Satrix Solutions logo

Quarterly Newsletter                                                                                              May 2011 

Vol. 1, Issue 1

 

Satrix Solutions Customer Feedback Programs

Greetings!

  

Welcome to the first edition of Satrix Solutions' quarterly newsletter.

 

Help businesses maximize profitability and revenue potential by creating more loyal customers.  That was my goal when I founded Satrix Solutions in 2008.    

While the benefits of delighting your customers can come in many forms, numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between customer loyalty and profitability. Companies that engender customer loyalty are often rewarded with customers that engage in behaviors directly linked to increased profit, such as defecting less, spending more, and referring your business to others.

At Satrix Solutions we are passionate about what we do.  Our newsletter will inform, educate and provide food for thought on the best tactics and strategies to help your organization gather feedback from your most important constituents - your customers and prospects.  Then, when you're ready to explore these concepts further, please don't hesitate to contact me directly

 

Learn from Customer Defections 

Listen, Learn and Act.  
Learn from Customer Defections

One of my favorite quotes comes from Malcolm S. Forbes, who said, "Failure is success if we learn from it."  The central theme of that message drives much of the work we do here at Satrix Solutions.

 

The formal feedback programs we implement for our clients reveal considerable insight into customer sentiment and preferences. While it is always gratifying to see feedback from enthusiastic customers that heap praise on our clients, it is often the complaints, the concerns, the critique that yield the most actionable insight.

 

That is why I'm so surprised at how many companies fail to draw on what is likely a treasure trove of valuable input from customers that have recently defected.

 

To illustrate, let me share several recent experiences I've had.

 

After six years of exercising at a local fitness club, I canceled my membership in favor of a gym closer to my home. I also chose to consolidate my business and personal bank accounts, thereby severing ties with my business bank of three years. Finally, after evaluating alternatives, I signed a license agreement with a new provider of software for my business and advised my current provider I would be transitioning to a competitor. 

 

In each situation, I was not asked a very simple question - "Why?"

 

In fact, in all three cases I was not asked any questions! No inquiry as to where I was taking my business, what prompted the switch, what could be done to retain my business, nothing.

 

Now, one might assume these were simply cases of front-line personnel (gym service desk, bank teller, client service rep) not following company protocol. However, it has been several months and still no requests for feedback have come.

 

Unfortunately for them, the window to obtain that feedback is now closed and an opportunity to gain potentially valuable insight into customer frustrations and pain-points was missed.

 

What can your organization do to capitalize on the wealth of knowledge that comes from understanding why customers defect?

 

Simple - Listen, Learn and Act.

 

First, reach out (or have a third party such as Satrix Solutions do so on your behalf) and engage in candid dialogue with the decision maker. Try to establish what contributed to their decision.

  • Was it service related?  
  • A concern about cost or value?  
  • Did a pitch from a competitor resonate?  
  • Did they perceive your service offering was lacking in any way?   

Feedback from one former customer may be informative but the real value comes when trends and themes are identified over time.

   

Then, search for the root causes of customer departures and identify trusted people in your organization to address the issues that account for the largest percentage of losses. Use defections as a guide to make improvements and, importantly, measure the results of your efforts by monitoring customer retention and churn rates.

   

World-class service organizations learn from failure as much or more than they learn from success. Which brings me to another favorite quote of mine -

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."    

 

Improve Survey Response Rates 
How to Capture Feedback From More of Your Customers
Improve Survey Response Rates

At Satrix Solutions, we take pride in the fact that we regularly achieve survey response rates of 50% to 80% on behalf of our clients. 

 

There are many factors that affect survey response rates.  Survey length, questionnaire design, compelling messaging, avoiding spam filters and the involvement of front-line personnel are among them.

 

However, one of the main determinants of response rates is the nature of the relationship your company has with its customers.

  • Are they long-term retainer agreements or is the work mostly project based?      
  • Does the account services team speak with your customers daily, weekly, monthly or less frequently?      
  • How much of the customer's budget is allocated to the work they do with your company?  

Generally speaking, the more frequent the interaction and the more the customer feels they have a vested interest in seeing your business improve, the higher your survey response rates will be.

    

Another key variable in achieving high response rates is whether your customers believe their feedback will influence change.  When conducting a survey, your company is essentially entering into an implicit agreement with customers to use their feedback to enhance the service experience. Otherwise, there is little incentive for them to share their views and survey responses will likely deteriorate over time.  

 

The change need not be immediate, but eventually customers want to see evidence that their input is being acted upon. Therefore, following up with your customers after a survey is absolutely critical and a systematic approach for doing so should be clearly defined, with specific responsibilities assigned to business leaders and front line personnel.

 

Adopting these best practices can have a dramatic impact on the percentage of customers likely to respond and, therefore, the statistical validity of the data and insight gathered.             

Satrix Solutions Update

We welcomed several new clients into the Satrix Solutions family in 2010 and, I'm pleased to report, the momentum has continued into 2011.  As you might expect from a company constantly preaching the business benefits of customer loyalty, many of our recent wins came from existing clients and referrals. 

 

  • New York based Ipreo has been a stand-out client since we engaged with the company in 2009.  Nearly every client metric the management team tracks, including overall satisfaction, referrals, share-of-wallet and sales close rates, have moved meaningfully higher in the past two years.  In addition to the Client Satisfaction Survey and New Business Win / Loss programs, we recently completed a market assessment survey and analysis for Ipreo.  The survey captured  extensive feedback from existing and potential clients that Ipreo used to identify feature requirements for a new offering currently in development.

 

  • Covario, headquartered in San Diego, is another company on our growing list of success stories.  When we started working with Covario twelve months ago, the company was having limited success with its existing Net Promoter Score� (NPS) program.  We recently completed the third NPS survey for Covario and I am pleased to report we achieved 70%+ response rates for each one.  The company's diligent follow-up and improvement efforts led to a significant jump in customer loyalty, as measured by the Net Promoter Score.  Due to the success of the NPS program, Covario has recently engaged Satrix Solutions for New Business Win / Loss and Customer Defection Analysis as well. 

 

  • Phoenix-based Ulthera is one of the most innovative companies in Arizona.  The company's aesthetic ultrasound technology has garnered a significant amount of national publicity (and venture capital) over the past few years.  In early 2011, Ulthera retained Satrix Solutions to design a program to help the company assess the satisfaction of its rapidly growing customer base and garner feedback on additional areas of opportunity for its technology.  Ulthera employs some terrific people and we are excited to be working with them.

 

  • Finally, TriNet engaged Satrix Solutions in early March for expert guidance and advice on the formation of the company's Client Advisory Board.  Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, TriNet is a leader in its space, providing HR services to several thousand small and mid-sized businesses nationwide.  TriNet will leverage the Client Advisory Board meetings to gather candid insight from valued clients on strategy, direction, service, products and positioning.

 

One of the greatest compliments a client can give is to refer Satrix Solutions to someone they know.  We are proud that so many of our clients have seen fit to do just that. Thank you for your continued support.  We are deeply grateful. 

  

Sincerely,

 
Evan Klein
Founder & President
Satrix Solutions
evan@satrixsolutions.com 

Direct: 480-773-6120

Cell: 623-229-1414

 

�Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score and NPS are registered trademarks of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc., and Fred Reichheld

 

In This Issue
Learn from Customer Defections
Improve Survey Response Rates
Satrix Solutions Update

Quick Links

In the News

Satrix Solutions InBusinessMag.com Article Cover
  Did you know that it costs up to six times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing customer?

Evan Klein was
 recently featured in inbusinessmag.com where he discussed how you can turn your customers into loyal advocates.
 

 

What our clients are saying about us:  

    

"Satrix Solutions provides us with a direct link to both existing and potential clients. The input and recommendations we receive from them enables us to adapt quickly and our positioning and value proposition are clearly resonating in the market."

-Mike Haggerty

Managing Director

 Ipreo

   

"Thanks to Satrix Solutions' guidance and recommendations, our survey response rates jumped from the low 20s to the high 70s and our Net Promoter Score increased from +11 percent to +31 percent."

-Paul Borselli

Director, Marketing

Covario

 

"Satrix Solutions provides us with greater visibility into the sentiment of our clients and helps us prioritize action items so we can maximize advocacy."

-Greg Morrell
EVP, Client Services
BLITZ 




View our profile on LinkedIn