Blog | Intouch Insight

How to Improve Customer Experience with a Checklist App

Written by Lindsay Sykes | September 28, 2015

Delivering great customer experience is a vital component to a successful business. However, even though business owners are making great efforts to excel in this area, they are still struggling to consistently provide an unforgettable experience for their customers.

How would you grade customer experience at your own business? What tools do you currently use to ensure your teams are delivering?

If you are looking for an affordable, reliable tool to help reinforce the standards at your business, consider using a digital checklist app.

A checklist app can be used to ensure teams complete daily, weekly and monthly tasks, follow procedures, and complete mini-audits and inspections – so you can find and fix issues before your customers notice them. As for your customers, here are four ways that a checklist app can improve their experience:

  1. Enhance employee knowledge of operational procedures
  2. Streamline issue management
  3. Ensure inventory is always stocked
  4. Increase employee motivation

1. Enhance employee knowledge of operational procedures

In order to ensure your standards are being met, employees involved in vital operational procedures must know what tasks need to be completed, and execute properly. These tasks – no matter how big or small – are crucial for running your business smoothly and delivering a positive customer experience to every customer, every time.

For instance, in a restaurant setting, employees need to know opening and closing procedures so they can prioritize providing quick and quality service to diners. A checklist app can assist in making sure all procedures are completed — from polishing the cutlery at the end of the night, to maintaining clean and well-stocked restrooms by doing hourly inspections. Small tasks like these may seem miniscule to staff members, but their completion is necessary when it comes to providing a positive experience for customers.

2. Streamline issue management

A checklist app with issue management and communication features can help you fix issues more efficiently, and prevent them from developing into bigger problems.

For example, if a burnt out light bulb is discovered during a store walk, the auditor can use IntouchCheck to flag the issue for follow-up. When issues are flagged for follow-up, you can set up automated email alerts so management is notified and can take action immediately. Team members can discuss, collaborate and post photos using the checklist app, and mark the issue as resolved when it has been fixed.

Automated notifications are an easy way to empower teams to solve problems faster and establish accountability, so issues are fixed before they impact your customers.

3. Ensure inventory is always stocked

Forgetfulness is one of the main reasons businesses don't replenish stock on time. As a business owner, you already have enough on your plate - reminding employees or nagging them to complete inventory checks and orders is an added stress you shouldn't have to worry about.

Use a checklist app to record stock and expiry dates, and schedule when checks and orders must be completed.

With IntouchCheck, your teams will automatically receive emails about upcoming checks they must complete, and you'll both be notified when checks are past due. When something is expired, or below the desired quantity, set instant alerts so the employees responsible for ordering materials can do so immediately.

Ultimately, using a checklist app can save your customers from leaving disappointed because you were unable to provide what they ordered.

4. Increase employee motivation

Using a checklist app means you can view trending issues and comparing results of your audits and checks over time - all within the app's reporting system.

Top issues and performance reports allow you to pinpoint which areas your employees are excelling in and which areas they need to improve in. In order to deliver the outstanding customer experience you aim for, try using gamification to increase employee motivation to follow procedures and deliver customer service that meets your organization's standards.

Give points to employees based on the results of your daily, weekly, or monthly checks. Offering incentives to employees is a great way to amplify motivation, and for you to be confident your customers experience is consistently positive.

Conclusion

Improving customer experience begins with business operations. A checklist app will equip your teams with the knowledge and tools they need to complete operational procedures, solve problems faster, keep inventory stocked, and even increase motivation.