As a business owner, the whole essence of your business is to serve your customers and make them loyal to your brand. That’s why you should make your marketing strategy and products customer-centered to give customers a better experience.
Putting your customers’ interests to heart is one of the keys to growing your business and one way to know their interests is by collecting feedback from them.
In this post, we’ll cover;
• What is Customer Feedback
• How to collect feedback
• How to use customer feedback to grow your business
What is customer feedback?
Customer Feedback is simply the information that customers give about their experiences, perceptions, and expectations of your products or services. It can either be positive, negative, or just neutral.
Airbnb, by listening to both hosts and guests, has created a platform that people love. They used feedback mechanisms like reviews and ratings to improve their platforms and create trust between users which will ultimately fuel their Growth.
Why is customer feedback important?
Customer Feedback is very important because it serves as a window into the minds of your customers. It can have a positive impact on the growth of your business if leveraged well.
If you’re bent on providing services that meet the needs of your customers, then you need to first know what those needs are.
Addressing the concerns of your customers and making improvements to your products based on their feedback can lead to higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty.
Customer feedback also helps you anticipate the future needs of your customers and intentionally resolve those issues.
Customers want to believe that their opinions matter. Actively soliciting and acting upon feedback demonstrates to customers that their opinions matter and this in turn builds trust and loyalty.
How to collect feedback from customers
Before you begin collecting feedback, It’s important to know why you’re seeking their feedback. If you don’t have a clear intention, your feedback may not serve anyone.
Here are 4 great ways to gather customer feedback:
1. Customer Feedback Surveys:
Surveys are good tools for gathering structured feedback from your customers. You can create surveys that are tailored to specific aspects of your products or services and distribute them either through email or social media channels.
You can use Qualaroo for one-question surveys or SurveyKing for longer-form surveys.
Keep this in mind when creating surveys
- Keep it concise and straight to the point. Nobody likes filing out long surveys.
- Given them a reason.
- Ask thoughtful open-ended questions.
2. Reviews and Ratings:
I’m sure you have bought a product online because of a good review a customer left. Reviews and ratings are like little notes from your customers about their experiences with your business and they serve as social proof. This is how to easily get them:
Send follow-up emails after a purchase asking customers to leave a review. Make sure you thank them when they do.
When customers leave reviews either good or bad, take time to respond. It shows that you care about what they think.
One very important platform to get reviews and feedback is through your Google Business Profile. You’re losing out to your competitors if you do not have a Google Business Profile that is properly set up. ClarylifeGlobal can help you set up a working Google Business Profile that helps you dominate your local market.
3. Direct Communication:
Sometimes, the best way to get feedback is by talking directly to your customers. You can send personalized emails asking for feedback, and be sure to respond to any replies you get.
Email is a very powerful tool to use to collect feedback from your customers. Since it’s often a primary support channel for many companies, every email interaction can serve as a chance to collect feedback. One of the best times to send out an email is following the purchase of a product.
You can also have a live chat feature on your website so customers can reach out with questions or feedback in real time.
4. Social Media:
Social media is now a regular place for customers to voice their opinions about brands. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as twitter) are go-to spots for people to easily voice their opinions.
You need to not only keep an eye on your pages but also on what’s being said about your brand elsewhere. It helps you to stay informed. And speaking of awesome experiences, customers expect brands to be responsive on social media.
The bottom line is that social media isn’t just for fun, it’s also a way to know what’s been said about your brand and how to act on it.
5. Website Analytics:
This is also a great way to get indirect feedback from your customers. Check out your website stats to see how your customers are using your website. Analyze metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and time spent on site to understand how users interact with your website. You can also track specific actions such as form submissions, product views, and checkout processes to identify areas for improvement and gauge customer satisfaction.
By leveraging website analytics tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar, you can spot trends, find areas to improve, and make sure your customers are having a good time browsing your site.
What to do with customer feedback
Collecting feedback from your customers isn’t just about hearing what they have to say; it’s about making real changes to make them happier and keep them coming back for more. And when you take action based on that feedback; whether it’s fixing a problem, adding a new feature, or just saying thanks, it shows you’re listening and you care. This in turn helps you make you make more customer-driven decisions that will propel the business forward.
Customer feedback is important because we all have our blind spots. When you’re running a business, sometimes you need your customers’ help to discover what needs improvement and what you’re doing right!
So, don’t hesitate to ask for feedback, and don’t forget to respond to the feedback gotten.