We frequently go through some of our larger customer accounts and call the customers to check in and see how the service is working for them. On one occasion I came across a very large account. At first glance I noted that the customer dutifully paid their bill each month and almost never called customer service.
When I called and spoke with them, I found out that they were experiencing a number of technical issues and were considering switching to a different provider. They didn’t have the time to call us to complain or try to resolve the issues. I went into the call thinking the customer was going to sing our praises, only to find out that we had some issues to deal with. While I wasn’t able to resolve all of their issues in that moment, I was able to open up a feedback loop with the customer to work toward a resolution.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a fantastic way to measure how likely our customers are to recommend us to their friends and colleagues. What I learned in this example though is that we have a whole group of customers that may be too busy to call customer service or complete one of our NPS surveys.
This is a great reminder that a silent customer isn’t always a happy customer. Never underestimate the importance of periodically reaching out to your customers– especially the large ones. This regular contact with them will give you valuable insight into how your customers experience your service and may very well turn a detractor into a promoter.
How often do you reach out to your customers? Please take a moment to share your thoughts in a comment.
