Knowing your customers’ pain points is the first step toward giving them the products and services they want. Pain points are generally considered obstacles that prevent customers from finding the solutions they need. For example, customers may have difficulty making quick and secure payments on brand websites, or perhaps they cannot speak to agents when they want to. When your brand identifies these sources of “pain” throughout the customer journey, you can develop products and customer service methods that are tailored to the actual needs of your customers. Here are five ways to find your customers’ specific pain points and address them for greater satisfaction.

Learn what your customers are looking for

Your brand can learn what customers are looking for by performing market research. Using keyword research tools to learn what customers are looking up online may reveal pain points. For example, keywords such as “cheap mobile plan with SMS” reveal to telecommunications companies that their customers are seeking affordable plans that include SMS features, giving them valuable insight into what their services should include. Once keywords are identified, your brand can search deeper to see what customers are saying online about these specific needs in comment sections and discussion forums.

Check your call abandonment rates

High call abandonment rates are a sign that your contact center is not meeting the demands of your customers. While agents may not always be available to speak to your customers, your brand must find ways to inform and assist the customers who want to call. For example, phone support hours must be stated on the brand website and social media channels, whether those hours are limited or 24/7. To save customers time and reduce abandonment rates, your brand might also offer callback options.

Look at social media comments

Customers are highly active on social media, revealing their joys and frustrations with their experiences. Look at your social media channels to learn what customers are saying about your brand. Is there a product in particular that needs improvement? Are your response times too slow? Such pain points are easy to identify when you analyze your customers’ comments. In addition, use social listening tools to identify other places on the internet where people are talking about your brand, such as blogs or review websites.

Identify cart abandonment rates

Do your customers spend time browsing your site and selecting items, only to abandon their carts at the last step? If your cart abandonment rates are high, your brand clearly needs to address the pain points concerned. For example, customers may want to use a payment option that your brand does not accept, or perhaps agents are not available for support. Listening to customer feedback and reading social media comments can once again reveal answers as to why abandonment happens. Your brand may then offer solutions such as easier payment options or live chat assistance to relieve such pain points.

Analyze customer service cases and feedback

Lastly, direct customer feedback from surveys can offer plenty of insights into pain points. Make sure to send surveys periodically and post-contact to understand the specific needs that customers want your brand to address. It’s also important to review the cases that are handled in your contact centers to identify the topics that arise frequently. If many customers are contacting your brand about the same issue, it may be an important pain point to address.