As customers, we know very well which companies we trust and which we dislike. But when we're on the other side, it's often difficult to know for sure what our customer thinks about our brand, product, or service, isn't it?
But rest assured, with advances in technology and customer-centric strategies, it's becoming easier and easier to find the answers to these needs.
Today there are several tools and methods to identify what customers are saying about our company, and whether or not they are recommending our brand to others. And that's what I'll tell you all about next!
The New Market
With the internet, companies have expanded their contact with customers, precisely because they have more points of interaction: social networks, blogs, YouTube, websites, WhatsApp, etc
The market and customer behavior change very rapidly, and what was essential a short time ago, digital marketing, is no longer enough.
Digital interaction alone is no longer sufficient or efficient for the new feedback economy. In fact, in an increasingly online world, offline interactions with customers can represent a significant competitive advantage.
Investments in artificial intelligence technologies are high. Marketing professionals will be able to be more assertive in campaigns by knowing exactly their customers' pain points, as well as the true differentiators of the business. And customer service will also be optimized, leading to greater engagement in H2H, or Human-to-Human.
In this new scenario, companies face several challenges:
- How can I get my client's attention?
- How can I engage the customer?
- How can I generate more brand advocates who will recommend my brand?
Changes in Customer Dynamics
Thanks to the internet, consumers are much more concerned about the quality of products and companies before making any purchase. You can find out any information about a company using Google: whether the company has complaints, how it treats its customers, and what the main problems and difficulties faced by its consumers are.
And that's where we find a major bottleneck in business; today, the customer has much more information about the company than the company has about the customer. This makes everything more complicated when it comes to decision-making on the part of the company.
And all this abundance of information has made customer service a challenge. After all, if a customer receives poor service in the establishment, or even virtually, they will complain about the company to other people. And the chances of the business owner or management not even finding out are very high. This results in the impossibility of solving a problem that, in many cases, could be simple.
Therefore, it is much more difficult for organizations to capture the attention of their customers. And if you are thinking about creating an effective marketing campaign, a customer service that generates engagement with your client, you should ask the most important person in your business: your customer!
Customers can fire everyone in a company, from the top executive down, simply by spending their money elsewhere.
Sam Walton– Founder of Walmart
Good products and services are always welcome, and nobody likes something defective or faulty, but unfortunately, this can happen.
And it is the company's role to understand the customer's perspective and provide the necessary support and attention to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty .
The Market Is Becoming More Inclusive
A few years ago, if you bought a poor-quality product, your complaint would reach a few family members, close friends, and maybe an acquaintance. The information didn't spread further because the channels were limited and exclusive.
Nowadays, if you buy a bad product, you can complain on your social network and show your dissatisfaction to people you don't even know by tagging the company's name. That way, if someone else decides to research the product, they will have access to your complaint and may be influenced by it. The world today is inclusive, social, and horizontal.
Therefore, if a company wants to achieve success, it needs a horizontal structure. It's no longer enough to develop products and distribute them in the market. The company needs to involve the customer in this development process, making it a reflection of what happens in the digital world.
Power has long since shifted from the hands of the company to the hands of the customer. Consumers no longer trust brand advertising, being much more influenced by friends, family, and social media, for example.
The New Customer Journey
These points I'm about to share are taken from Philip Kotler's fantastic book, Marketing 4.0. I recommend it to everyone.
The goal of the new customer journey is to guide the customer from the moment they become aware of your brand to the moment they begin to advocate for and represent it. The steps of this journey are represented by the following 5 A's:
Awareness :At this point, you need to make the customer aware that your brand exists in the world. You can achieve this in various ways, such as advertising, social media, AdWords, blogs, etc.
Appeal :Here, you need to demonstrate your unique selling proposition to the potential client. This means you need to stand out from your competitors, whether through design, company values and vision, or any other characteristic that catches the potential client's attention.
Ask :At this stage, your potential customer will research your company. They might do a Google search, ask an acquaintance or friend, or look for information in online communities. This point is crucial and the main reason why brands maintain a good relationship with online communities. Searches with positive results will influence your potential customer, making them want to proceed with the business.
Action :This is the stage where the purchase is finalized. The user performs the action of paying for the product, completing the purchase. But generally, they only get to this point if the result of their search has been positive.
Advocate (Defender): This is the post-sales stage. Customers satisfied with the product and the company's relationship will defend it.
Zone 'O'
Zone O represents a person's sources of influence in decision-making. These sources are:
Own (personal): These are the negative or positive experiences that each individual has had with each brand. The company cannot control this source.
Other :This refers to the information acquired during the 'Ask' phase of the five A's. These sources aid in the client's final decision. The company also has no control over these sources.
Outer (external): These are the sources of information received through digital and traditional communication channels. The company only has control over this source.
The company needs to position itself well across these three sources, maintaining a good relationship with customers and keeping them satisfied. Think about how your company positions itself within each of these sources. What does the online community say about your product? How will your potential customers be influenced by these sources?
Understanding each of them and improving your positioning can help you be successful.
Remember, a satisfied customer speaks well of your company, but a customer who understands your company defends it! Lucas Hansel – CPO of Harmo
In Search of the WOW Moment!
This is the moment when you surprise the customer and cause a positive reaction. An example of this was the company Nubank. A woman sent a message to the company after her young son dropped her cell phone and she was unable to pay the bill. Customer service sent a letter with a cell phone case so that the customer could protect her device and apologized for what happened! Many people were delighted with the company's customer service and shared the post on Facebook.
Winning companies are those that never forget to create WOW moments for their customers.
Choose the Right Tool
I've talked about a lot of cool stuff so far, haven't I? But what about you? You must be wondering, how do I better understand my client and get more information about them?
You need a tool that keeps up with the scale of your challenges and brings intelligence to your operation – and implementing that can be a challenge! Unfortunately, we don't have a very mature feedback culture in Brazil, which leaves companies with poor information about their consumers.
Did you realize that if you have vital and valuable information about your customer, you will be able to identify and solve problems effectively, as well as anticipate trends and behavioral patterns? And will all those A's and Philip Kotler's Zone O be a success?
That's right, everything is easily resolved when we have accurate and timely information about our customers.
But let's move on to choosing the tool. What should it have?
- To be simple and in real time;
- Having multiple channels to reach the customer wherever they are;
- Being flexible and using multiple metrics allows for a complete view of the customer experience;
- Having easy access to data without bureaucracy to work with;
- Questions that automatically generate charts;
- Having data cross-referencing and filters for customized comparisons;
- Generating reports;
- To have a good experience when answering the questionnaire;
Be where your customer is! Don't use a tool that will limit you when it comes to collection points. Since the power is in the hands of the consumer, they will choose which channel to use to give feedback.
One tool that meets these needs is Harmo, the most complete platform on the market for managing and controlling feedback between brands and consumers.