Traditional customer feedback methods like surveys and reviews are a crucial first step to understanding customer sentiment, but they only go so far. Most dissatisfied customers remain voiceless.
With customer feedback survey completion rates regularly in the single digits, CX leaders need to pay attention to the “silent signals” from unhappy customers who don’t raise their hands to voice their complaints.
Missing these silent signals can have wide-ranging repercussions, starting with the lost value of customers. One in 3 will leave a brand they love after a single bad experience.
Traditional voice of customer methods aren’t enough
Most businesses collect customer feedback through direct methods like surveys, social media reviews, and other forms of customer listening like support call analysis.
This traditional VoC feedback is important, but just like the waterline of an iceberg, it’s just part of the picture. What most businesses can’t see is the majority of their unhappy customers beneath the waterline, many of whom will leave without voicing why.
For every four customers who complain, 96 remain silent, according to the 2020 Achieving Customer Amazement study. Tapping into this silent majority’s perceptions will revolutionize how businesses listen to and understand customers and the insights they’ll come to as a result.
Strategies for hearing silent customer feedback
Major companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are exceptionally good at interpreting silent signals, using sophisticated algorithms to constantly refine experiences based on small changes in user behavior.
With the ability to gather and analyze vast amounts of customer data with tools like AI-driven analytics, sentiment analysis and machine learning, they can detect subtle, yet critical signals across the customer journey.
By identifying patterns and correlations that humans might miss — from lower acquisition to changes in purchasing behavior, or decreased engagement — these companies are able to proactively anticipate customer needs and preferences, often addressing potential dissatisfaction before it arises.
But you don’t have to be an Amazon or Google to listen for silent feedback. By embracing a data- and technology-driven approach to hearing what silent customers aren’t saying, businesses of all sizes can unlock a deeper understanding of customer needs and more intelligently respond to them.
Here are eight strategies to better listen to customers.
Understanding and responding to these silent signals is crucial. Not only does it help prevent churn, it helps boost customer-centricity, informs continuous improvement, and drives greater innovation and customer loyalty.
This article was originally published on CX Dive.