Customers nowadays are more demanding than ever before. They have a variety of choices to decide from and are always looking to get the highest value out of what they pay, either this is a product or service. They have an opinion which they want to express, they complain about things they don’t like, and they have expectations.
For companies that continuously seek to grow and improve, it is essential to give voice to their customers and listen to them. Asking clients for feedback and encouraging any kind of conversations, enables organisations to get to know what they do well or not, and how they can further improve to meet their customers’ needs and expectations.
Why is it so important though to listen to customers?
- Meet customers’ needs and expectations
- Increase profits
- Assess priorities
- Evaluate new ideas and developments
Have you ever thought of sitting down with your key clients to discuss their needs and decide together on the next big thing to offer to the market?
How to collect customer feedback
There are many ways through which you can receive feedback from customers. Using a combination of them can provide you with maximum insights and results. Please see below:
- Surveys
- Feedback forms
- Focus groups
- In-depth interviews
- Conversations in social media, forums, groups and communities
- Social media polls
- Social media listening
Questions included in the above can refer to client/product satisfaction, areas of improvement, how customers feel about your product/service, reasons of their preference in certain products, preferred ways of communication etc. Whichever method you choose to utilise, have in mind to make it simple and quick for the client to complete. In regards to conversations, use a friendly tone of voice and show true interest in your clients’ thoughts.
It’s a win-win situation
From a client’s perspective, it is great for them to know that their opinion is valued and that they spend their money on a brand or organisation that is willing to continuously take steps forward and develop. At the same time though, it is extremely important to keep in mind that when customers share their voice, they expect a response and actions to be taken. Never forget this!
