Customer Satisfaction: fantasy or reality?

In a historical period marked by the supremacy of digital technologies and the automation of processes, Customer Satisfaction is a challenging goal and a difficult trophy to conquer.  

According to the Italian Digital Portal Ninjamarketing, more than 56% of companies has invested in Artificial Intelligence to customize their interactions with customers. Despite this, we should not forget that most of us prefer a human being who responds to their questions live, interprets their needs, listens to their requests and takes charge of their problems as if they were their own. The irreplaceable empathy of human beings is a strong vector for establishing solid and lasting relationships.

Starting from these considerations, in a constantly growing market such as the pharmaceutical one, and in an age so subject to sudden and technological changes, what is required is the ability to listen and to create simple and concrete experiences.

Nowadays, many pharma companies are moving closer and closer to digitizing their processes to meet the multiple needs of their employees and customers. To embark on this path, there is a growing search for expert consultants who know not only how to put theory into practice, but also how to propose solutions that are tailored to specific needs and that can also meet most requirements.

Hence the need to be able to create and offer a unique and personalized experience for customers –not only limited to the purchase phase – which makes them aware protagonists of all processes, in total transparency. In fact, the purchase of a product or service is only the beginning of the journey, as only then does it become possible to realize the true Customer Experience and consequently satisfy customers’ expectations.

Therefore, to pursue customer loyalty it is no longer enough to rely on obsolete loyalty programs, but it is necessary to have a great deal of expertise to meet customers’ needs, involving them through specialized consulting. Innovative technologies such as AI and Marketing Automation play an important role in supporting our work and improving the interactions between us and our customers.

“In the age of e-mail, supercomputer power on the desktop, the Internet, and the raucous global village, attentiveness — a token of human kindness— is the greatest gift we can give someone”

(Tom Peters)

How to make your Customers happy? Guide them with honesty and transparency

If we use this perspective of experience creation, our customers will not only feel guided in their daily choices, but they will also perceive the proposed solutions as a long-term investment and not as a simple cost center, precisely because of the clear and attainable goal that has been studied and defined together during the consulting process. It becomes therefore crucial to be able to build a relationship of mutual trust in order to achieve as many benefits as possible and meet the customers’ needs, as we all know that a happy customer is also a loyal one.

This is not to say that we should be always indulgent and accommodating to any request. Instead, this kind of consultative approach helps to identify the potential disadvantages and risks of a choice.

“Unity is strength” is not just an expression!

With this in mind, customer “education” plays a fundamental role, understood as the transmission of potential negative outcomes and fruitful discussions to identify the best solution with the least risk. Education in the appropriate use of tools is by no means straightforward, also because often the achievement of the objective is so predominant as to blur the perception of all the obstacles that might be encountered along the way. For this reason, the best form of education is the creation of a shared mind map that engages both parties and educates them at the same time. Remember that an experienced client will not fear deviation if the high road is blocked.

In conclusion, Customer Experience today can no longer be a random consequence of business processes, but must be studied, planned and customized with supporting products that offer value and guarantee at the same time ease of use and “consistency” in terms of tangible results. Surely, it is not an easy path, but in this challenge customers are our allies to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of communication between the parties.

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

(Henry Ford)

Alice Galantini – Customer Success Manager