A new way to rate customer satisfaction - and improve it

Customer satisfaction has always been a hot topic. Various measuring methods have been developed and implemented in order to evaluate and track it, such as mystery shoppers and satisfaction surveys.

However, these concepts have their limits; priorities have changed. The new important indicator is the NPS, or Net Promoter Score.

Today, having satisfied customers is no longer enough, and it is important to go a step further in our relationship with them. It is important to keep in mind that an ‘only satisfied’ customer can easily be lost to other channels or your rivals.

The NPS is calculated based on responses to a single question. For example: ‘Considering your experience with our product/service/brand, how likely would you be to recommend it to a friend?’.

The answer would be chosen from a scale of values, from one (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of customers who are ‘detractors’ (those who give a score from one to six) from the percentage of customers who are ‘promoters’ (who give scores of nine and 10). ‘Passives’ (who score seven or eight) are ignored. An NPS score above zero starts to be acceptable, while a score above 50 is considered as excellent.

We have to try to reach excellence in the way we treat our customers and we want them to be amazed. Their experience in our store or while using our product has to be unique, rewarding and pleasant.

The respondents who give the highest NPS marks might eventually actively recommend our products to their friends and relatives. This is why our salespeople have to seek the highest marks possible, ideally a 10 every time.

And how to reach that goal? First of all, excellent marks come with an excellent treatment: give a professional image when needed but be close to your customer when required. It is important to perfectly know the product you are selling and correctly and convincingly answer the customer’s questions. It is also essential to give a feeling of security and to be close to the most loyal customers.

The goal is to be able to show emotional intelligence in every sale and in every commercial deal.