The core tenet of customer service is that the customer is always right. In other words, “the customer is king”.

I like to take a more pragmatic view.

Whatever field you’re in, some of your customers are going to have unreasonable demands. Some will need a different product than the one you’re offering., With that in mind, the customer always needs to be heard.

All feedback is important if you can filter and interpret it correctly. And if you’re diligent in collecting information from your customers and clients, you can address most of their frustrations before they reach a boiling point.

This is a proactive, data-led approach to customer feedback. It builds lasting relationships. Some churn is an inevitable fact of life – but you can greatly reduce it if you pay attention to frustrations.

What are some common pain points?

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to preventing and addressing customer frustrations. You need to be active in gauging your customer’s needs and priorities.

Nonetheless, there are a few issues that show up in every industry:

Complicated systems

It’s easy to lose sight of how an average person might experience your product or service. You and your team live and breathe your product, so everything about it seems self-explanatory after a while. The average customer might get overwhelmed or stuck in ways you can’t predict.

Commitment and pricing issues

Since the pandemic and the subsequent economic uncertainty, people and businesses have become more hesitant to enter long-term financial commitments of any kind.

Slow response times

Like it or not, customers expect immediate solutions. They don’t appreciate being “left on read”.

Lack of personal touch

This one might be even worse than customers feeling ignored. If they receive a response that seems generic and doesn’t address the crux of their issue, your customers will conclude that there’s no point in bringing up future problems with you. You alienate a loyal customer by being too inflexible, and you also lose out on a crucial data source.

What can you do to address these problems?

I work in customer feedback management. My company, Simplesat, is a survey tool that helps clients understand what their customers expect of them.

Also Read: 5 customer experience (CX) trends to consider in 2022

I’d like to share the main lessons my team, and I have learned across industries. To reduce frustration, you need to:

Be responsive 

In customer service, delays not only cause frustration but also cost time and money.

By being responsive to your customers’ needs, you show that you value them. This improves satisfaction and creates trust.

For example, my company employs an online fast-response system and a 24/7 human customer support team. We also keep updating our helpdesk with solutions to any new customer concerns we encounter.

But again, it’s not enough to just hear our customers out: we have to show that their input made a difference.

If a customer’s problem doesn’t have a clear solution (yet), do your best to find workarounds.  Consider keeping the customer’s information on file and email them as soon as you’re done implementing any relevant change to their concern.

Ask the right questions

You can’t improve your system unless you know what the problem is. But your customers aren’t always able to pinpoint all their issues in a way that’s convenient for you.

Put in the work necessary to improve communications.

Use customer surveys often and across different channels. Ask follow-up questions and open-ended questions to improve your understanding of customer frustrations. 

But don’t overwhelm them with an interrogation! Keep the focus on the issue at hand, and try to make the interaction fun, easy, and encouraging.

Keep things simple and offer choices

Minimising customer stress is key to reducing churn and building your reputation. With that in mind, it’s best to offer a few options to choose from.

For example, here’s how Simplesat addresses pricing concerns:

• We offer a flat rate, with a single price per tier of service
• There are no contracts or tie-ins to worry about
• It’s easy to move from one tier to another, and we’re upfront about the benefits of each
• Customers can leave any time they want with no penalty
• We only ask them to complete a form that explains why they’re leaving

Taking a straightforward approach makes it easier to predict churn rates and revenue growth.

But more importantly, your customers will appreciate having clear choices with no secret gotchas to worry about. Fostering integrity and transparency leads to great word-of-mouth referrals — and it helps you sleep at night!

Build on what customers already know

In the world of SaaS, in particular, customers want to work with tools they’re familiar with. 

Their goal is to keep their workflow simple. They don’t want to have to make decisions they don’t understand fully. Sometimes, their frustration comes from the fact that your tool is creating more questions than it solves.

Also Read: How to reduce churn: 5 essential customer retention strategies

Always remember that the customers might have a different experience than you and your team. They don’t understand the inner workings of your product, they just want a solution to their issue. Their convenience should be a priority at all times.

And most importantly

The best way to handle customer frustrations is to prevent them. 

You want to know what’s bothering your customers, and you need that information before the snag develops into a full-blown grievance. But discovering these issues takes some finesse.

Semi-satisfied customers don’t always give great feedback. They want to avoid rocking the boat, or they simply can’t be bothered to file a report. 

So, what can you do to get the information you need?

In my experience, quarterly NPS surveys are the best way to identify potential points of dissatisfaction. As these surveys describe a general user experience, your clients will be more willing to be objective (for example, they can complain about customer service without feeling like they’re getting someone in trouble). 

Remember: you can’t afford to rely only on information from closed tickets (surveys sent out after a problem has been identified). Keep a close eye on your customers’ heartbeats even when everything seems fine. With good enough surveys, you won’t have to worry about any secret frustrations.

Your company’s future depends on getting this right (no pressure!)

When customers think they’re not being heard, it creates a sense of disappointment and helplessness.

What do they do next? Well, they complain about it on Twitter.

Ignoring customer frustrations negatively affects your brand image and online persona. This leads to a cascading effect of increased churn, decreased interest, and damaged professional relationships.

Your future customers buy into real-time customer reviews and feedback. Make sure to show them that you care.

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