Whenever
I am asked for feedback from a hotel or restaurant, I fill it out right away
and eagerly relay my experience to them. It is important
for people in business to understand and appreciate the significance of
customer feedback. At first, I was hesitant to consider asking our customers
for feedback. After all, why would I deliberately ask someone to take their
best shot at me? (I bruise easily.)
There
are two common mistakes companies make when asking customers for feedback.
Surveys are often ignored because they are either too lengthy or worded in such
a way that doesn’t allow you to honestly express your opinions. For example, I
received a survey from an organization that I belong to. I had been frustrated
about some things and was ready to spell it out to them in a forceful, yet
polite way. To my disappointment, the survey was limited to multiple choice
questions which failed to address any of the “elephant in the living room”
problems that were plaguing the organization. Ugh!
We
have discovered a better way. Once a year, we send a survey to our customers
via email and ask only one question:“On a scale from 1-10, how likely are you
to recommend our company to someone else?” And then we ask them to explain
their answer. It’s that simple! The first time we did this, it was like asking
your mother-in-law if she sees anything in you that she would like to change.
(Note: My mother-in-law did not receive a copy of the survey.) The customers
who gave us a rating of 8 or above were the customers that were most likely to
refer us to others whenever possible. The ones who gave us a score of 1-5 were
most likely to switch to another company in the near future.
We
called the customers who gave us a low score and asked them to explain their
reasons for doing so. After allowing them to tell us the whole story, we
authorized the person making the calls to do whatever they felt was necessary
to correct the situation right away. We then called the customers who gave us a
high score. After thanking them, we asked for permission to use their comments
on our web site and other advertising pieces: http://www.reliablepropane.com/Testimonialpage.
I
haven’t completely overcome my fear of customer feedback yet, but I now realize
the vital role it plays in the health of any organization that wants to serve its
customers in meaningful ways.
