Customer Satisfaction Data is Now Available for APN Partners

Editor’s note: On April 1, 2019, we launched new APN tier changes and updates to APN Partner Central, which included CSAT count requirements and an automated way of surfacing both CSAT count and data from customers.

To learn more about current CSAT process, please see our CSAT Overview Guide >>

By Ian Kirkwood, APN CSAT Program Manager at AWS

To help businesses gather feedback and understand the impacts they’ve had on Amazon Web Services (AWS) customers, we launched a “Rate this Partner” button in the AWS Partner Solutions Finder last year.

The APN Customer Satisfaction program (CSAT) provides Partners with meaningful data that you can use to better understand your customers. The program asks AWS customers how likely they are to recommend an AWS Partner Network (APN) Partner on a scale of 0-10. By maximizing the number of satisfied customers and decreasing the overall amount of dissatisfied customers, you can increase customer retention and grow your business.

In short, CSAT data provides:

• A system to evaluate, monitor, and improve customer loyalty and satisfaction
• Deeper understanding of how AWS customers view a business and the reasons why
• Opportunities to repair customer relationships after a negative experience

For more information, please see the CSAT Program Overview presentation in Partner Central. (Login Required)

What’s in it for APN Partners?

The goal of the CSAT program is not for Partners to get a perfect score. Rather, you should look to increase the percentage of satisfied customers while decreasing the number of dissatisfied ones who will share negative experiences with others. This data can help you understand where your organization measures up today, and that information can be key to deciding where you want your business to go tomorrow.

Best Practices

APN Customer Satisfaction data is a powerful tool that can change your business, but it requires a commitment to getting more feedback and reviewing your scores regularly. Here are some best practices for understanding CSAT data and using it to drive your business.

Ask Your APN Rep if You Have Customer Reviews Already

CSAT data is distributed to Partner Development Representatives (PDRs) for each APN Partner they manage that has acquired at least 10 customer reviews. This process ensures we have collected meaningful, actionable data that paints a realistic picture of your engagement with customers. One or two scores from customers, for example, does not likely represent the full scope of your work. This is why we require 10 reviews before sharing the information with PDRs.

Please note that PDRs have already begun receiving this data, so contact your APN representative to see if there is data available for your organization.

Follow Up with Customers Who Share Feedback

The other CSAT data you receive are the comments that accompany each Customer Score. Whereas the numerical score is a succinct and easy way for customers to communicate feedback with a Partner, the anecdotal details of their experience are equally important. Following up with reviews—positive or negative—is a great way to demonstrate to customers that you care about their experience and want to make a difference.

We ask customers’ permission each time they leave feedback if we can share their contact information with you. For some comments you will see a customer’s email address, whereas you won’t see contact information if they did not give us their consent to share it with you.

If your organization receives a negative review and the customer indicates a process malfunction or poor customer experience, we recommend taking action and following up with the customer. By listening and responding to their needs, you may convert dissatisfied customers into satisfied ones and prevent future customers from having the same experience.

Solicit More Feedback From Customers

Partners can improve their scores by continually asking for feedback and improving in the areas customers have raised concerns about.

All Partners were provided with a Customer Review solicitation email template at the end of March, which is also available in Partner Central. Use this email template to drive traffic to your Customer Review form and increase the data pool your Customer Score draws from. The more data CSAT has, the more your score reflects your overall customer experience.

We recommend you adopt a practice of regularly soliciting feedback from customers. You may ask for feedback when a business opportunity is finished, for example, or on a standard monthly or quarterly basis. Multiple individuals from the same customer organization are allowed to review Partners so long as each has had direct contact with you. Additionally, the same people are allowed to review a Partner for each business engagement they have.

Next Steps

Remember to ask your APN representative if you have customer reviews already, and that to unlock CSAT data you must have received at least 10 customer reviews. Once you can see and read your CSAT data, continue to solicit new reviews from customers.

To learn more, please see the APN CSAT Program Overview and watch our ‘Inside the APN’ webinar outlining the new CSAT program.