Converting Detractors into Promoters: The Ultimate Guide [2020]

Back in 2017, the bar graph of unhappy customers for Meraki Solutions, an image makeover startup denoted a spectacular upward movement.

Day by day the number of unhappy customers (Detractors) kept on increasing as the company made futile attempts to convert them into happy customers (Promoters).

However, in mid-2018, the company made a surprising achievement by converting about 35% increase in Promoters.

Curious to know the secret behind this company’s eureka moment?

Well, the R&D team of Meraki Solutions decided to locate detractors by using NPS (Net Score Promoter Surveys).

Accordingly, they administered a survey that asked the target audience how likely they are to recommend this product/service to their friends/family/acquaintances?

Based on customer responses, the customers were classified as Promoters (Brand Loyals), Passives (Brand Neutrals) and Detractors (Brand Haters).

After finding Detractors, a communication system was set-up to address issues of Detractors.

As a result, a series of Detractor feedbacks and integration of suggestions from responses in company CRM lead to the company’s dramatic progress.

New to the concept of a brand detractor? Read on!

What is a Detractor?

Popular dictionaries together define Detractors as individuals who publicly express negative opinions.

In the business world, these Detractors are your unhappy customers who can cause a serious dent in your brand image.

In simple words, Detractors are like those tiny leaks in dams which, if ignored, can eventually result in the collapse of the entire dam.

Considered to be a part of NPS, Detractors are derived from customer response segregation as the data are mainly divided into 3 types.

The Promoters who are hardcore brand loyalists, Passives who are hardly brand conscious and Detractors who are strongly dissatisfied with a brand due to their negative experience.

For the ease of understanding, let’s categorize Detractors into sub-types:

• Passive Detractors: These are those customers who are unhappy with your product/service but are yet to switch to other alternatives.
• Latent Detractors: A group of dissatisfied customers who is in the process of finding alternatives to replace your product/service.
• Active Detractors: These are those customers who publicly voice their negative experiences of your product/service and constitute to be the potential threats to your brand image.

How do you find Detractors?

Spotting Detractors is a simple process. All a brand needs to do is administer an NPS by asking its customers,

“How likely are they to recommend the brand’s product/service to others?”

After measuring the responses on a scale of 0–10, it’s quite easy to find your Detractors.

The responses in a group of 9/10 points are Promoters, while responses with 7/8 points form to be the Passives. However, those responses below 6 together form to be a group of Detractors.

This group is your red alert group.

Why are Detractors dangerous?

Let’s have a look at some serious business damages experienced due to a detraction!

Negative Brand Visibility: In times of social media, it’s relatively simple for a Detractor to voice his negative opinion. Once the negative opinion is out in digital space, it becomes a bit tricky to control your negative brand visibility.

Competitor’s Benefit: Active Detractors can simply replace your product with that of your competitor’s brand. In such a situation, you not only lose your competitive edge but you also end up increasing your competitor’s profits.

Goodwill Damage: In the long run, Detractors can permanently tarnish your overall brand reputation. Hence, periodic Detractor checks through NPS is pivotal to spot and convert Detractors into Promoters.

How do you convert Detractors to Promoters?

Onboarding cost of new customers is always higher as compared to making efforts to retain existing customers.

Additionally, the advantage of knowing your Detractor’s preferences help you to set a strategic plan to convert Detractors into Promoters.

Here’s how you convert Detractors to Promoters!

• Establish a communication channel to collect feedback from Detractors.

• Be patient. Listen and Act on your Detractor’s issue.

• Make them feel valued by their motives. Some customers are happy to have offers, coupons or gifts and some just need an ear to listen

• Regular pulse check with customers to know their happiness with the brand.

Conclusion

Thus, if as an organization, you wish to build a concrete brand loyal customer base, then Detractor targeting through NPS is the golden key in creating an exceptional customer experience.

If you have any more questions about Detractors, feel free to ask them through comments.