Loyalty. It is what we want in all relationships, right?

Client relationships are no different. When we consider the time, effort and overall cost to acquire a customer, one of the most important things we can do is to measure their loyalty on a regular basis. Introduced in 2006, by Fred Reichheld in his book “The Ultimate Question,” the Net Promoter Score® (NPS) has become the de facto standard for measuring loyalty for the best companies in the world. Unfortunately, a vast majority of the compa...

Leaders in organizations that use Net Promoter Score® know that the benefits and the ROI significantly outweigh the hard and soft costs of performing a survey.

In every client survey that Butler Street has performed, there have always been opportunities uncovered to generate additional revenue as well as protect existing client relationships.

Feedback gathered through the survey from loyal customers serve to create a whole new library of customer testimonials. Other “gold bricks” come in the form...

Common pitfalls to avoid when surveying customers Net Promoter is the industry standard (not just for the print industry) for measuring customer loyalty.  It provides a benchmark to be able to quantify customer loyalty along with actionable insights to be able to protect and grow the business.  Whether you use Net Promoter Score or any other customer satisfaction survey, or if you’re considering, here are four common pitfalls to avoid:

It happens. Someone working at one of your customers states, "I've never heard of your company." How could that be?

We regularly perform Net Promoter Score® surveys and in almost every survey, there is at least one Detractor response (someone who rates the company a 6 or below) that includes the reason, "I've never heard of [company name]",  or, "who is [company]?" Sometimes it is a handful, and sometime even more than that.

Invariably, the question that gets posed to us is, "Can these responses b...

Each week, Butler Street Research receives survey responses on behalf of our clients using the Net Promoter Score and specific follow-up questions designed to capture their customers’ experience with their organization. 

If you’re familiar with the Net Promoter Score question, you know that it is a single question used to measure customer loyalty asking, “How likely is it that you would recommend [company] to a friend or colleague?”  On a scale of 0-10, anyone that rates the company a 9 or 10 is...

Whether you are an account representative, a regional manager, a vice president of sales, or the company owner, this is the nightmare that creeps into the back of your mind every so often.  ​​ Here’s how the story plays out: They’ve been with you for years.  Your sales representative is tight with the Key Decision Maker.   They let you use their logo on your web site.  The account is highly profitable and makes up a significant portion of your revenue.  They score highly on your satisfaction s...

If customer rates you a “6” or below on a Net Promoter Score® survey, they are considered a Detractor.  Detractors are likely speaking negatively about your company.  They may be actively looking to leave, but the good news is that they haven’t yet, and now you know.  It is a best practice to follow-up with any Detractors (those that rate the company a 6 or below) promptly (recommended within 24 hours).  Butler Street sends electronic notifications for detractors as the responses come in, prior...

Me:  What differentiates your company from the other 22,000 competitors in the marketplace? CEO:  Our service is second to none.  We truly value the customer and every interaction we have, our people are trained to make the best of it. Me: Can you prove that is a differentiator?  That your service is superior?

Here are three keys to make sure you understand and can manage your customers’ perception of you and your brand. 1. Use a third-party firm like Butler Street to conduct an NPS® survey.  We’ll show you exactly what your customers think.  Much like having a “wing man” doing recon, the customer is much more likely to be open and candid to a third party.  2. Reach out via phone to each customer that responded to the survey. It will clearly differentiate your organization from a vast majority of comp...

To retain and grow in large accounts, you need to understand the current overall governance, build relationships with multiple people at multiple levels, understand their strategic initiatives, the changing needs of their customers and how your solution is aligned with their goals, perform Quarterly Business Reviews, consistently measure client risk, and constantly be proving the value you are delivering.  Then when a Key Decision Maker or Influencer changes (known as a Changing of the Guard®),...