What Is Customer Sentiment? Related Articles How to Track Customer Sentiment The 8 Best Ways to Use Sentiment Analysis How to Use Customer Sentiment Analysis to Grow Your Business Sentiment Analysis and How it Improves CX © Ivanova Ksenia - Shutterstock - 1950797341 137 Filed under - Definitions, CallMiner What Is Customer Sentiment? Sentiment refers to the overall thoughts, views, or attitudes a person has about something. Customer sentiment is not unlike sentiment held or expressed by a person towards any other person, place, or thing that they interact with. In this case, however, it refers more specifically to a brand, product, or service. It’s closely related to emotion, which is more granular, inward-facing, and centred on the feelings individual customers experience. Unlike similar concepts, such as customer satisfaction or net promoter scores (NPS), customer sentiment is inherently ambiguous. The sentiment someone has towards your brand cannot be rated on a sliding scale in the same way that their satisfaction with an interaction can; it’s typically represented as either positive, negative or neutral. However, customer sentiment can be monitored and improved. Both direct and indirect customer sentiment are important to keep track of if you aim to maintain a positive brand perception or expand as a company. The two forms are similar, but they manifest in different settings and scenarios. Direct Customer Sentiment Direct customer sentiment is arguably rarer than indirect sentiment as it involves a customer directly contacting your company to air their concerns, either in response to outreach on the part of your business or unsolicited. In any event, this form of customer sentiment is best taken seriously, as customers must be fairly motivated to make an effort to explain their feelings to your brand. Indirect Customer Sentiment Indirect customer sentiment is a lot like direct customer sentiment in that customers are acting on a need to express their feelings about a brand. However, instead of directing their statements toward the brand in question, they choose to voice their concerns (or praises) publicly. Nowadays, that generally translates to posting on social media and engaging in conversations online. This can be a great thing when customers are simply enthusiastic about a brand they adore, but it can become a PR nightmare for companies caught in the crosshairs of disgruntled customers making their grievances known far and wide. Thanks to CallMiner Author: Robyn Coppell Published On: 26th Jan 2023 Read more about - Definitions, CallMiner Recommended Articles How to Track Customer Sentiment The 8 Best Ways to Use Sentiment Analysis How to Use Customer Sentiment Analysis to Grow Your Business Sentiment Analysis and How it Improves CX Related Reports Guide: Five Steps to Mastering Conversation Intelligence White Paper: How to Operationalise AI Workflows in the Contact Centre White Paper: How to Drive Business Improvements with Customer Insights eBook: How Customers Can Lead Your Business Transformation in 2024 Contact Centre Reports, Surveys and White Papers Get the latest exciting call centre reports, specialist whitepapers and interesting case-studies. Choose the content that you want to receive. Contact Centre Reports, Surveys and White Papers Invites to Webinars & Events Weekly Newsletter