Do Your Subscribers Enjoy Their Experience With You? Here's How To Find Out

In my last Calix blog, I covered NPS® and some questions to ask in addition to the typical question: “On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?” Asking extra questions helps to give us more context—or the “why” behind the subscriber’s answer.
 

Let’s delve into three more metrics or questions worth considering. I’ve been thinking and writing about these lately. They could supplement NPS® or be part of another survey to understand how much your subscribers enjoy their experience with you.
 

#1 Time to Happiness

The short description of this metric is how long it takes from when a subscriber becomes unhappy about a problem to when they eventually contact you, resolve their problem, and return to a state of happiness.
 

In the customer support world, many agents make the mistake of assuming the customer called as soon as they became upset. However, many subscribers don’t call immediately—they may wait to see if the issue resolves on its own or for a more convenient time to deal with tech support. Imagine the internet goes out just before the subscriber goes to bed. The subscriber waits until they get home from work the next night and then calls support. Their frustrating experience began almost 24 hours before they contacted their provider.
 

While we can’t control how long the customer has been disappointed, upset, or angry, we can ask, “When did you first notice this?” Once they share that information, the agent can apologize, show empathy, etc. And it’s the agent's job to get them back to being happy as quickly and efficiently as possible. All support roles must understand the concept of Time to Happiness as they move the subscriber from having a Moment of Misery™ to experiencing a Moment of Magic®.
 

#2 Time Well Spent

This metric was a new one for me. I interviewed Aransas Savas, an “experience designer” for Stone Mantel consulting firm, on my podcast, Amazing Business Radio. She shared a metric created by two of the firm’s principals, David W. Norton and Joseph Pine II, which they named Time Well Spent. It’s an easy question: “Do you consider your experience with us to be time well spent?” You can make this a simple yes/no question or rephrase it for a rating of 0-10 (similar to NPS®).
 

Subscribers will consider how long you made them hold, how many people they were transferred to, how many times they had to repeat their story, etc. Anything that takes more time than necessary will detract from a high score. Our customer service and CX research found that in 2024, only 39% of U.S. consumers think companies value their time when they call for support. If ratings and reviews are important, then valuing your subscribers’ time is something to pay attention to.
 

#3 Does the Customer Come Back?

This isn’t as much a metric as it is a reminder to measure the lifeblood of your business: customer retention. Subscribers renew with you monthly. That means that each month they pay their bill, they are essentially “coming back.” Even with a high NPS®, Time to Happiness score, Time Well Spent rating, or any other metric you’re using to measure subscriber satisfaction, perhaps the most important measurement is if the customer comes back—the opposite of churn.
 

Even if the subscriber’s behavior indicates uninterrupted service for an extended period—sometimes years—you must understand why. Don’t assume that the subscriber is happy because they keep coming back (as in paying their monthly bill) and don’t complain. One technique I share with clients in the support world is what I refer to as the Loyalty Question. In any situation, especially tenuous situations, ask yourself, “Will what I’m doing right now get the subscriber to stay if they have an opportunity to switch to a competitor?”
 

Everyone on your team should know the metrics you use to measure a successful experience. Remind them of their role in subscriber satisfaction and teach them to manage the experience that will meet your goals.

If you like these metrics, I recently wrote an article about 14 customer service and CX metrics (including these) you should read. Managing the numbers is important. They help you understand what’s behind success (or lack of success). Management guru Peter Drucker was famous for saying, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” Using the right metrics will help you make informed decisions about how to create a subscriber experience that builds a positive reputation and reduce churn.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and CX expert, an award-winning keynote speaker and a New York Times bestselling author. Learn more at www.Hyken.com.
 

© MMXXIV Shep Hyken – Used with permission.
 

Net Promoter®, NPS®, NPS Prism® and the NPS-related emoticons are registered trademarks of Bain & Company Inc., Satmetrix Systems Inc. and Fred Reichheld. Net Promoter Score℠ and Net Promoter System℠ are service marks of Bain & Company Inc., Satmetrix Systems Inc. and Fred Reichheld. Moments of Magic® is a registered trademark of Shep Hyken.