Customer satisfaction is the lifeblood of any business, even the small ones. And if you are a start-up, you definitely will not remain as how you started. Somehow you will have to grow and evolve.
It is enough for the grandiose of popular advice about how to hit major CX metrics. This time, why not focus on often missed KPIs that help scale the CX performance, especially for small, growing companies?
Least Known Lesson from the Top Big Businesses
Let’s take, for example, the principles that built the empire of Zappos. While the quick resolution, high volume call processing, and average call time are ever-reliable customer experience metrics, the company sees rare opportunities when focusing on lesser-known CX factors like customer loyalty.
And, if ever you wonder if you can measure such aspects of success, good news. That is what APEX Call Centers will tackle in the following discussions.
Here are not-so-hidden truths on engaging customers that your small business can learn from other successful, big companies.
1- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
The first refers to the net promoter score, which directly correlates to customer loyalty. Often, this is measured through a survey that gauges how satisfied your customer is.
As a small business, it will open up many opportunities to improve your business strategies by engaging your customers with a quick survey of how they will likely recommend your company or product to their friends or relatives. This reflects what Zappo’s former CEO, Tony Hsieh, said: “We…let customers do the marketing through word of mouth.”
But of course, while you are banking for that one day, word of mouth will turn your business up. As early on in your business, investing in a reliable customer service team is best. You can do that with a reputable small business call center solutions partner who has been perfecting customer care and bringing unmatched CX results no matter your company’s size.

2- Customer Effort Scores
This is how a customer finds interacting with your current support team easy. Another way to measure this is by asking the customer how it is easy to handle your concern.
Guthrie Group’s founder, Dan Peña, believes that the best form of customer experience is “self-service.” Yes, it may sound counteractive to what the role of your customer support team does.
But this self-service means that you empower your customers to get to the answers themselves. It means that your brand empowers customers to find their own solutions.
Finding solutions in a breeze is crucial for customer experience. At the end of the day, when a customer finds their answers easily, it goes on to your CX metrics. The more positive experience your customers have, the more they will learn to return to your business.
3- Customer Churn Rate
Churn rate also refers to attrition. This is on the list because, in reality, it is rare for people who want to succeed to look at some negative emotions. Knowing the high number of attrition or customers who leave you and stop using your product is a real pain.
So rarely would one look into this, and rarely a call center will present or report on this matter to you.
But this certainly matters most. You can treat this positively by learning from dissatisfied customers. Learn from tech and IT business mogul Bill Gates. He is famously quoted for this mantra “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
4- Custom Lifetime Value (CLTV)
If you made it far into this discussion, congratulations! You will have lots of rare opportunities to boost CX performance for your small business.
The fourth and last on our list is CLTV. How long can you gauge loyalty from your customer, and what is their lifetime value?
This is measured by predicting the net profit a customer generates throughout the time they are partners with your brand or product.
This is especially helpful for building your strategies with your customer support team. Insights that you can get from CLTV help you tailor your customer engagement and give each customer a personalized experience.

Key Takeaways: Customer Who Creates Customer
Allow the conventional KPIs to mingle with these rare tactics for your small business call center solutions teams. The key for your team is to have deeper relationships and achieve genuine care for the customers. The better your customers feel about your business, the more they will engage, and the more they will bring leads and potential market to you.
Your goal as a small business is to build loyal customers who will be there with you as you grow. As Shiv Singh, “Savvy” author and marketing expert, said, “The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers.” Let this be your drive and be at the heart and core of every KPI or metric you have for your team.