Tip 10: Get feedback from your customers

Want to know how your customers are feeling about something you do for them?
Ask them. Get feedback from them directly on how well you’re doing at solving their problem. Your customers will be pleased that you care enough about their experience to want to ensure it’s a great one.

You can also get feedback on existing areas of frustration for them. But then you have to do something with the information your customers give you. They’ll be delighted that you listened to them, and actually used what they said to make improvements. Especially if those improvements make their life better in some way.

Examples

1. I recently had to fill out a support ticket for one of the services I use to run my business. Once the issue was resolved, I got an email asking about how well my issue was handled. The email made it simple for me to click a link with my overall level of satisfaction, and I could also add in specific comments if need be. I loved the simplicity of being able to provide comments, and how diligent the company was at learning how their customers felt about their service.
2. I’m part of a pilot program for a new software that’s coming out. As a part of the program, the makers are actively monitoring and aggregating feedback on experiences of those in the pilot, so they can make value-added tweaks in advance of their widespread launch.

Suggestions

1. View feedback as a gift. Sometimes it can be tough to hear anything other than praise for what you are doing well. But when your customer shares a way that you can serve them even better, it’s something you should welcome, and be excited about.
2. Make getting feedback from your customers standard practice. Whether it’s in asking how you are doing every six months or so, or sending out an automated survey or feedback mechanism after certain online encounters. Just find a way to keep a pulse on what your customers are thinking.

Application for your business

1. Write down 2 ways you can work to seek out feedback from your customers on a regular basis.
2. Map out how you will keep track of all the feedback you receive. Include how often you will revisit it to spot trends, and find out how to best act on the feedback.
3. Create a system to follow up on feedback. If a customer has a less than stellar experience, it’ll be good to have a plan in place for how to get back to the customer to investigate what happened and smooth things over.

Previous tips

1. Act like you want your customers to stick around
2. See your customers as individuals
3. Use the sweetest sound in any language
4. Remember your customers’ names
5. Pay attention to your customers
6. Engage your customers
7. Get to know your customers
8. Listen to your customers
9. Don’t let your customers hear the sound of crickets