Effectively Applying Customer Feedback

One of the biggest changes in customer satisfaction in the last 10 years, is the expectation of customers to be included in conversations with the companies they buy from. The advent of social media has catapulted this expectation to the point where many consumers are no longer willing to just spend their money, they expect to be an active part of what your business does, and how it does it.

Linda Ireland, global strategy & operational change expert (Aveus LLC) says, “Customer feedback isn’t a new concept. It’s been around since commerce began. The tools are different and more democratized now. It is easier now than ever before for the everyday customer to applaud your efforts—or to voice her criticisms—of your brand.” Customers have always been willing to give you their feedback, but now they expect you to do something about it, and companies who don’t, lose credibility and potential sales and referrals.

According to Ireland, “More than half of all companies are not translating customer observations or feedback into actions that can drive performance for their organizations. We learn much. We don’t execute enough, or leverage what we learn in the most meaningful way.”

Given that the trend toward more consumer engagement is growing, how will you incorporate your customers’ perspectives into what you do?

Here are some ideas:

Ask the right questions – before you ask for feedback on anything, make sure you are asking questions to which you can actually respond. If you find out that all your customers are excited about your company doing XYZ, but you don’t have the capacity or the intention to implement it, what’s the point of asking the question? Make sure you have a response for feedback you’re asking from your customers.

Translate feedback into product innovation – use customer observations, ideas and feedback to drive product and service innovation for your company. “Quite often, customers have ideas you haven’t considered since they’re the ones actually using your products and services on a daily basis. Create simple processes where you can get that direct customer feedback into the hands of product designers and innovation leads for your company.” says Ireland.

Read between the lines – use customer feedback to identify needs that haven’t been solved, or even articulated yet. Don’t just take customer comments and feedback at face value—dive in. “What’s the need beneath or beyond what you hear or see? Social networking tools like Twitter or Facebook may be particularly helpful here. Emerging needs are the headwaters of demand for your organization.” says Ireland. Give yourself the opportunity to solve a greater number of customer needs in the future.

Get personal – find ways to make your customers feel like they are the most important people to your business (ironically they are, but we often forget to let them know it). Personalize your interactions with them so that you can let them know how valuable their feedback was, and what ways your business has changed as a result.

Keep the conversations going – customer service experiences are not transactional - they’re relational - like a revolving door. Satisfaction isn’t achieved by sending out a survey once a year, while for the next year the customer tries to figure out what you did with the feedback. It’s a conversation that happens over and over. Feedback needs to be ongoing and meaningful. By meaningful, we mean that the information you get leads to actual, real change in your business.

The trend toward customer involvement and engagement and the need for your customers’ expectations to be heard continues to grow. If your business is to survive into the next decade and beyond, you’re going to have to find a way to creatively engage and involve them in your business.

Linda Ireland is founder and pricipal of Aveus LLC, a global strategy & operational change firm.