It’s one thing to claim to put customers first, but how can you do that if you don’t know what they want? To understand your customer pool better, you need to take a data-driven approach using customer insights.

Using customer data is a game changer for teams looking to provide a better buyer experience. In this post, we’ll discuss customer insights, why they’re important, and how to use them to your advantage. But if you’re in a pinch, jump to the information.

Why are customer insights important?

A deeper understanding of customer psychology, behavior, and preference can better serve those customers and potentially increase revenue.

Direct data on your customers (UX) can prevent them from churning. If you can get to the bottom of their problems with fresh, authentic feedback from your customers, you can solve the problem they’re experiencing before they become too dissatisfied.

We know that using this data will benefit your business, but you need to know how to collect actionable customer information before anything.

1. Collect customer feedback.

The easiest way to get customer insights is by simply asking them what they think. Surveys and “How Are We Doing?” style questionnaires can lead to powerful takeaways that can apply to future campaigns. For local businesses, this step is vital to understand how your customers deal with their problems for their niche or industry. A great example is

2. Get a pulse check on customer sentiment.

Methods measuring customer sentiment, such as a (NPS) system and star ratings, are equally important as surveys. By asking customers to rate how they feel and removing the friction to do so — one-click popup, anyone? — you can begin to measure customer satisfaction with any digital experience. These are especially effective for in-app or on-page testing of a single feature and experiences after a sales call or customer service interaction.

3. Use third-party data for market research.

Suppose you don’t have much customer feedback to make decisions from. In that case, you can draw insights from market research performed by larger organizations with a broader audience. This can be done using keyword research tools such as.

PodcastGuests.com Customer Feedback Survey

By asking questions that require respondents to choose an option, PodcastGuests could then use this information to send out more personalized emails with only the content that’s helpful for the customer — helping their email campaigns and improving the experience.

1. PodcastGuests.com Customer Feedback Survey

PodcastGuests.com is a service that connects podcast hosts who need guests to podcast guests looking for shows. This service sent out a survey as part of its weekly email campaign.

2. HubSpot’s Net Promoter Score System

At HubSpot, we use NPS and email marketing automation to gather and measure customer satisfaction. After a customer support ticket concludes, an email goes out to the customer asking to rate their experience from one to ten. From here, we use the data collected to determine if we’re on the right track with our customer service efforts.