As a business owner or customer service manager, you’re likely hyper-aware that customer feedback is the single-most critical factor in success.
When you consider that your products, service, brand, and even your reputation rely predominantly on customer reviews and reactions – then you know how important it is to pay attention to what your audience is saying about your business. With this in mind, here are five smart ways to more effectively collect customer feedback.
Automate Your Customer Operations
One of the most efficient and simple ways of capturing customer feedback is to implement the power of contact center technology. This is highly specialized software that can automate all of your customer interactions. Customer contact tech and customer call center software can be remarkably revealing in terms of identifying inquiries. In turn, the data collected can inform your business team on how to improve, what to avoid, and what areas in business productivity need more attention. Automating customer service inquiries will allow you to capture and analyze big customer data so that you can enhance product development and improve your business strategy. Ultimately, automating your customer feedback with advanced technology can revolutionize your business operations.
Use Customer Surveys
This might seem like an old-fashioned technique to collect customer feedback, but it’s still effective. Your business can choose from a long-form or short-form survey. These can be done electronically by creating a form on your website. An e-form on your website can absorb all the survey data and give you very telling analytics that gives you valuable information on what your customers want and if your business is slacking in certain areas. The survey should invite your customers to answer specific inquiries that will illuminate your future choices about customer service, production, and other areas that may need improvement. Considering many customers might be reluctant to take the time to complete surveys – you can work around this by incentivizing them to take your surveys. Offer your customers a discount, a free consultation, or a free sample when they fill out your survey.
Implement a Virtual Suggestion Box
Installing a suggestion forum or suggestion board is similar to a suggestion box that might be found in a brick-and-mortar store. The difference here is that your suggestion forum is installed on your website. This can be done by installing a suggestion box or board widget in your content management system, which will then be displayed on your website. This enables customers to leave suggestions, comments, and feedback directly on your website. This information can be an incredibly useful and informative tool when understanding your customer’s wants and needs.
Send Your Customers a Letter
Sometimes it’s the down-to-earth, personalized tactics that win the most response. If you’re not already, consider sending your customers an email with the goal of receiving feedback from them. This is known as a transactional email. These can be automated, but we recommend taking a personalized approach. Begin the email by thanking your customers for their purchase or subscription. Then create a compelling message about how your company is committed to quality service, and encourage your customers to respond with their feedback. While this is a grass-roots strategy for accessing customer responses, it can still be a powerful method to obtain valuable customer opinions. In most instances, people appreciate a personal touch, and therefore this can be an effective way to encourage them to share their thoughts with you.
Be Accessible
Customers need to know that your business values and wants their feedback. Therefore, it’s important to make every effort to make your business as accessible as possible. Give your customers every opportunity to contact you so they can share their thoughts with your customer service team. For instance, you can install a chatbot on your website, which gives users immediate access to your customer service representatives. While chatbots alone aren’t an ideal customer service solution, they have been known to be illuminating in terms of learning more about customer behavior.
Lastly, have your company website, email, and phone number clearly positioned on your website. This makes it easier for customers to reach out and share their thoughts. Ultimately, when you make your business exceedingly accessible, you have more opportunities to collect customer feedback.
