IMO the answer to this is usually "it depends". If it is a customer who is new to me (CX lead), I normally reach out to the sales rep who handles them, or at least check in the CRM to get a feel for who they are as a customer.
Sometimes, the sales rep will give me the green light to go ahead and reach out directly; other times, I will get a word or 2 of caution (which I always heed - B2B customers are too valuable to lose even one to a misstep by the CX lead).
If you have a customer who complains a lot, and you have a long history of following up with them, then just reach out. I had 1 customer like this in Turkey. He did not like the fact that our policy on sales reps paying for "dancing girls" (ahem) was being enforced, and he lodged a complaint each & every time we sent a survey. I called him, dutifully, every time, and eventually he stopped complaining about that issue and we got to more meaty topics where I could actually help him. Around that same time, their orders did pick up, but I am not certain there is a correlation.
If you have a customer who is in a high potential situation (you think could be buying more, but isn't) then it is especially important to reach out to them. These are the people who need every possible attempt to cultivate the relationship. Someone who calls NOT to sell them something is unusual, and more often than not, appreciated. At my old company, when I told respondents I was calling from the Corporate office and I wanted to discuss their feedback, I found out that they would sometimes later brag to co-workers that they were important enough for me to call! It became a badge of honor if I called them, which was extremely helpful in a small community (there just are not that many power companies in the world).
The most important thing, if you have a small community like that, is to NEVER LIE or stretch the truth. If they have an issue, and it is NOT in your sphere of control to fix, do not promise that you will. Say something like "Here are the steps I am going to take. I cannot promise I will be able to get this resolved, but I will be sharing our conversation directly with Executive XYZ, to increase the chances that you will get your issue fixed. We will need the support of Department A and Department B to really resolve your issue permanently, and that could take several *time slots* to achieve." Over time, I developed a reputation with customers as a "straight shooter", and went along with country executives to customer visits many times for that reason alone (it helped that I was there due to that rep; they would listen to me because they knew I wouldn't stretch the truth to save face). THAT is where you want to get, IMO. Be the trusted partner.
In one role I had, we had a division that was SaaS as well as the physical side of the house. Their process (Saas) was virtually identical to mine (physical & services) - check with Sales/ CRM, reach out, give highest priority to high-pots, and only promise what you can deliver. For the SaaS group, customers who had reach-outs were more likely to renew than those who did not (SaaS group had enough data points to be able to draw that conclusion). Only reason I know that is they did a big presentation on it, which helped cement CX into their culture pretty quickly.
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Heather Gillbanks CCXP
Director, Customer Experience
Cornerstone Building Brands
Walkerton IN
(832) 795-9069
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Original Message:
Sent: 05-18-2021 06:14 PM
From: Niyati Gulati
Subject: Detractor follow-up
Hello everyone!
I wanted to understand what is the best way for companies to follow up with detractors? It'll also be nice to get a SaaS perspective on this.
Thanks
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Niyati Gulati
Customer Insights Researcher
Autodesk
(647) 613-6005
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