How is segmentation affecting the way that you get feedback from your customers?

Alex Hornbuckle

We had an excellent side-conversation going on in the chat during office hours today that I'd like to get everyone's opinion on.  

How is segmentation affecting the way that you get feedback from your customers? 

Are you surveying your market segments differently?

Is there a tailored approach for engaging different stakeholder levels?   

Is there a difference in closing the feedback loop with customers based on segmentation?

 

@Sara Bochino @Gabriel Fallas @Emily Campos @Nils Vinje 

Sara Bochino

Thanks for the tag @Alex Hornbuckle and yes, I was really intrigued by this conversation as well. Here goes...

We actually survey our customers the same regardless of segment. That said, we do use segment when reviewing our feedback. Are the segments expressing the same pains? Where did we get the most feedback? Which segments are most engaged (do we need to tweak our engagement/service model)? Do we have different job titles responding to the survey by segment? 

There's a lot of ways to use the data. Additionally, we do engage in follow up differently by segment. Commercial segment may just get a canned email response or invitation to a broader webcast to review the results. where we give individual attention and follow a strict playbook for the other segments to understand the "why" behind the feedback. 

I'd be curious about how others are engaging with different stakeholders within their top tiers. 

Steve Bernstein

Segmentation is certainly critical in the analysis as @Sara Bochino points out, and our clients also generally ask different questions based on segment. For example, you want to have strong relationships with all of your accounts but are likely unable to invest much in the relationship for tier 3 accounts, so asking the "relationship ladder" question (current vs. desired posture of vendor, solution provider, and business partner) may not make sense for those small accounts. SImilarly, asking the right questions based on persona is similarly important -- asking questions can inadvertently mis-set expectations (let alone take more time to complete the questionnaire!) so it's important to get it right... if you're looking to improve Customer Experience (CX) then your feedback process should really exemplify the type of experience you aim to provide in general... yes?

Gabriel Fallas

@Alex Hornbuckle thanks for taking the initiative!

I'll go ahead and answer your questions directly:

Are you surveying your market segments differently?

Yes... and no. Though we have a regular survey that is sent across the board to all customers, depending on the products that our clients are using, their industry specialization, or the tier level (segment), we will engage more regularly and request more feedback. 

Is there a tailored approach for engaging different stakeholder levels?   

Currently, I follow the same approach for the initial engagement of a client, but depending on the tier level they're in I will proceed to delegate (or not). In our industry, clients may either have a financial level of important or a political influence, and so we do require careful analysis prior to determining how to hand off a client to a low touch approach.

Is there a difference in closing the feedback loop with customers based on segmentation?
We're definitely in the early stages of this we don't have any formal processes documented, besides a general higher sense of urgency depending on the client. 
 

Gabriel Fallas

@Sara Bochino what kind of results have you  seen from hosting webcasts from NPS results? What's the cadence you hold?

Curious about that approach.

Anita Toth

@Steve Bernstein  That last sentence is so powerful! Many companies don't put much thought into the CX of their feedback methods. I agree that it's so important to have your feedback reflect the level of CX you want your customers to experience in all their interactions. CX should be a top-of-mind when creating all customer-facing activities, including when gathering feedback. ?