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Decoding the Link Between Customer Experience and Trustpilot Ratings

October 11, 2024

Are We Really Being Heard? A Reflection on CX Surveys and Trustpilot Scores”

How many times have you finished a service call with a utility company, telecom provider, retailer, or tech company, only to walk away unsure if your issue has been fully resolved? You feel a bit blindsided by the outcome—left with lingering frustrations, big or small, that you can’t quite work out. Then suddenly, ping—an email, text, or chatbot message appears: “We really appreciate your call and would welcome your feedback. Please complete this short customer experience survey.”

It feels like the brand or the agent is more interested in getting the survey completed than actually resolving my issue. I don’t want to fill out another form—I want to be happy! Can you focus on making happy, please?

This got me thinking. Trustpilot collects customer reviews from across the globe. So, I wondered, why not look at Trustpilot feedback and compare it to my own experience? Am I just being a grumpy middle-aged person who’s never satisfied, or is there some credibility to my frustration?

Do Brands Really Pay Attention to Trustpilot Reviews?

My first reaction: Wow. Do CX managers actually analyze their Trustpilot scores and reviews? Some of them are painful to read. I get that CX professionals might argue Trustpilot is subjective, and I agree to an extent. It’s a platform where customers can vent. But then again, why do so many other brands have stellar Trustpilot scores?

To build an effective CX strategy, you have to consider all available feedback. Using Trustpilot, for example, as a trend indicator could help springboard improvements in your overall customer experience strategy. Yes, it might be subjective, but it still represents real customer perceptions and emotions at that moment in time.

The Customer’s Shoes: A Core CX Lesson

Throughout my career managing sales and marketing teams, one constant message from a boss I admired has stuck with me: Always focus on the client and their customers. Put yourself in their shoes. And that’s what I’ve always done, both then and now.

Every company loves talking about their wonderful solutions, after spending time and resources to perfect them. But I always tell my teams: don’t even start pitching until you’ve truly listened. Really listened—to the client, the customer, your partner, your kids, your friends, your family. Listen.

What challenges are they facing today, next month, or next year? What are their core objectives and personal goals? Out of the 20 solutions we offer, maybe only one or two will actually add value to their situation—or maybe none at all. Be honest about it, because you never know, they might come back to you when the timing is right.

This ethos is something I still hold onto at DataXcel.ie. While I’m no expert in CX strategy, I’m like you—a consumer. And at the end of the day, we all want the same thing: to feel loved, listened to, and truly heard. That’s the foundation for resolving any issue.

Now, I’ve said my piece. Time to find my dog, Jesse—she’s taken off with one of my shoes while I was writing this. Just like the outlaw!

Thanks for listening.

— Lorcan