Net Promoter Score (NPS) is one of the key metrics for tracking how satisfied customers are with the product and service provided. Almost half of all support teams track this metric. So, how do you improve NPS?
Customer service reviews provide internal assessment for the interactions held between your customer support team and customers. Often these are conducted by managers, QA specialists, or other support reps in the team.
However, one branch of conversation reviews – self reviews – seems to be playing the second fiddle in this movement. Most companies overlook this form of quality assurance for improving customer service.
Self assessment can improve your NPS by up to 5%.
Let’s get into why these are beneficial for self-improvement and agent growth.
Assisted self-reviews in customer support
P. Gloor et al. published research on the impact that agent mirroring has on customer satisfaction in the Journal of Business Research. The study concluded that exposing team members to their own communication patterns does, indeed, result in increased customer satisfaction.
“Our findings function as reminder for managers of service-based companies that interpersonal communication has a critical role to play in influencing the customers’ total experience and satisfaction.”
However, it is important to note that instead of letting agents do self-assessment, the researchers used what they called “virtual mirroring” in this particular study. Agents held monthly team meetings where they received pre-assessed scorecards and then reflected on their performance.
So, they combined specialist reviews with self-assessment and peer feedback sessions. This resulted in an increase in overall customer satisfaction, as well as in other metrics that contribute to it.
How do self reviews improve NPS?
The study by P. Gloor et al looked into how feedback sessions affect different parts of customer interaction: average response time, use of language, and the stability of interactions. These findings help us understand why this kind of feedback results in higher customer satisfaction.
Agents who participated in mirroring sessions learned to observe their own communication patterns and modify the way they interact. Reflecting on their previous interactions helped them gain control over communication with customers and change it for the better:
- Increase in First Response Time (4,4%);
- Reduced language complexity;
- Shift towards more stable interactions.
These three components – time, ease of communication, stability – are the pillars of customer satisfaction. These are the qualities to build upon if you want to see improve NPS.
Knowledge + Feedback =Growth
The main takeaway of the study is that being aware of one’s own communication behaviors can boost growth in this area. Customer service QA reviews are key to it, but not without follow-through.
Combining scorecard evaluations with self-assessment and reflections is what helps agents understand and change their behavior. If the realization of what needs to be improved comes from themselves, they are more likely to take actual steps towards becoming better.
Including peer feedback in the review process is also a great way to encourage knowledge sharing. In addition to their own reflections, agents can learn from others and grow in areas that may not have been described in their own assessments.
In light of the study by P. Gloor et al., it is great to see successful companies invest more and more time and resources into conversation reviews. Agent feedback is what drives the quality of customer service and delivers better business results.
As the study on customer support mirroring concluded, raised awareness of their own performance helps agents excel. Improved Net Promoter Scores are a testament to the importance of the self-assessment component in customer service feedback.
Now go and improve your NPS by 5% (or more)!
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