In business, there are times when it is difficult to know what is working and what needs fixing or adjusting. As most companies grow, they slowly move away from the one thing that helps them determine how effective their products and services are; customer feedback.
Customer Feedback
product’s or service’s viability. It tells you directly what your customer wants, likes, needs or hates and if it fixes their problem or creates a new one. As a business owner, you are a problem solver—an innovator. Your customer looks to you for a solution; if they can’t find one, they will find a company that can solve their problem.
Customer feedback does not have to be complicated. It can be as easy as a phone call or email for smaller companies or surveys for larger companies with thousands of customers. Take a random cross-section of customers and ask for feedback. Most customers will be willing to offer their opinion, especially if it improves what you provide. The problem is that most customers have an opinion but are rarely asked. If you want an unbiased perspective, don’t ask your friends or family, and definitely not your mother. 🙂 In fact, the best results are anonymous.
You will find their honesty helpful, and your company and products will improve if a change is implemented. On the other hand, you may find that a specific product is no longer working, and it may need to be discontinued, or the business may need to pivot.
Customer feedback is the easiest and most cost-effective method of improving a product or service.
Customer Satisfaction Survey
There are websites where you can create a survey for free and send it to customers who can respond anonymously. If you have a company with fewer customers, pick up the phone and speak directly. Ask them a few simple questions and offer them something for their time.
This one question will open the door to many more questions…
Are you happy with [product/service] supplied to you?
- If you answered “NO” to the first question, what would make the [product/service] better?
- If you answered “YES” to the first question, what do you like best about the [product/service]?
The question may vary depending on the products and services your company offers. What would you provide to clients for their opinion? I would love to hear some feedback.
