→ I feel like you're not listening to me anymore. See you later or never, whatever.

Many times we like to compare human relationships with customer-brand relationships. In the first scenario, an everyday complaint would likely come as a question: why don’t you listen to me anymore and demand an answer? But brands are not so lucky. The alternative for the consumer is close enough. That’s why getting to understand the customer’s viewpoint is a key component in the discussion. Startups can get feedback by publishing their work more often. Big organizations should find ways to be more like the new Twitter.

How to increase customer satisfaction?

Should we do more customer research? Should we innovate? Should we measure our plans? What should we do? Apparently, by looking at the data we spend a lot trying to increase customer satisfaction scores but we are failing. Why?

From what I see, there is a battle between measuring stuff and making stuff better. For a second, they can be similar. Usually, companies think that by decreasing costs and offering a technological solution to a problem they can increase customer satisfaction. It looks logical indeed, however, it is wrong. We have proudly removed the customer service call canters with chatbots. The only useful way to talk with chatbots is by asking them to talk with a real agent. However, we all agree that from a cost perspective is great. But from a customer perspective is a nightmare.

So, to innovate, to understand customers, and to make things the customer wants generally cost money, a lot of money. Innovation doesn’t mean adding another technological layer on top of the existing one. It shouldn’t be a short-term task, it shouldn’t even be only the job of the marketing department. It should be a business goal. The company must be picky about what needs change and what doesn’t.

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