Tips to Improve and Manage Customer Participation In Your Business
The role played by customers in the planning, delivery and evaluation of service quality in any business is very important. In order to increase service quality and improve customer satisfaction, customers must be managed properly. There are tips that you can use as a manager to improve service delivery and increasing customer participation in service production within your business. By implementing these strategies, you can expect improvement in performance levels and customer satisfaction.
Managing customer participation should be carried out in a strategic manner that will not interfere with customer satisfaction. Your plans should be well developed in order for you to reach your goals of achieving high standards of service. Customers should feel comfortable when participating in the service experience in order for them to remain active in the quality improvement process. This way you are able to benefit from their contributions and increase your productivity.
One strategy that has been employed by companies all over the world is the use of social sites like Face book and Twitter where customers are encouraged to talk to each other and recommend products or services that they have used and that have satisfied them. You can use the customers’ feedback to improve the delivery of services as well as to evaluate and make plans on the service experience. Their contributions need to be considered when the service delivery is being improved.
As you seek their participation, you should clearly define the roles that the customers will undertake and make them understand the impact of their contribution. This will enable them carry out their roles and contribute in improving the service delivery by helping others. It is important to note that not all customers may be right to undertake the process.
You will need to carefully select the right customers who will be in a position to undertake their roles and even handle other customers. You can address this by training them on how to carry out their tasks and influence other customers positively. Rewarding them for their efforts and participation will certainly get them motivated. You can use rewards such as discounts for your products and services, gifts or lowered costs.
It is important that you also identify the different classes of customers that you have in your business. This understanding will help you manage the different customers separately using different strategies that will suit each and every one of them. One of the strategies that you can use is to ensure that you set up strategies that attract homogeneous groups of customers at the same time. This will enable you to communicate the right message to compatible customers. Codes of conduct can be used to regulate customer behavior such as restricting smoking or emphasizing on a certain dress code.
Do not leave out your employees in the process. Involve them as well. Teach them how to recognize customers’ interactions and take advantage of opportunities that can be used to foster positive customer experiences.
