Today, consumers have many ways to report bad experiences with businesses. Some go online and give reviews, but there are also ways that you can ensure you get reports in-house. Customer satisfaction surveys can be used for this purpose. If you need guidance on setting up a customer satisfaction survey, a third-party customer service company can be used as a resource. The following points can help you improve customer service.

Develop an incentive-based customer satisfaction survey.

Some of your customers will not voluntarily inform you of how satisfied they are with your business. However, if you offer them an incentive for their time, they might be more likely to consider filling out your survey. Examples of incentives are discounts on services or products, a monetary reward based on a drawing, or a free product for their time. If you have a survey system in place for customers but they rarely respond to it, you should also consider offering an incentive to see if it will improve survey participation.

Reward employees for good performance through a trackable program. 

If your employees are doing a good job, rewarding them will ensure that they continue to provide good customer service on your behalf. Perhaps you have a way to track employee metrics, and you should reward those who perform well. Do not forget about the promising employees who gradually make improvements on their performance. If you implement a customer satisfaction survey, it may help to track some of the customer service portion of your employees' metrics. For example, customers who see your employees face-to-face can complete surveys based on who they interacted with from your company, and if the service is provided on your phone, ensure that your employees provide a name or an agent ID number that you can use internally.

Coach employees when problematic trends are noted.

When results from customer surveys are compiled, reports can be created. You may be able to note areas that your business can stand to improve in. For example, you may be able to see that customers are reporting long hold times or long lines and waiting. Perhaps you will be able to track this all the way down to certain days or time frames. The information can be used to coach employees on how to improve their performance. You may also be able to implement better staffing plans. 

Ensure appropriate follow-ups are performed when egregious business acts are reported. 

There may come a time when a customer makes a shocking report about your business. These reports should not be ignored or taken lightly. Having an escalation process in place could aid in ensuring that you do not lose customers due to a negative experience. For example, if a customer has a negative experience at your business location, ensure there is a manager available. If it happens over the phone, ensure there are quality assurance strategies in place such as replaying a call if rudeness is reported. Also, ensure someone is available to take the call if a customer requests to speak with a supervisor.