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Look for specific factors that had the largest negative impact on your customers' experiences and identify ways to remedy those first. Also look for small changes that could make a big difference. For example, if customers indicate that they feel your staff is cold and distant, you could implement training to ensure your staff treats customers in a warm and friendly way, greeting them with a smile and encouraging them to ask for assistance. Customer-facing employees need the right tools so they can ensure that all of your customers are delighted with their shopping experience, even if something goes wrong. Encourage employees to offer discounts or other services that keep customers coming back.  For example, suppose you own a restaurant. If an employee spills wine on a customer's shirt, you could offer to pick up the dry-cleaning, or give the customer a gift card to a neighboring shop to purchase a replacement shirt. You may also want to create a budget that allows employees to acknowledge and give discounts or free gifts to repeat customers. You can rely on the observations of customer-facing employees or create a loyalty card. A simple punch card can be an effective way to measure customer loyalty and provide an incentive for customers to return. Your employees who deal with customers the most also have the greatest responsibility when it comes to customer satisfaction. It's not how they handle smooth transactions that matters – it's how they handle negative issues and problems customers have. The worst thing customer-facing employees can do is dismiss a customer's problem. Teach them to treat all customer problems seriously, no matter how minor they may seem. Have your employees listen respectfully to the customer, empathize with them, then find a solution. Word of mouth has become crucial, and nowhere is this phenomenon stronger than on social media. Look for regular customers who are active on social media and have a reasonably strong following. Give them discounts and rewards for promoting your products or services on social media. If you have new products coming out, you might also give your influencers the opportunity to try those products before anyone else and write reviews online. You could either send samples or have a private shopping event open only to influencers. A bad review or negative tweet can harm your business significantly – particularly if the person complaining has a large following on social media. However, the way you respond to that comment can earn you new customers. Be alert to mentions of your company on social media and review them regularly. Do what you can to resolve the problem for the customer immediately.  Respond to positive comments as well. A simple "thank you" lets others know that you are a responsive company that cares what your customers think. There are numerous apps and social media services that will monitor mentions of your company for you. Some are free, while others require a subscription. You might also consider hiring a social media manager to handle your company's social media. Risk-averse customers may be reluctant to try a new product or service, particularly if it involves stepping outside their comfort zone or paying more than they're accustomed to. Warranties and guarantees make the purchase less of a risk and enable them to feel more confident about buying from you.  You can also go beyond the manufacturer's warranty. For example, if the manufacturer offers a year warranty, you might extend it to 3 years. Or if the manufacturer's warranty only covers the replacement of parts, you might throw in free labor. With electronics, people often worry that as soon as they buy something, a new version will hit the market. You could alleviate this concern by offering to upgrade customers' products for free if a new model comes out within 6 months of their purchase.
Create a report with the key findings from your research. Empower employees to exceed customer expectations. Train customer-facing employees to handle customer service challenges. Establish and foster a community of influencers. Respond to customer comments online as soon as possible. Offer warranties and guarantees to improve customer satisfaction.