Having a detractor is not only a loss for your company but also a potential win for your competitors. But there’s also a lot to be learned from detractors. Timely measures to improve the customer experience for detractors can also have a positive impact on your potential and current users, your promoters, and passives.

Firstly, what are detractors?

Detractors are customers whose experiences with your brand or company have been negative or unsatisfactory. A whopping 96% of these customers won’t complain to you, but they will talk excessively about their negative experiences to a lot of friends and will stop buying from you. If you wish to turn your detractors into promoters, you should know how to improve your Net Promoter Score.

Here’s what you need to remember about detractors:

• A higher percentage of people tend to share negative experiences with a brand over positive experiences.
• Detractors can almost always impact your business adversely, as their negative stories often discourage potential buyers.
• Your churn rate also tends to increase with an increase in the number of detractors. Learn how to reduce it.

What are promoters?

Your promoters are your evangelists; the exact opposite of detractors. They are customers who know your brand inside out. Promoters are delighted with your product or service and they make it a point to share their customer journey with friends and family.

NPS vs CSAT surveys – Which is the best measure of customer experience?

Companies use a variety of customer satisfaction metrics to measure their brand satisfaction. They then come up with strategies that target the problems created by detractors. The two best metrics used widely are from Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys.

CSAT and NPS are two very different metrics and the insights provided by both are used for different purposes.

• CSAT helps you gain data on a customer’s recent business experience by asking them questions related to it.
• Customers can rate that experience on a scale of 1-5 (in some cases 1-3, 1-7).
• You can rectify short-term errors through CSAT, but in the long run, there could be problems that cannot be recognized using CSAT. For example, CSAT can help you estimate the churn rate of your business, but it does not help assess the growth trajectory of the company.

NPS is better in this regard because it can help you analyze problems that you might not even know existed. NPS focuses more on the overall experience of the customer rather than fixating on a single interaction. The question asked to the customer is “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend [your company] to a friend or colleague?”

Any rating under 6 means you’re dealing with a detractor. Similarly, 7-8 would mean they are passives, and 9-10 would be your promoters.

NPS acts as an indicator for long-term customer satisfaction and CSAT can identify errors and pitfalls that need urgent care. An optimum amalgamation between these two metrics is the key to both short-term and long-term success. A good NPS means that the number of promoters and passives outnumbers the detractors.

Let’s talk NPS!

Your brand image is directly proportional to the number of promoters in your customer base. This is why, regardless of your business line, improving your NPS is really important.

Here’s a starter kit to improving your Net Promoter Score:

1. Honesty and integrity: Arguably, the most important criteria that a company should uphold. Setting false expectations and not delivering on them is an absolute no.
2. Empathy: Customers want their problems to be heard by real, empathetic people who will listen to their difficulties and provide relevant solutions. Customers are usually annoyed by traditional chatbots and will most likely leave no feedback.
3. Responsiveness: A detractor wants to feel special and their complaint acknowledged, and swift responses are an easy way to make that happen. Your brand image gets a significant boost when the customer service team values customers’ time and provides solutions in hours rather than days.
4. Prioritization: Detractors with varying degrees of problems might contact your customer service. An effective system to prioritize the most severe cases and schedule casual cases for later will help.

The feedback loop can be tricky!

Turning a detractor into a promoter is a slow and gradual process. Even after considerable effort, some detractors might not become promoters. Take it in your stride.

After reaching a high Net Promoter Score, the next battle is to keep it going. Next-generation technology platforms, like Dropthought, are invaluable to this process.

To learn more about Dropthought, and how it can assist your brand with instant feedback and high NPS, click here.