Client Satisfaction is the New Mainstream

In today's fast-paced business world, client satisfaction is the new mainstream. In today's world, any business can connect to its customers via many channels -- email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, live chat, web -- and the technologies to do this are available and within reach of even the smallest of small businesses. Where a sharp business focus on client satisfaction used to be a rarity, it's now commonplace.

Customer service is evolving to match customers' expectations, shaped by the apps, tablets, smartphones, social networks, and web sites that are now part of everyday life. Customers are becoming deeply engaged with brands across the entire digital channel - and it's by choice. 73% of customers have posted a brand review on sites like Amazon, Yelp, Twitter and Facebook, and more than 52% of them post a response on a company's blog. As customers come across other experiences, they will switch to the product or service that offers the best one. They know that although a product lures them in, it's the quality of service that brings them back. That's why smart companies are putting customers at the center of their business.

Customer satisfaction can be really broken down into four main categories:

1) The quality of your product or service: Product innovation is critical for companies' brands and for the economy as a whole. Consequently, great service is not just about speed and accuracy but also about warmth and personalization.

2) The relationship your staff has with your customers: When you promote Agent-Customer relationships in your customer support methods and tools, it results in better service, less training, faster resolution and happy customers. You'll build customer loyalty for your brand.

3) The perceived financial cost vs. benefit: Talk to your customers to make sure you understand what they need, how much they're willing to spend on a solution, and how your offering stacks up to your competitors'. Validate that your products and services meet your customer's expectations.

4) The overall customer experience they have with your brand: People don't buy products or services - they buy experiences. Creating experiences that will make customers feel good about the reward product-and not irritated that they have to spend hours putting something together.

The best companies today understand that customer satisfaction is not just about being nice to your customers, it's about understanding how strong customer relationships is pivotal to a company's success. It's all about putting yourself in the customer's shoes. If you don't know the answers to their questions, you aren't really serving the customer. Every interaction your customers have with your company is an experience, and customer care should be the first responsibility of your business. If you do it right, you'll not only score a lifelong customer, but also an advocate for your brand-and that's a lot more valuable.