The right mix of product or service effectiveness, great employee service, management support, positive customer experience and intelligent feedback from customers reaching the company and communicated to the staff can increase the number of customers turned promoters. The product or service offered by the company should be able to enhance the total customer value. Apart from correct pricing, other value enhancers include easy to operate or use, effectiveness and added benefits. A good product should be easy to use or set up without hitches. Set up instructions and manuals can be provided. The product must deliver as per the intended purpose. Quality is at the center of product effectiveness. The customer can easily refer the product or service offered to another person.
The management should be able to treat, train and empower employees to produce quality products or offer quality services. The company vision should trickle down to the employees at the factory level and on the shop front door. Management should celebrate employees gaining positive feedback from customers. The management should motivate employees receiving positive feedback from customers and appreciate customers who are willing to talk to the firm. The company has to be strict about quality service or product. Decisions made on product or service enhancements critical to quality are made by top management. This is very important to customers final decision to promote or not to promote the firm’s offering.
The employees should also feel that they have a superior product offering. When they encounter customers they communicate what they believe. If the employees serving customers perceive the product or service offered as great value, and they are enthusiastic about it. that is a first step in the customer’s assessment of the brand. Technical support teams should be able to solve customer complaints quickly and conclusively. Ethical standards of employees serving customers should be high. They should give correct advice to clients regarding functionality, price, models and correct usage procedures. The customer experience will be tasteful. The customer will feel better, refer others to come over and see what amazing product or service offerings are available.
The customer has to enjoy patronising the firm’s product or service. The customer can be involved in product design or suggesting service enhancements. By getting involved , the customer relationship grows up. The customer is more likely to stay longer and longer with the brand. This will also reduce the rate of customer defection, provide for customized products and services and also improve company knowledge of customer needs. The customer will feel understood, well taken care of and important. Gift vouchers can be given to customers who are loyal. Loyalty cards can be given to customers and carefully crafted switching barriers enacted. The customer will become a promoter by relating his or her experience with the brand and the firm.
Feedback is key if customers have to be converted into promoters. For example interactive social media sessions for gathering information about the product or service, employee relationship with customers and the performance of the product or service offered. Other feedback mechanisms include toll free hotline, postal address and E-mail addresses. The feedback from customers can be used by management to hold seminars and social forums for positively rated employees to explain to others how they did it. What think they did differently than the rest so as to receive the positive rating from a customer. Customer value, feedback, communication and employee motivation by management are useful in turning customers into promoters.
Reference:
1.John Rampton (2015):Why Engagement is Key to Turning Customers into Promoters, Forbes online article retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2015/05/16/why-engagement-is-the-key-to-turning-customers-into-promoters/#75ce56115748
2. Fred Reichheld (2011). Turning Customers into Promoters. Online video retrieved from https://hbr.org/2011/12/frontline-employees
3. Kotler, P. And Keller, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management 12e, Twelveth Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall
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