisfaction.

Streamlined Services and Technology

Seeking a reputation management partner for your senior care facility should involve those equipped with modern, advanced technology to enhance operational efficiency. Look for a partner that simplifies the monitoring and management of your reputation, utilizing cutting-edge tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to streamline workflows. The objective is to reduce the workload on your team, ensuring that the technology doesn’t create additional burdens but rather facilitates smoother processes. By embracing such advanced solutions, your team can redirect their focus towards more vital strategies, particularly in enhancing the overall senior living experience.

Integrations

In addition to selecting a partner with dependable technology, it’s important that they can integrate with widely-used senior living platforms. An effective reputation management strategy for senior living entails the ability to effortlessly aggregate, view, and respond to reviews on these platforms. For example, InMoment’s award-winning feedback software can easily integrate with the well-known senior care network, A Place for Mom, where hundreds of thousands of reviews offer first-hand experience from seniors and their loved ones. 

In essence, finding the right reputation management partner for a senior community involves meticulous research, transparent communication, and a keen understanding of the unique challenges and values within the senior care industry. This approach will help establish a partnership that safeguards the reputation of the community and fosters trust among residents and their families.

Take Charge of Your Senior Living Reputation Management with InMoment

Guiding a loved one through the senior living journey requires a reputation management strategy that transcends the traditional view of care facilities. It’s about fostering a community rooted in care, safety, and joy. As more than 90% of families turn to online reviews, implementing targeted reputation management strategies becomes imperative. Choosing the right reputation management partner involves thorough research and transparency, aligning strategies with the unique needs of the senior care industry. With the right approach, senior care facilities can thrive in the digital landscape, attracting contented families and standing out in the competitive senior living market. Discover how InMoment can help senior living communities navigate the evolving digital landscape successfully, by scheduling a reputation management demo. Start building a favorable reputation that not only draws in families but also distinguishes your senior living community in the competitive market.

References 

LinkedIn. The Power of Reviews: Why Senior Living Communities Need to Prioritize Online Reputation Management. (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-reviews-why-senior-living-communities-need/) Accessed 1/9/24.

Creating Results. 8 Senior Living Statistics You Should Know. (https://creatingresults.com/blog/2020/08/27/8-senior-living-statistics/) Accessed 1/9/24.

Safari Digital. 18 Local SEO Statistics that Matter in 2023. (https://www.safaridigital.com.au/blog/local-seo-statistics/) Accessed 1/9/24.

B2B Customer Experience: The Complete Guide

Managing the B2B customer experience is a key growth strategy for organizations across a wide variety of industries. For good reason: delivering great customer experience (CX) leads to increased loyalty, lower churn, more referrals, positive word of mouth, and higher-value customers.

B2B (business-to-business) transactions often involve ongoing relationships and partnerships. Effective customer experience management helps build and maintain strong, long-term relationships by meeting the needs and expectations of your business customers consistently.

What is B2B Customer Experience?

B2B customer experience can refer to the interactions and overall relationship between a business and its business customers. It may also refer to a digital benchmark: your customers’ interactions on your website, mobile app, or software dashboard. The B2B CX may also refer to a company’s ability to respond to customer questions and cases. 

Given these various interpretations, we can define the B2B customer experience as the cumulative impact of all interactions and experiences between your business and your business customers, at every touch point across the entire customer journey. 

Why is B2B CX Important?

The B2B customer experience is a crucial aspect of building and maintaining successful and long-lasting relationships in the business world. Organizations that strategically allocate their resources to strengthen their customer experience focus stand to gain an edge over the competition.

  • Great customer experiences foster loyalty. B2B customers are more likely to continue doing business with a company that consistently delivers value, meets their expectations, and provides excellent service. Loyal customers are also more likely to recommend the business to others.
  • Great customer experiences help your brand achieve differentiation. In competitive B2B markets, where products and services may be similar, customer experience becomes a key differentiator. A great customer experience can set your company apart from competitors and help you win and retain clients. 
  • Great customer experiences bolster your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). When customers are satisfied and engaged, they are more likely to make repeat purchases, upgrade services, enter into partnerships with your company, and explore additional offerings over time.
  • Great customer experiences improve brand reputation. If you consistently deliver positive experiences, your brand is more likely to be seen as reliable, trustworthy, and customer-centric. This positive reputation can attract new customers and partners.

Ultimately, a positive B2B customer experience contributes to customer satisfaction, loyalty, and the potential for long-term partnerships and repeat business. It goes beyond individual transactions and focuses on building a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration.

What are Some B2B Customer Experience Examples?

Here are some examples of how B2B companies are applying tactics designed to improve the customer experience:

  • CRM platform HubSpot utilizes chatbots to connect with customers and encourage open communication. The chatbots automatically help users find responses to their questions and discover helpful content like help center articles, blogs, and resource pages.
  • Social media marketing platform Hootsuite leverages InMoment to make the Net Promoter Score (NPS) methodology central to its operation. By utilizing the in-app customer feedback software tool, Hootsuite can prioritize CX improvements that will have the most business impact and has been able to triple its Net Promoter Score.
  • Transport and business services brand FedEx launched a single external newsletter to streamline its communication with customers, instead of sending out multiple emails from various departments within the organization. This helped break down silos and made things simpler not only for FedEx’s customers, but also for each of the company’s internal teams working together to deliver meaningful information and valuable content to customers. 
  • Software company PandaDoc uses multiple surveys to monitor customer sentiment and improve product experience. The company also acts on insights from customer feedback in order to understand improve the skills of its support agents, enabling them to become better at serving PandaDoc customers. 
  • Every time a customer buys its cloud storage suite, tech company IBM assigns specialists to help with onboarding and setup. This gives customers a hassle-free experience at a critical stage of their purchase journey. Additionally, IBM specialists educate customers with tutorials, expert advice, recommendations, and best practices to foster long-lasting relationships. 
  • High-tech industrial company GE operates customer experience centers to showcase the company’s capabilities. Customers can visit these centers to see GE’s manufacturing systems in action and discuss a personalized plan with the company’s CX representatives.

How Does the B2B Customer Experience Differ from B2C?

B2B CX strategies are often inspired by best practices in B2C customer experience management. However, there are key differences and nuances between the two due to the nature of the relationships, the complexity of transactions, and the unique needs of each type of customer. 

  • Decision-making: B2B transactions are often characterized by a more complex decision-making process involving a group of decision-makers within the business, and the sales cycle may be longer. Relationship-building and addressing the needs of multiple stakeholders are crucial in B2B interactions.
  • Customer relationships. In B2B transactions, business customers often seek long-term partnerships, and the relationship extends beyond individual transactions. Personalized service, understanding the client’s business, and collaboration are key elements.
  • Customization and personalization. Unlike B2C products and services, B2B offerings usually present various options for customization and personalization in order to meet the particular needs of the business customer. 
  • Support and service. B2C customer support often focuses on scalable solutions, such as online chat, email support, or call centers, to address the needs of a larger customer base. In B2B, customer support tends to be more hands-on and personalized, with dedicated account managers, CX representatives, and specialized support teams.

How Has the B2B Customer Experience Evolved? 

The evolution of B2B customer experience has been influenced by various factors, including advancements in technology, changes in buyer behavior, and shifts in business practices. Here are some stats that reflect some of the ways CX has changed for B2B brands today.

  • B2B companies that offer a customized eCommerce experience tend to outsell their competitors by 30%.
  • Mobile ordering in the B2B sector has surged by 250% since the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting a notable transformation in digital practices within the realm of professional procurement and purchasing.
  • 100% of B2B customers want self-service options for at least some parts of the buying process.
  • Buyers increasingly look to B2B companies as thought leaders and strategic partners, with 84% of B2B executives saying it is very important to lean into their new positions as trusted thought leaders.
  • 52% of B2B buyers say the buying cycle for new purchases has gotten longer, proving that the B2B customer experience journey is more non-linear than ever. 

B2B CX continues to change as companies adapt to new technologies and expectations. Successful B2B companies recognize the importance of staying agile, customer-centric, and responsive to emerging trends in order to maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

How to Improve the B2B Customer Experience: Best Practices

Improving the B2B customer experience involves a combination of strategic planning, effective communication, and a customer-centric approach. Here are some best practices to improve B2B CX.

Create an Integrated CX Approach

In the B2B world, customers use a wide variety of channels to interact with your brand. However, the data most companies collect stays in those channels, and it is analyzed independently of the broader experience. 

To improve customer experience, your organization must adopt an integrated CX approach so that you can unlock valuable insights from all sources of customer data, then take action and drive measurable outcomes for your customers. This means collecting and connecting CX data from every touchpoint and channel for a complete view of the B2B customer journey, then navigating and interpreting that data to understand where to focus for the highest impact for your customer and for your business.

Collect Customer Feedback

Invest time in understanding the unique needs and pain points of your B2B customers. Conduct surveys, interviews, and regular feedback sessions to gather insights into their challenges and expectations.

Using information from unsolicited feedback, companies can gain valuable insights into how to improve their brand, products, services, and overall customer experience. B2B companies that are able to monitor and manage customer feedback also often have a more complete understanding of their customers, and can easily measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Common sources of customer feedback include:

  • Customer feedback surveys 
  • Comment cards 
  • Emails and phone calls 
  • Focus group discussions and roundtables
  • Online reviews and ratings
  • Social media comments
  • Customer interviews and business reviews
  • User experience and usability tests

The most successful companies listen to and act on feedback in order to understand their customers better and deliver improved customer experiences. The challenge is to move beyond simply collecting data. A number of successful B2B brands today deploy Voice of the Customer programs to ensure they are really hearing their customers and extracting rich, meaningful insights from their feedback.

Map the B2B Customer Journey

A customer journey map is a visualization of each step your customers take — from the moment they encounter your brand to when they make a purchase and how they react afterward. Using a customer journey map can help your company continuously identify and anticipate the needs, motivations, and actions of your customers. 

Through customer journey mapping, your organization can construct customers’ decision-making scenarios — and better understand the factors that influence purchase decisions and move sales cycles forward. This then aids your efforts to deliver improved customer experiences, drive more sales, acquire and retain more customers, and improve your business processes.

Offer More Personalized Experiences

In a world where consumers are bombarded by hundreds or even thousands of marketing and sales messages every day, personalization holds the key to standing out and cutting through the noise. 

There’s a wide range of personalization tactics, both online and offline, that you can apply to improve the B2B buyer’s customer experience — from customer-specific content and personalized packaging to responsive website design and insight into customers’ order histories. 

By increasing personalization in interactions, touchpoints, and engagements, you give customers a sense of identity and can more easily attract their attention that way. 

Personalization also serves as a sign of respect for customers’ loyalty and business. It signals that your business is interested in strengthening the relationship by providing relevant suggestions, better service, and more informed support. This is why IBM assigns specialists to help its cloud storage suite customers get set up: not only does it help customers maximize the value of IBM’s products and services; it also drives personalized experiences that resonate with individual organizations. 

Ensure Timely Response, Delivery, and Resolution

Great customer service is a major component of great CX. This means ensuring timely response, delivery, and resolution of issues; it means attending to customer needs and solving their specific problems. It’s important to provide responsive customer service through various channels, including email, phone, and live chat. Also, be sure you work closely with customers to address challenges, gather their input, and implement solutions that align with their business objectives.

Maintaining open and proactive communication throughout the customer journey is also a critical aspect of B2B CX management. Keep customers informed about product updates, new features, and relevant industry trends. Clearly communicate pricing, terms, and conditions. Through proactive communication and transparency, you can inspire brand trust and establish a solid foundation for long-term relationships.

Provide Self-Service Options

With research showing that B2B customers want self-service options for parts of the buying process, it’s essential for your organization to explore and invest in self-service technologies. 

Just as a person shopping online has a wide range of products and services to choose from, your B2B buyers should also be able to access content, support, scheduling, and purchasing independently, without direct assistance from a representative. 

Examples of self-service tools that B2B businesses can use include:

  • Customer portals for account management, order history, and invoice tracking
  • E-commerce platforms for product catalog, online ordering, secure payment processing
  • Knowledge bases and customer support portals for ​​troubleshooting guides, FAQs, ticket submission, case tracking, and self-help resources
  • Feedback and survey tools for sharing input on customers’ experiences and gathering insights for improvement
  • Collaboration tools for document sharing, project management, and communication channels
  • Chatbots for responses to common queries, product recommendations, and product and service guides

Offering self-service tools and options can directly impact customer satisfaction, as well as contribute to operational efficiency, allowing your team to focus on more strategic aspects of your relationship with clients. 

Digitize the B2B Journey

B2B buyers demand tools that simplify and streamline the entire buying process — from research and planning, through engagement, to the post-sales phase. This makes it critical to invest in technology that will better engage consumers and make every part of the customer journey pain-free.

You can implement user-friendly online platforms, intuitive interfaces, and streamlined procedures for ordering, invoicing, and payment. Another good example is utilizing digital “track and trace” systems so that clients can see the status of their orders and actions in real time. As you digitize the B2B journey, ensure robust data security measures to instill trust in your B2B customers and help them build confidence in your partnership.

Achieve B2B Customer Experience Excellence with InMoment

Managing the B2B customer experience is not just about individual transactions but about building and sustaining successful, long-term relationships with your customers. With InMoment, you can integrate customer signals across all relevant channels, gain deeper insights into the B2B buyer’s journeys and experiences, and take informed action with the world’s most recommended CX platform.

References 

SmartKarrot. “75 Must-Know Customer Experience Statistics to Move Your Business Forward” (https://www.smartkarrot.com/resources/blog/customer-experience-statistics/). Access 1/3/2024.

TrustRadius. “022 B2B Buying Disconnect: The Age of the Self-Serve Buyer” (https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/2022-b2b-buying-disconnect-the-age-of-the-self-serve-buyer). Access 1/3/2024.

Edelman. “How B2B Companies are Adapting Customer Engagement Strategies During COVID” (https://www.edelman.com/expertise/business-marketing/how-b2b-companies-are-adapting-covid). Access 1/3/2024.

Korn Ferry. “The 2021 Buyer Preferences Study: Reconnecting with Buyers” (https://www.kornferry.com/content/dam/kornferry-v2/featured-topics/pdf/2021-Buyer-Preferences-Study.pdf). Access 1/3/2024.

Customer Survey Statistics: Everything You Need to Know

As businesses continue to evolve their customer listening channels as a part of their Integrated CX strategy, one source of feedback will always be around – customer surveys.

All types of businesses leverage customer surveys, and they’re as important for small, growing businesses as they are for established corporations. When you’re creating a customer survey, whether it’s for the first time, or something you do each year, it’s helpful to understand what to expect. What is a good survey response rate? What are best practices for customer surveys? What is the competition encountering?

We’ve collected customer survey statistics to help you understand the customer survey landscape. Whether you send out a standard survey via email or leverage the Net Promoter Score question in-app, knowing some statistics and trends can help you ensure that you get adequate feedback that helps build your business.

Customer Survey Statistics You Need to Know About…

Hearing from Customers

  • The average business hears from 4% of its dissatisfied customers. (Source: “Understanding Customers” by Ruby Newell-Legner via Help Scout)
  • For every customer who complains to a business, 26 other customers don’t voice their feelings. (Source: White House Office of Consumer Affairs via Help Scout)
  • 95% of customers share bad experiences with others. (Source: Zendesk)

Asking for Feedback via Customer Surveys Statistics

  • Monday is the best day to get the highest amount of complete email surveys for B2B businesses. (Source: CheckMarket).
  • For B2C companies, there is not a best day to send surveys: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays all lead to a relative high response rates and Thursdays and Sundays can better be avoided. (Source: CheckMarket and SurveyMonkey)
  • The average response rate for email surveys is roughly 24.8%, according to a calculation by FluidSurveys.
  • The average response rate for telephone surveys are in the 8-12% range  (Source: FluidSurveys)
  • Response rates can soar past 85% when the respondent population is motivated and the survey is well-executed. (Source: People Pulse)
  • Response rates can also fall below 2% when the respondent population is less-targeted, when contact information is unreliable, or where there is less incentive or little motivation to respond. (Source: People Pulse)
  • Best practice is to keep your survey as short as possible. Data suggests that if a respondent begins answering a survey, there is a sharp increase in drop-off rate that occurs with each additional question up to 15 questions. (Source: SurveyMonkey)

Responding to Feedback Statistics

Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey Statistics & Benchmarks

  • Entelo saw 2x response rate using in-app NPS surveys versus email. For example, when Entelo, a recruiting software, first began to use in-app NPS survey, their response rate quickly jumped from around 24 percent to around 60 percent, before leveling off at about 50 percent. (Source: InMoment)
  • The average American company scores less than +10 NPS, while the highest performing organizations are situated between +50 and +80. (Source: Reichheld via CheckMarket)

Get the ebook, The Modern Guide to Winning Customers with Net Promoter Score. Learn how to modernize your NPS program for growth and higher loyalty.

  • The top 10 NPS leaders (those with the highest NPS scores) are USAA Insurance (80%), USAA Banking (78%), Costco (78%), Apple – Laptop (76%), Dillards (75%), and Nordstrom (75%). (Source: Customer Guru)
  • Fortune 500 companies such as Delta Air Lines, General Motors, Zappos, Lego, and Procter & Gamble all use NPS to help gauge customer happiness. (Source: Net Promoter System)

Thinking Beyond Customer Surveys

While surveys remain a great way to learn about the experiences you are providing your customers, you are more than likely only hearing from 10% of them.  To understand the other 90% companies are moving to a more integrated feedback signal approach to their customer listening.  With InMoment’s Integrated CX, companies are now able to easily combine, analyze and act on multiple signals (i.e. surveys, phone/chat transcriptions, social, CRM notes, etc..) to improve CX.

WHITE PAPER

The Art and Science of Email Survey Invitations

The problem with your survey response rate may not be the survey itself. In fact, most non-responses are due to people not participating in the survey at all. Hence the question: what is in an invitation?

If you are looking for technical and non-technical solutions to create the ultimate e-mail survey invitation, look no further. Take a step towards higher response rates by downloading the document below!

Download the White Paper

Start measuring Net Promoter Score with InMoment.

The Complete Retail Customer Experience Guide

It can be argued that the customer experience is more important in retail than any other industry. With 93% of consumers reading reviews before making a purchase, and 58% of consumers being willing to drive further or pay more for a product with good reviews, a good customer experience and brand reputation management have never been more critical than it is today. 

The retail customer experience is also a complex one. It encompasses the in-store experience just as much as it does the online experience. In order to master the retail customer experience, you first need to understand the whats, the whys, and the hows. 

What is the Retail Customer Experience?

At its core, the retail customer experience encompasses every touchpoint a customer has with a brand, from the first interaction to post-purchase engagement. But, it goes beyond transactions, it also encompasses emotions, perceptions, and overall satisfaction with the brand from the view of the customer. 

Why is the Retail Customer Experience Important

The retail customer experience has become increasingly significant in the success and sustainability of any business operating in the modern marketplace. Consumers can quickly become lifetime customers and brand advocates when they have continuous positive experiences with a brand. But, there are more benefits to a well-crafted retail customer experience that go beyond customer loyalty. Let’s examine a few:

1. Revenue Growth

Satisfied customers are more inclined to spend more and make repeat purchases. When the retail customer experience exceeds expectations, customers feel a connection with the brand, leading to increased spending and higher lifetime value. Positive experiences contribute directly to revenue growth as customers become more engaged and willing to invest in the brand.

2. Competitive Edge

In a crowded marketplace where products and services may seem similar, the retail customer experience becomes a powerful differentiator. Businesses that prioritize delivering exceptional customer experiences gain a competitive edge over their counterparts. Customers are more likely to choose a brand that provides not only quality products but also a memorable and positive overall experience.

3. Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Satisfied customers become brand ambassadors, sharing their positive experiences through word-of-mouth marketing. Recommendations from friends, family, or online reviews play a significant role in attracting new customers. A brand that consistently delivers excellent retail customer experiences is more likely to benefit from positive word-of-mouth marketing, expanding its customer base organically.

How to Improve the Retail Customer Experience

In order to improve your customer experience in retail stores, you will need to focus on two main types of experiences: in-store and digital. These two types of experiences are equally important in cementing customer loyalty and improving the overall experience that is associated with your brand. 

Improving the Digital Retail Experience

Providing an exceptional online retail experience is crucial for capturing and retaining customers. Here are strategies to enhance the digital customer experience:

1. User-Friendly Website

Design and optimize your website for ease of use. Ensure intuitive navigation, quick loading times, and a seamless checkout process. A clutter-free and visually appealing layout enhances user experience and encourages visitors to explore and make purchases.

2. Personalization

Leverage data analytics and customer insights to personalize the online shopping experience. Implement personalized product recommendations, targeted promotions, and customized content based on individual preferences and past interactions. Personalization creates a more engaging and relevant experience for users.

3. Responsive Customer Support

Offer responsive and accessible customer support across various channels, including live chat, email, and social media. Providing real-time assistance and resolving issues promptly contributes to a positive online experience. Implement chatbots for immediate responses and streamline customer communication.

4. Mobile Optimization

Given the prevalence of mobile device usage, optimize your website for mobile responsiveness. Ensure that the online shopping experience is seamless and visually appealing on smartphones and tablets. Mobile optimization is essential for capturing the growing number of consumers who prefer to shop on mobile devices.

5. Secure and Transparent Transactions

Instill confidence in online shoppers by prioritizing the security of online transactions. Clearly communicate your website’s security measures, use secure payment gateways, and provide transparent information about shipping costs and return policies. A secure and transparent transaction process builds trust with customers.

Enhancing the In-Store Retail Customer Experience

While digital experiences are vital, the in-store customer experience remains a cornerstone of retail success. Here are strategies to enhance the in-store retail experience:

1. Store Layout and Design

Create an inviting and well-organized store layout that aligns with your brand identity. Consider factors like product placement, aisle navigation, and overall ambiance. An aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-navigate store layout contributes to a positive in-store experience.

2. Staff Training

Invest in comprehensive training programs for your staff to ensure they provide excellent customer service. Equip them with product knowledge, effective communication skills, and the ability to address customer queries. A well-trained and motivated staff enhances the overall in-store experience for customers.

3. In-Store Events and Promotions

Organize in-store events, promotions, or exclusive sales to create a sense of excitement and urgency. These initiatives not only attract foot traffic but also provide customers with a memorable and enjoyable shopping experience. Consider incorporating interactive elements or entertainment to make the events more engaging.

4. Efficient Checkout Process

Streamline the checkout process to minimize wait times and enhance convenience. Implement technologies like self-checkout kiosks or mobile payment options to offer customers faster and more efficient ways to complete their purchases. An efficient checkout process contributes to overall customer satisfaction.

5. Customer Feedback Stations

Place feedback stations within the store to encourage customers to share their opinions and suggestions. Use this feedback to make informed improvements and adjustments. Actively seeking and acting upon customer feedback demonstrates a commitment to continuously enhancing the in-store experience.

Using InMoment’s predictive customer analytics tool, you get automated insights from unstructured feedback that help you notice what needs to be improved, or what is performing well. 

A screenshot of a customer review after their visit to store

By focusing on both the digital and in-store aspects of the retail customer experience, businesses can create a cohesive and comprehensive strategy that caters to the diverse needs and preferences of their customer base. Integrating these strategies ensures a well-rounded approach that fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty across various channels.

How to Measure Customer Experience in Retail 

Effectively measuring customer experience in retail is essential for identifying strengths, areas for improvement, and overall customer satisfaction. There are three common customer experience metrics that most companies will use to measure customer experience. 

1. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

What it is: NPS is a widely used metric that assesses customer loyalty by asking a simple question: “How likely are you to recommend our brand to others?”

How to measure: Customers respond on a scale from 0 to 10, categorizing them into promoters (9-10), passives (7-8), and detractors (0-6). The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters.

Why it matters: NPS provides a direct indicator of customer satisfaction and loyalty. Higher NPS scores indicate a greater likelihood of customers promoting the brand.

2. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score

What it is: CSAT measures overall customer satisfaction by asking customers to rate their experience on a numerical scale.

How to measure: Typically, customers respond on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, indicating their level of satisfaction. The average score represents the CSAT score.

Why it matters: CSAT offers a straightforward way to assess customer satisfaction after specific interactions or transactions. Regularly tracking CSAT scores helps in identifying trends and areas for improvement.

3. Customer Effort Score (CES)

What it is: CES measures the ease with which customers can achieve their goals or resolve issues.

How to measure: Customers rate their agreement with statements like “The company made it easy for me to resolve my issue” on a scale. The average score represents the CES.

Why it matters: Reducing customer effort enhances satisfaction and loyalty. A lower CES indicates a more straightforward and positive customer experience.

With InMoment’s reporting platform, your CX program performance can become quickly and easily digestible. We allow advanced data filters that allow you to segment insights for the audience that matters most to you. And, with our Reports and Dashboards Builder, you can create reports tailored to your business. 

A customer satisfaction (CSAT) reporting dashboard

Retail Customer Experience Trends

As a retailer, you know that the vast majority of the insights you need to shape your merchandising, product development, e-commerce, and overall business strategy are on review sites, social media, from your employees, and beyond. In order to stay ahead of your customers, you need to be utilizing all of these channels to the best of your ability. But, in an effort to help you do so, our strategic insights team has conducted independent research to uncover two major trends in retail customer experience. 

Trend #1: Consumers Will No Longer Settle for Convenience 

Convenience-based experiences such as self-checkout, buy online and pick up in-store, and flexible payment options are no longer seen as above and beyond features, they have now become the standard. That doesn’t diminish the importance of these features. As a matter of fact, without these features, consumers may not shop with you at all. 

In order to take your retail experiences to the next level, you need to embrace the power of social media and influencer marketing. In our research, we found that over 60% of retailers who had a strong TikTok and Instagram presence noted higher “purchase intent” sentiments. 

Trend #2: Consumers Now Expect Hybrid Experiences

There is no longer a difference between your in-store customers and your online customers. One in three consumers now expect a blend of both in order to enjoy a seamless, hybrid experience. These hybrid experiences can take many different forms, but we asked consumers to rank the hybrid experiences they expect from retail brands:

A list of hybrid experiences ranked 1 to 5 based on importance to the consumer.

In our research, it became clear that consumers were excited at the prospect of using their mobile devices as a part of their in-store experience in a variety of ways:

  • 50% of consumers said they’d like to leverage their phone/an app to view product ratings and reviews while browsing in store
  • 50% of consumers said they’d also like to be able to view product options (such as colors or sizes) by scanning a product with their smartphone in store
  • 33% of consumers said they’d like to view recommended product pairings via an app/mobile site while in store
  • 25% of consumers said they’d like to view social media product reviews/mentions while shopping at a brick-and-mortar location

Essentially, consumers want to bring their favorite digital experience elements into the physical store with them. Whether it’s seeing what other buyers had to say in the moment, getting product pairing recommendations, or other similar options, your consumers are looking to be wowed with personalization while in store. It’s time to start delivering!

Retail Customer Experience Examples

One InMoment client that consistently delivers best-in-class retail experiences is FootLocker. FootLocker was able to utilize the XI Platform to get all of their Voice of Customer and operational data into one, easy to digest platform. As a result, they achieved: 

  • Increased OSAT score
  • Improved issue resolution 
  • Added social media capabilities to their program

Take Your Retail Customer Experience to the Next Level

Are you curious to see how InMoment can help you improve your retail customer experience? Whether it’s our AI capabilities, customer reporting, or contact center software, we have just the solution for you. Schedule a demo to see for yourself today! 

References 

Trustmary. Online Reviews: Statistics That Will Blow Your Mind [2023]. (https://trustmary.com/reviews/online-reviews-statistics-that-will-blow-your-mind/). Access 1/3/2024.

Voluntary Response Bias in Sampling

If you received an invitation to take a survey, you would probably be more likely to actually participate if the topic of the survey interested you. That’s the heart of voluntary response sampling. Like all other methods of sampling, voluntary surveys have their pros and cons. It’s one of the easiest ways to sample quickly and get responses, but it can also result in voluntary response bias.

What is Voluntary Response Bias? 

A voluntary response is when someone volunteers to be a part of your sample. In doing so, you’re allowing them to skew your data and you don’t get results that are representative of the whole population. Thus, you get biased feedback. 

Voluntary response bias refers to how allowing your sample to self-select skews your data, and you don’t actually get results that are representative of your whole population. Voluntary response bias isn’t always inherently bad; it’s not considered the worst of the biases that could arise in your sampling. But it can lead to more extreme results than would actually be true for your population as a whole. 

Why Is Voluntary Response Sampling Biased? 

When you create a survey, you want to get results that are representative of your population, so you can make the right decisions based on the data. If you’re allowing your sample to self-select, you’re not getting data that shows your entire population. You’re only getting data that reflects your sample. That leaves you with results that aren’t generalizable, and generalizing them anyway is where bias becomes a real problem. 

Voluntary response also opens your survey up to the possibility of favoring more extreme results than your population actually experiences. Think about it this way: respondents are more likely to volunteer for a survey if they’re passionate about the topic. The passionate responses can skew your results. You’ll have the customers who loved your product the most (or had a terrible experience) responding instead of your average customer. That could lead to bias problems. You could end up making decisions on products and services that are slightly skewed by voluntary response bias. 

What Is an Example of Voluntary Response Bias?

To illustrate voluntary response bias, let’s consider a scenario involving a survey on customer satisfaction with an online retail platform.

Survey Design:

Imagine a company conducts an online survey to gather feedback on customer satisfaction with its e-commerce platform. The survey is distributed through email newsletters and social media, allowing customers to voluntarily respond to questions about their shopping experience.

Voluntary Response Bias in Action:

  • Customers who had an exceptionally positive or negative experience with the online retail platform may be more motivated to participate in the survey.
  • Customers with neutral or average experiences may be less inclined to take the time to provide feedback, potentially leading to a skewed representation of customer satisfaction.

Resulting Bias:

  • The survey results may disproportionately reflect the views of customers who had either highly positive or negative experiences.
  • The findings might inaccurately suggest that the majority of customers either love or strongly dislike the platform, creating a potential misrepresentation of overall customer sentiment.

Impact on Generalization:

  • If the company relies solely on these biased survey results, they may make decisions based on an exaggerated understanding of customer satisfaction, potentially overlooking the needs and opinions of the more moderate majority.

This example emphasizes how voluntary response bias can manifest in retail surveys when individuals with extreme opinions are more likely to participate, leading to a sample that may not accurately represent the broader spectrum of customer experiences. Recognizing and addressing such biases is crucial for obtaining a more balanced and reliable understanding of customer sentiments in the retail sector.

How to Avoid Voluntary Response Bias

Voluntary response bias can significantly impact the quality of your research results, and potentially lead to skewed and inaccurate conclusions. There are several steps researchers can take to minimize or avoid voluntary response bias and enhance the overall quality of their research. 

1. Use Random Sampling Techniques

Employing random sampling methods such as systematic sampling ensures that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. This reduces the likelihood of biased participation and contributes to a more representative sample.

2. Ensure Anonymity and Confidentiality 

Assure participants of the anonymity and confidentiality of their responses. When individuals feel that their privacy is protected, they may be more willing to participate, reducing concerns about potential repercussions and encouraging a broader range of participants.

3. Implement Post-Stratification Techniques

After data collection, post-stratification techniques can be used to adjust the weights of different groups to match the known population distribution. This helps correct any imbalances that may have occurred during the voluntary response process.

4. Pilot Test Surveys

Before launching a full-scale survey, conduct pilot tests to identify and address any issues with clarity, wording, or potential biases in the questions. Pilot testing helps refine the survey instrument and improve the quality of data collected.

5. Be Transparent About Study Objectives

Clearly communicate the objectives and goals of the research to participants. Providing transparency can attract individuals who are genuinely interested in the topic, rather than those with extreme opinions or biases, leading to a more balanced representation.

By incorporating these strategies into the research design, researchers can minimize the impact of voluntary response bias and enhance the reliability and validity of their study findings. It’s essential to carefully consider the potential biases inherent in voluntary response sampling and take proactive steps to address them throughout the research process.

Advantages of Voluntary Response Sampling

Voluntary response sampling has its own set of advantages in certain situations. Randomly selecting a population and getting those chosen to participate in the survey can be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Voluntary response bias can eliminate that. You aren’t spending time tracking down participants and designing your survey since your sample is just those who are already willing to participate in your survey. Here are some key advantages to consider:

1. Cost-Effective

Voluntary response sampling is often a cost-effective method as it involves minimal resources to collect data. Participants voluntarily choose to respond, reducing the need for extensive outreach efforts or financial investment.

2. Quick Data Collection

The process of collecting data through voluntary responses is generally rapid. Since individuals willingly participate, there is no need for lengthy recruitment processes or follow-ups, making it a swift method for gathering information.

3. Ease of Implementation

Implementing voluntary response sampling is relatively simple. Researchers can easily distribute surveys or questionnaires through online platforms, social media, or other accessible channels, allowing for a quick and straightforward data collection process.

4. Wide Geographic Reach

Voluntary response sampling often allows for a broad geographical reach. Through online surveys or other digital means, researchers can attract participants from diverse locations, contributing to a more extensive and varied dataset.

5. Potential for Unbiased Insights

In some cases, voluntary response sampling may provide insights into niche or underrepresented groups. Participants who choose to respond may have a genuine interest in the topic, leading to a diverse set of perspectives that might not be captured through other sampling methods.

Disadvantages of Voluntary Response Sampling

Voluntary response sampling has some very obvious disadvantages. Using voluntary responses can allow bias to creep in on the results and skew data. Voluntary response also can introduce undercoverage bias. Your population could potentially be a complex and diverse group of people. When you use voluntary responses, only those who are inclined to respond are represented in the results. While voluntary response sampling has its advantages, it is crucial to be aware of its limitations and potential drawbacks. Here are some key disadvantages to keep in mind when deciding to participate in voluntary response sampling: 

1. Selection Bias

One of the most significant challenges with voluntary response sampling is the potential for selection bias. Individuals who choose to participate may differ systematically from those who do not, leading to a skewed representation of the population and compromising the generalizability of the findings.

2. Lack of Randomization

Voluntary response sampling lacks the randomization inherent in more rigorous sampling methods. This absence of random selection can contribute to a non-representative sample, making it difficult to draw accurate conclusions about the broader population.

3. Limited Control Over Sample Composition

Researchers have limited control over the composition of the sample in voluntary response sampling. Certain demographic groups may be overrepresented or underrepresented, impacting the reliability of the collected data and potentially introducing confounding variables.

4. Potential for Misleading Conclusions

Participants in voluntary response surveys may have strong opinions or experiences related to the subject matter, leading to biased results. This can result in findings that are not reflective of the overall population and may lead to misleading conclusions.

5. Difficulty in Establishing Causation

Establishing causal relationships is challenging with voluntary response sampling, as the self-selected nature of participants makes it difficult to determine whether observed correlations are causal or influenced by other factors.

When utilizing voluntary response sampling, researchers should be aware of these disadvantages and carefully consider the appropriateness of this method for their specific research goals and the nature of the population under study.

Collecting Responses and Feedback

Voluntary response bias is a real risk researchers face when using voluntary response sampling. But considering what voluntary response bias does to a survey also opens up a discussion of the larger challenges with surveying. Choosing methods and creating accurate, simple, and powerful surveys is important, and shouldn’t be taken lightly. With InMoment, you’ll have access to best-in-class survey tools that will help you collect, analyze, and act on customer feedback. Schedule a demo today to see it for yourself!

How to Create Winning CX Surveys for Bank Customers

Constant engagement is key to creating a quality, meaningfully improved customer experience (CX). And for banks especially, the quality of the experiences customers have with a brand is the key factor in determining a customer’s longevity and willingness to maintain a relationship with a company. While an integrated CX approach demands that you go beyond the survey and look at data from everywhere – social reviews, call transcripts, chat logs, email threads, and more, CX surveys are the foundation. Banks can and should engage with customers via CX surveys and other feedback methods to see what customers love about the experience and what might need a little tweaking. Even more importantly, banks should engage with customers to let them know that they’re cared for not just as customers, but people.

Customers who feel heard and seen in this way will keep coming back even when the competition out there is fierce (and as you well know, it’s always fierce in the banking world). But what best practices should you follow to create winning CX surveys for bank customers?

Most banks rely on surveys to engage with their customers and gather this valuable intelligence, which is why today’s conversation focuses not ‘just’ on how to build a great survey, but how to do so in a way that speaks effectively to banking customers. So, with that in mind, let’s kick things off by going over our two favorite survey types: relationship surveys and transactional surveys.

Relationship Surveys

Relationship surveys are all about the big picture—brands in every industry use them to get a glimpse of the entire customer-company relationship instead of one or two transactions. A good relationship survey gives banks not only how their customers feel about experiences now, but also helps highlight which experience elements might be even more influential tomorrow.

What follows is the secret sauce for a great relationship survey. You want to include metrics that measure overall satisfaction and loyalty. You also need questions about brand perception, channel usage and satisfaction, product usage and satisfaction, and the experiences that impacted, or are impacting, your customers the most. Questions about marketing communication perception never hurt either! All of these questions, when used together, will give your bank a 360-degree view of customer relationships that goes a long way toward Experience Improvement (XI).

Transactional Surveys

As its name suggests, a transactional survey is all about how well (or not) a transaction at your bank went for your customer. These surveys can be tuned to both in-person interactions and online banking. Though transactional surveys are of a smaller scale than relationship ones, they’re also much more specific, which is great when you’re trying to get into the details of individual interactions.

Generally speaking, you want your transactional survey to ask how well the transaction went, overall satisfaction with elements like application processes and bank teller interactions, and whether there were any problems with either the transaction itself or the resolution that followed. All of that makes for a good enough survey, but we challenge you to go beyond by also asking about elements like how knowledgeable your customers think your reps are, how complete your information is, and whether it’s easy to jump between channels for a more fluid experience.

The Next Step

Whether you’re looking to design your first survey or double-checking whether your current one is up to scratch, we also challenge you to bear something else in mind: having a survey is great, but knowing when and where to deploy it is even better. Hot alerts, contextual survey deployments, and being able to analyze unstructured survey feedback can help take your bank straight to the top.

Interested in learning more on how to do all that? Click here to read our full-length eBook on how banks like yours can use surveys to meaningfully improve experiences, strengthen your bottom line, and build meaningful relationships with customers!

Top Customer Survey Questions for Valuable Feedback

How do you respond when someone asks, “Are you doing okay today?” What if someone asked, “How do you feel today?” Most likely, you would answer these two questions slightly differently. One question asks you just generally how you feel while the other implies that you might not be doing well in the first place, so you might answer differently. There was bias in the wording of one question while the other stayed more open-ended. 

You have possibly come across this phenomenon in your customer surveying experiences. Asking the right question to get responses from customers is crucial to making surveys a valuable tool. When your business decisions are influenced by the feedback you get in customer surveys, it’s even more important to make sure you’re asking the right questions to get the right feedback. But what are the right questions to ask? Read on to learn more about the different types of customer survey questions and what questions can help you get the most valuable feedback. 

What Are the Different Types of Customer Survey Questions?

There are different types of questions you can ask customers for different types of surveys. A great survey will include a variety of questions to gather a variety of feedback. Depending on your goal for the feedback, you’ll want to focus on different aspects of the problem you’re exploring. We’ll walk you through four different types of survey questions to consider. 

Open-Ended Questions

If you’re looking for deeper insights, open-ended questions can be extremely beneficial. These questions will include a section for customers to fill in or answer with more in-depth thoughts. These types of questions are sometimes more complex and can’t be answered in a word or two. The feedback you collect may also be complex, so it’s important to have a good way to understand and utilize the data. When you get longer answers, it can be difficult to mine for the key insights, so it’s important to have a strong analytics system in place. 

Open-ended questions also run the risk of customers choosing to skip these questions. These questions require more thought and effort to write up or talk about their answers that some customers may choose to go onto the next question. So open-ended questions can be extraordinarily valuable, but they need to be used sparingly to help customers finish the survey. Save open-ended questions for the insights you need that can’t be gathered from another question type. 

Yes or No Questions

While open-ended questions can provide deep insight, simple questions still serve a valuable purpose in a customer survey. A yes or no question just asks customers to select an option between yes or no. These questions are simple for customers to answer, so very few will skip the question. The main drawback of this type of question is that it will only provide a little information about how the customer feels about a topic. But, despite that, these questions prove valuable to revealing a problem. For more insight, you may need a follow-up question, but a simple yes or no question can still give you a good idea of where a problem may lie. 

Options Questions

Options questions are another simple question type that gets more specific than just yes or no questions. For these types of questions, customers will choose from a predetermined set of options. Sometimes it’s beneficial to allow customers to select more than one option, and you should make that clear to customers. Option questions are also often very useful to find insight into if something is a problem—without requiring too much effort on the customer’s part to answer the question. The data you gather from options questions can be more manageable since it’s already decently organized, and the insights can still be incredibly valuable. 

Scale Questions

Scale questions allow customers to slide or select a numeric value that aligns with their answer. Often these numbers are attached to an answer or feelings. For example, a scale question might have three numbers for disagree, neutral, and agree. Scale questions give less detailed insight than open-ended questions, but they can give more detail than some yes or no questions. Scale questions, though, can involve more effort on the part of the customer—depending on how complex the scale is. On the other hand, scale questions data is very easy to use, find the average of, and begin implementing. 

Overall, these are some of the types of questions that many people use in customer surveys. All of these questions can be utilized in many different survey formats. These are some of the most common survey formats used. 

Survey Formats

  • Email surveys. These surveys typically include a link to questions that target a customer’s experience. Sometimes email surveys come after a purchase or to just check in with customers at any point in their journey. These online surveys are usually easy for customers to respond to, but sometimes the extra step of following the link can lose some customers and potential respondents. 
  • Pop-up surveys. Instead of sending out an email, you could use a pop-up survey to ask customers about their experience. For example, after a purchase, you might have a brief pop-up survey that asks them to rate their experience and to illustrate any challenges they faced on your website. 
  • Exit surveys. When a customer decides to leave your company, an exit survey can be a valuable tool to find out why. These are often online surveys that pop up after a customer unsubscribes, or they could be email surveys that are delivered when a customer hasn’t purchased a product in a long time. 
  • Receipt surveys. If you use a brick and mortar store, you probably hand out receipts to most customers. A link to a survey on the receipt can be a way to learn more about customers’ experiences. These links also work well for digital receipts. 
  • Comment card surveys. These surveys are an old staple, but they’re a staple for a reason. Using pen and paper, you can leave physical cards for customers to fill out and leave comments on their experience. It can take more of your time to enter this data (as online surveys are fairly simple to begin analyzing), but this survey type can reach other customers online surveys may not. 
  • In-store surveys. If you have a brick and mortar store, you can set up a survey system inside the store. Kiosks by entrances and exits are a great way to reach customers who may not subscribe to your email list or visit your website. 

What Are the Top Customer Questions to Get the Most Valuable Feedback?

The type of question and the format of the survey all influence how customers may respond, but the actual content of the questions can also have a large impact on how customers respond. What are the most valuable questions to ask in a survey? These are some of the main categories of questions and the specific questions that can help you get the most valuable feedback from customers. 

Demographic Questions

  • What is your name? This question is simple for customers to answer and can give you a way to organize the rest of the data you collect. 
  • What is your age/gender? These are more simple questions that customers likely won’t skip, but they can help you determine if there are any trends among certain demographics for your products or services. 
  • Where do you access your news? Understanding where your customers are going for information can help you determine where they could come across your products and how to best reach them in the future. 

Psychographic Questions

  • Do you prefer reading online or through a physical copy? Knowing where your customers want to get their information is important to know how to reach certain groups of customers and potential customers. If you know that your customers like to read physical copies, you’ll know it could be advantageous to have physical copies of materials for customers. 
  • How do you prefer to receive information? It can be valuable to simply ask how your customers prefer to receive information from you. If you know how they want to receive information, you can then focus your efforts on particular channels. 

For Marketing

  • How did you learn about our company? If you know how your customers learned about your company, you can begin focusing your marketing efforts on particular areas to reach more potential customers. 
  • How often do you use our product/service? Knowing when your customers use your products can help you find the specific areas where you could improve your marketing efforts to reach your customers. For example, if you learn your customers use your products or services three times a week, you could better market to future customers about how your products could be used. 
  • What made you decide to purchase from us? Learning about what drew customers to go through with a purchase can help you know where and how to enhance that to draw more customers through the marketing funnel and to commit to purchasing. 

For the Website

  • Have you used our website before? This question is simple and takes little time for customers to respond to, but it can inform you on whether or not customers use your website in the first place. 
  • Did you find what you were looking for on the website? It’s important to know how easy it is to navigate your website and how easy it is for customers to find what they’re looking for. It’s even more important to know if customers aren’t finding what they’re looking for, so you can begin to improve your website to facilitate ease and help customers make purchases. 
  • What would you change about the website? Customers may point out weak places on your website, or they might point out little points that could’ve prevented them from going through with a purchase. Knowing these things can help you fine tune your website to enhance the customer experience. 

For Product Improvements

  • Which features do you love about this product? If you know what customers love, you’ll know what’s working well. If you know what’s working well, you’ll be better able to improve your products to enhance what works. If customers love a particular part of your product, you can bring that out more, adjust the parts that aren’t working, and add what customers love to new products. 
  • What would you change about the product? If a customer would change something about the product, it’s worth knowing about. Those suggestions can help you pinpoint areas for improvement and how a customer might like to see the product improved. 
  • What do you like the least about this product? Asking customers about what they don’t like can show you where the weak spots are with your product, so you can begin finding the right ways to improve it. 

For Products That Aren’t Selling

  • What challenges are you trying to solve with this product? If you know why a customer bought the product, you can figure out how you might market the product that isn’t selling better. For example, if customers use a product that’s not selling well to solve a problem that you hadn’t intended the product for, you could shift marketing to begin targeting customers with that particular problem. 
  • What would have stopped you from buying the product? If you know where a customer would have given up, you can work to keep future customers from stopping at that point. 
  • Do you feel that the product is worth the cost? Sometimes a product isn’t selling because the price doesn’t match the product. Knowing this can help you adjust and find ways to make a product be successful. 

To Measure Customer Experience

  • How likely are you to recommend this product or service? This simple question has customers rank the likelihood of recommending the product on a scale of 1 to 10. Ultimately, this question can help you determine your Net Promoter Score
  • How satisfied are you with your experience with our company? You likely want to know how satisfied your customer is with your company and products, and customer satisfaction survey questions can help you understand that​​. Using this survey question can also help you determine your Customer Satisfaction score
  • How well did our company help you handle an issue you had? Customers come across issues regularly, and your customer service representatives will often help them. It’s important to know how your team is working and where your customer effort score is. 

5 Things Good Customer Survey Questions Should Do

Customer surveys play a pivotal role in understanding and improving the customer experience. The effectiveness of these surveys hinges on the quality of the questions posed. Let’s delve into the key attributes that define what good customer survey questions should do:

1. Elicit Specific and Actionable Responses

The hallmark of effective survey questions is their ability to extract clear and actionable feedback. Ambiguous or convoluted queries can muddy the waters, making it essential to craft questions that lead to precise and useful insights.

2. Address Relevant Topics

Good survey questions are purpose-driven, focusing on topics that directly align with the objectives of the survey. Whether gauging satisfaction levels or exploring product preferences, questions should be tailored to the specific goals at hand.

3. Consider the Customer’s Perspective

Crafting questions from the customer’s viewpoint is crucial. Language should be accessible, avoiding industry jargon or technical terms that might alienate respondents. Questions should resonate with customers, ensuring clarity and ease of understanding.

4. Encourage Honest and Unbiased Feedback

Neutral wording and a balanced approach characterize questions that elicit honest feedback. Customers should feel empowered to express their opinions candidly, even if they are critical. Minimizing bias in the questions contributes to the reliability of the responses.

5. Offer a Range of Response Options

Versatility in response formats—whether scales, multiple-choice, or open-ended—enables customers to express their sentiments in ways that suit them best. This flexibility enhances the richness of the data and ensures a comprehensive understanding of customer attitudes.

In essence, the success of customer survey questions lies in their capacity to generate actionable insights. By considering the customer’s perspective, maintaining clarity, and aligning questions with the survey’s objectives, businesses can gather valuable information to enhance their offerings and cultivate strong customer relationships.

Best Practices to Make Your Customer Questions More Fruitful

Once you have your survey questions designed, there are a few more best practices to keep in mind as you prepare your customer surveys: 

  • Always A/B test your surveys before sending them out to customers. It’s important to figure out what will work well in your survey early on. 
  • Make sure you ask satisfied customers and unsatisfied customers. Both types of customers will give you different results, so it’s important to ask both how they feel about something. 
  • Always ask short and relevant questions. Longer questions are complicated and hard to answer, and short questions will get your more response and better data. 
  • Send the surveys at the right time. Timing is key to nearly everything, including surveys. Research to determine when it would be best to send your particular surveys. 
  • Thank your customers for their feedback. People love to be valued for the work they do, so thanking your customers will help them feel valued and encourage them to respond to future surveys.

Overall, focusing on your survey questions can help you gain valuable feedback and insights from your customers. Surveys aren’t the only way to get information, but they are certainly a valuable tool to utilize. Asking the right survey questions reduces the bias that can come from wording questions in particular ways, which can lead to false information. Information gathered that is inaccurate, untruthful, or not useful can actually harm a company in the long run because there should always be a constant improvement.

Instead, it’s important to focus on choosing good survey questions that are both accurate and valuable. To learn more about how to improve your surveys, talk with an expert today!

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