Customer churn – how many could have been saved?

Here's a question business owners may like to ask themselves before they pass up on implementing customer satisfaction surveys.

If you don't know how your customers feel about your brand, how are you supposed to stop them from leaving silently when they become dissatisfied?

A recent survey by Accenture put this interesting question to consumers: could companies you had switched away from have done anything to prevent your leaving?

Nearly half (48 per cent) of those surveyed had said that they had changed providers/brands during the past 12 months due to bad customer service, according to the results published by Marketing Week on March 21.

Astonishingly, 85 per cent of respondents said that, yes, their loyalty could have been preserved if the business had acted.

Imagine that – how many customers have left your brand that needn't have, but for a little bit of effort on your part?

Rachel Barton, managing director for CRM at Accenture UK & Ireland, told Marketing Week that there was incredible churn taking place.

Much of this could have been prevented in large part by businesses focusing more on customer experience.

"What is surprising is the fact that companies are still not getting this right," said Ms Barton.

"The frustration points that consumers are citing are not that different from those they were talking about two or three years ago – first-time resolution or the [need for] knowledgeable customer service agents, none of that is new."

One of the extra frustrating things about customers leaving your brand is that it often can go unnoticed.

Taking a more proactive approach to monitoring customer satisfaction levels can help your business to pre-empt customer exits by giving them a chance to voice their opinion on a whole range of matters.

For instance, you could use a customer service survey to ensure that consumers are happy with the service side of your business and that staff training is doing its job.