Part 1 of this blog series looked at what customer sentiment analysis and Customer Distress Index (CDI™) mean and how they differ. **Customer sentiment analysis uses text** to show a positive or negative tone in communications, while the **TeamSupport CDI uses data** to determine if a customer is satisfied or frustrated.

But why should B2B customer support teams pay attention to customer sentiment and CDI? And how do they convert what they glean from analyses into actionable information?

Tools for Providing a Positive Ticket Resolution Experience

It’s no secret that happy customer support agents provide a more positive customer experience than unhappy ones. Tom Goodmanson, president and CEO at a customer experience intelligence company, says, “With the proliferation of communication channels and the rise of self-service, agents are dealing with more complex customer demands. It’s clear that today’s contact centers need a greater focus on people, alongside changes in technology. In doing so, employees become empowered to quickly make informed decisions and deliver on the service their customers expect.”1

Arming agents with the right resources and technologically advanced tools, B2B companies can properly identify negative and positive sentiment scores and translate the insights into providing an improved customer experience across the board.

Assess Customer Support Team’s Effectiveness

A relative sentiment analysis score provides insight into the effectiveness of B2B customer support agents and also serves as a useful measurement to gauge the overall opinion of a company’s products or services. Use sentiment analysis scores to identify common pain points, areas for improvement in the delivery of customer support, and overall satisfaction between product lines or services. And use CDI to identify which customers may be at risk for churn and plan proactive steps to turn the situation around and salvage the relationship.

Use the data to get ahead of issues, inform internal product teams of concerns or problems, and influence both new customers and loyal ones. Data can reveal how an individual consumer is feeling, whether those feelings are apparent with other contacts within the company, and areas in your product or policies that need improvement. With a B2B customer support solution like TeamSupport, that improves communications between departments, support, sales, and product development all have insight into this same data and they can work together towards a holistic approach to improving the customer relationship.

Identify Trends

By monitoring attitudes and opinions about products, services, or even customer support effectiveness continuously, B2B companies are able to detect subtle shifts in opinions and adapt readily to meet the changing needs of their audience. Analyze insights over time to identify recurring themes, see if negative trends are continuing or showing signs of improvement, and make sure positive sentiments continue on an upward trend.

Compare month-over-month, quarter-over-quarter, or year-over-year, to see how effective the changes you are making in your support department are having on overall sentiment and customer satisfaction.

Remember, it’s all about using sentiment analysis and CDI to help build a holistic view of the B2B customer, really understanding their needs, and reducing the time it takes to resolve their issues. When information is visible to all departments, support teams are enabled to resolve issues faster, success teams are proactive in improving the customer experience, and product development teams can stay ahead of design trends to develop new products and enhancements that will be most valuable to existing and prospective customers.

1 News : Complex Customer Problems and Lack of Support a Challenge for Contact Center Employees, Contact Center World, https://www.contactcenterworld.com/view/contact-center-news/contact-center-employees-warn-increasingly-complex-customer-problems-and-lack-of.aspx (accessed June 28, 2020).