Any business owner knows your customers are your most valuable asset. You spend countless hours training your employees on providing top notch service and support to ensure every customer has the best experience. But are you really getting an accurate picture of how well this is implemented?
If you haven’t implemented some way to invite customers to share feedback on their experience with your company, then the answer is no. Save for the rare exceedingly great or embarrassingly awful experience, your customers will rarely take the time to track you down to volunteer their feedback. Instead, consider setting up a way to invite them to provide their opinions on working with you. You may be surprised to learn how much this feedback can help the growth of your business.
No one is perfect. At some point during the life of your business, you’re going to disappoint a customer. If you’re not actively seeking their feedback, you may never know until you see them dragging your name through the mud in an online review.
Giving your customers an outlet to provide feedback directly gives them an alternative to taking to the internet in a blind rage, damaging the reputation of your brand in the process. Taking the time to address the concern of your customers can quickly turn an angry customer into a lifelong, loyal customer.
You never know who may hold the next great idea. As a business owner, it’s easy to see your company and its core product through rose colored glasses. Whether your product is a material good or a service, your customers interact with it on a different level than you and your employees.
Customers who are invested in your business love to share great ideas on how to improve their experience. Though not all ideas can be implemented, you may find small improvements you can make immediately to improve your customer’s experience.
Every marketer is looking for the best and most cost effective way to promote their brand. In the internet age, finding customers who have had great experiences with your company is one of the best resources you have for brand marketing.
Using their social media network, your company can get visibility in front of hundreds, maybe thousands, of consumers you may not have reached otherwise. But how do you identify the ideal advocate?
Customer feedback. You’ll quickly and easily identify people who love your brand and aren’t afraid to show it. Because they’ve already provided feedback, you have their information and can easily reach out to them for help. Ask them to share a promotional post on their Facebook page, or retweet your most recent blog post. Chances are they’re going to jump at the chance to help out a company that’s been good to them.
We know as small business owners you value your customers, but how are you making your customers feel valued? Everyone likes to be asked for their opinion. There is something innately satisfying about knowing that your thoughts are important to another person.
Gathering insight from your customers by asking them to help you out lets them know they aren’t just dollar signs to you and your business. Of course, gathering the feedback and ignoring everything said won’t help, so make sure you have plans in place to make some adjustments based on what customers are saying, when applicable.
It’s clear that customer feedback can help improve your relationship with your customers. If you haven’t yet started asking your customers for feedback, there’s no time like the present! Not sure how to start? We’ve got you covered. Stay tuned for our next blog covering ways to gather customer feedback!
Have any great stories about how customer feedback changed the way you do business? Share in the comments below!