Truly Listening Leads to Engagement, Customer Loyalty

Robert Kobek, president of CustomerCount, a cloud-based customer feedback management system, knows how crucial listening to customers is for any brand to forge true customer loyalty.

CustomerCount recently partnered with Five9, a leading provider of cloud software for the enterprise contact center market, to allow contact centers using Five9’s integrated technology capabilities to take advantage of CustomerCount’s online surveys.

The partnership exemplifies CustomerCount’s robust platform, which touches customers at every step of the customers’ lifecycle from acquisition through ongoing servicing.   

Loyalty360 caught up Kobek to learn more about his views on some key customer loyalty-related themes.
 
How important is it today for brands to not only listen to but hear their customers?

Kobek: The differences between hearing and listening are subtle and critical. I would turn the question around and say that most of us can hear very well, but we are terrible listeners. When we ask our customers what they think about a specific experience, post-service call, post-hotel stay, pre-check in, any experience, we must be prepared to act. We can only act if we are hearing what they are telling us and listening for action items. If we do not, then we fall into the “so what” parts of customers’ lives. When we listen to what they tell us and act accordingly (including thanking them), we are engaging our customers in our business which is part of the end game of creating loyalty. 

How can brands best leverage these customer insights to spark more customer loyalty?

Kobek: The most important element of this question is that we are asking for insights in the first place. Asking for opinions accomplishes several important steps toward creating and sustaining loyalty. First, it engages your customer in a conversation. Anytime you can engage a customer in a conversation you are gaining on the path to securing and sustaining customer loyalty. Second, if you take the right steps to recognize their effort you gain more loyalty ground. So, in fact, when you are engaging your customer in conversation about your business you are on the highway to loyalty. 

What makes this partnership with Five9 unique and what impact can it have on customer engagement/customer experience?

Kobek: We have partnerships with several technology companies who recognize the importance of offering an online customer feedback management system as a part of their suite of solutions. Five9 is a powerful partner that allows us to integrate fully into their cloud-based solution, which includes CRM integration. This allows our product to be truly enterprise in scope. We appreciate this partnership because of the one-stop solution they offer to their clients.

How are the online surveys constructed and how do they impact customer engagement?

Kobek: The answer to the architecture question starts with an overriding question that defines where the statement of work (SOW) begins: “Do you have an online solution today?” Online surveys are varied in their approach. Ours is a feedback management system (FMS) that caters to the enterprise rather than to a specific silo or issue. When we construct a survey, we construct it as part art and part science. And, it starts with understanding the often complex motivation of our clients. To accomplish that, we actually begin with the reporting requirements and work from there.  

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