Customer experience should always be a top priority. After all, a satisfied client can set off a positive domino effect for you and your agency in the form of earned trust, loyalty, more referrals and new business.

With customers holding the potential to be one of your greatest allies, you have to ask yourself: How can you make sure your clients are truly happy? Here are three effective ways to gather their thoughts:

1) Smart surveys. Are your surveys gathering useful, honest information? There's more to it than creating one, throwing it in an email and hitting send. Instead, pay attention to details. Here are three basics to watch:

Goal. Let's say you conduct a survey to understand why clients are leaving. Your goal could focus on general customer satisfaction or you could be even more specific. A more precise goal could be understanding key internal and external factors that lead to a client's decision to leave.

Length. The more questions you include in your survey, the higher the respondent drop-off rate, according to SurveyMonkey data. Keep your surveys succinct and watch more of your respondents complete them.

Questions. Closed-ended questions are easier to answer compared to open-ended ones, but they both have their place. Sometimes, a “yes" or “no" multiple choice question can give you the answer but an open-ended question could help elicit more details, even though they take longer to answer.

2) Get social. Considering how much people love to both praise and scrutinize brands online, always practice “social listening," which involves monitoring your social channels for direct mentions, conversations and feedback to keep your customer experience strategy on the right path.

Don't forget to look at what others are saying about your competitors. What's driving their customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction? How can you stand out in a sea of options? The answers could be a search away.

Many social platforms also allow you to engage with your clients through surveys and polls, and Facebook Live gives you the opportunity to host Q&A sessions to gain more insight and improve operations where needed.

3) SMS support. As many as 90% of all texts are read within three minutes, according to GigaOm. Also, the average open rate of a text message is 98%, compared to just 22% for email. A text message not only attracts more eyes, but it can also be a nice break from emails, giving you the opportunity to connect with your clients on a more personal level.

A client's feedback is fundamental to your success. If you aren't already gathering it, now is the time to start.

Richie Almeida is an integrated marketing specialist at Glatfelter Insurance Group.