Top 5 Reasons for Customer Satisfaction

Several months ago, I completed a textual analysis of online reviews for a specific B2C industry. I poured over 100+ positive reviews across a two week period from people all across the United States. Each time I saw a commonly used key word or phrase, I would give it a tally. When finished, I lumped these key words and phrases into categories. For example, "a great deal," "a good price," and "within the budget," all fell within the category of price. These categories are the reasons that these customers were satisfied with their purchases. Below is a list of the top 5 mentioned reasons and my comments on them.

1. Recognition of the sales rep(s) as hard-working: Customers want to have a sense that we are working hard to get them the best deal. They like us to "go the extra mile" or "to great lengths" to get them help them achieve their goals. More than anything, they appreciate the notion that we are working--and working diligently--on THEIR behalf.
   
   


2. Recognition of the buying process as an easy one: "HASSLE-FREE." If there are any snags whatsoever in the buying process, it will raise red flags in the customer's mind. An easy, pleasant experience will almost guarantee a good review and repeat business every time.




3. Recognition of the sales rep(s) as being friendly: It seems so simple but an overwhelming amount of the good reviews I read mentioned the friendliness of the sales rep(s). Customers like dealing with friendly people. It's obvious and almost goes without saying, but a smile and a conversational tone will end up going a long way.




4. Recognition of the company as not being the stereotypical sales organization: This is HUGE. Professionals in sales do not typically have the best reputations. Overcoming our stereotypes is a big deal to the customer. When their expectations of us are so low, we leave a great impact when we show them that we are quite the opposite.



5. Recognition of the good communication and follow-up of the sales rep(s): In spite of the ever-present nagging temptation to call reluctance, customers actually LIKE it when we follow-up and keep them informed. We need to make every customer feel as if he or she is our only customer.

So, there you have it. These are not the reasons that people buy, but they are the reasons why people are glad that they did. This metric of customer satisfaction, I think, is a very useful one to know. A happy customer is much more likely to be a repeat customer. Remember, these are customers that were satisfied enough to bother filling out a review...and, in today's fast-paced world, that means a lot. I know this was for a specific industry, but I think the principles can be applicable to all businesses. Hard-work, a smooth process, friendliness, uniqueness, and follow-up: these are all qualities that any of us in sales would love our customers to perceive us as having. Let's make it happen.