Customer satisfaction is one of the most important metrics you can track as a business owner because, simply put, a business with a low customer satisfaction rating likely won't be around for long. If people are not satisfied with your product or customer service, they won't buy from you again. You also risk users leaving bad reviews online and telling friends and family to avoid your brand. And once enough people take notice that your service is far from preferable, it's next to impossible to grow your lead list or boost sales. 

That said, there are plenty of actionable ways to improve customer satisfaction and build brand loyalty. Here are four strategies to help you create an engaging, seamless experience: 

Ask Users to Share Feedback

Asking casual visitors and customers to share feedback is a great way to keep your satisfaction rating high. People know what they want and are normally more than happy to share their thoughts if asked. As a business leader or marketer, you can discover countless details about your audience's needs and success gaps in your marketing strategy by encouraging visitors to speak up. 

The type of outreach you use to gather feedback will depend on where customers spend their time. For example, we send our email subscribers two sizable surveys a year. Meanwhile, our social media audience is treated to micro-surveys through weekly polls. Our website also has an "always on" questionnaire where users can share feature suggestions, alert us to bugs and more. 

It's worth mentioning that you need to follow through on customer requests if you want to see their satisfaction increase. If half of your audience requests one specific feature, adding it can dramatically impact their feelings about your brand.

Streamline Your Checkout Process

Have you ever left a website mid-order because the checkout process was clunky or slow? In my experience, you're not alone. The checkout process is a crucial part of building satisfaction. Visitors who make it to this part of your site intend to make a purchase, but a poor experience could cause them to leave and seek out a competitor. 

There are a few small changes that can have a tremendous impact on your checkout process:

Use a mobile-friendly theme, template and checkout page builder.  Add multiple payment options so users can pay their way.  Include a progress bar so customers can see how far they are in the process.  Enable "always-on" shopping carts.  Offer free shipping, plus gifts on orders that hit a certain price point. 

Invest in Multi-Channel Customer Support

People often use their experience with support to decide how satisfied they are with a business. It doesn't matter if you have the best product in the world; if your service team isn't responsive and doesn't help users with their problems, they may view your brand negatively. The best way to strengthen your customer service system is to make it easy for users to get in touch, regardless of how they try to contact a support agent. Make it easy for people to reach your brand through your website, social media, email and telephone. When your audience can get fast and friendly support, they are more likely to feel satisfied with their experience. 

Start a Success Team

Finally, let's talk about customer success teams. Success teams are not the same as support agents. The people on this team are responsible for contacting customers after they've made a purchase. Their goal is to find out if there's anything they can do to improve the customers' experience. Sometimes, your new customer may need a hands-on tutorial or a guide to see the value of your product or service. Instead of hoping they will reach out to you, take preemptive action and email them a week or two after receiving their order. 

This gesture shows the people behind the brand are truly committed to helping each customer find success. If someone is on the fence about your product, this outreach may be the deciding factor when it comes time for them to make a purchase.

In conclusion, customer satisfaction is vital to your business. If your audience isn't happy with your service or products, they will turn to one of your competitors. The good news is you can win over prospects and customers alike with these four tips.

Inc