Customer Feedback Archives

Customer Feedback: When Enough Is Enough

Customer feedback is vital to learning more about our customers – if they’re satisfied, if there were any problems with the service they received, or if there are any ways we can do better for our customers.

It’s one thing to ask for feedback, but it’s another to do it the wrong way. What would be considered the wrong way? There are a couple of ways a company can go wrong when collecting customer feedback:

1. Telling a customer how to respond

2. Asking too often or at the wrong time

Here are a couple of examples:

Telling Customers How They Feel

I shop at a particular large retailer often, and am aware that they have a customer feedback survey at the bottom of the receipt. Often times an employee will point it out, along with the fact that I would be entered into a drawing. On more recent visits, however, I noticed that the tone changed. It may be specific to the particular location I visit, and maybe not. At the end of the transaction, the employee invited me to take the survey and “if I gave them all 10’s for exceptional service, I would be entered into a monetary drawing.” Well, what if I gave them lower ratings based on my experience? Would my entry (along with my feedback) be dumped into some unknown viral wastebasket?

In reading a story about a consumer who had work done at a car dealership, the author tells his tale of the dealership asking for feedback, with a reminder that the manufacturer may be contacting him as well to get feedback: “They also gently reminded me the manufacturer might be contacting me and they would appreciate my giving them the highest rating.”

Telling consumers, or even “gently suggesting” how to provide feedback to a consumer, can be off-putting. It creates a sense that they really only want to hear the good stuff, and could even be a signal that the employee is worried about less than excellent feedbaack. It could be their job is on the line, they are in a competition to get the most positive feedback, or something else all together. At any rate, this is one way to decrease the feedback, or even true feedback. A customer may be inclined to give positive feedback, even if it wasn’t the case, because they liked the employee and wanted to give him/her credit at work, they wanted to be included in the prize drawing, etc. At any rate, this can be a no-win situation.

Asking too often/at the wrong time

Back to the dealership article….this author shared his experience post appointment. Specifically, the number of requests for feedback was simply too much. The first request came shortly after returning home, and then there seemed to be a flurry of email and phone requests, along with a note that the manufacturer may be following up too. Consumers will give their feedback if they want to – asking multiple times will not get them to provide feedback, or it will – and that won’t be the kind you want at that point. One reminder if your automated system tracks responses, as we could all use a reminder from time to time. But, after that, just realize that you’re not likely to get feedback from that customer.

A colleague shared a story of purchasing an item online. When receiving the item, they were very pleased with most of it, except one part that arrived broken. An email sent to the company garnered a quick response – an apology and a promise to ship a new item right away. A couple of days later, this colleague got an email asking for feedback, and the next day, and the next day. Meanwhile, the item was not resent and follow up emails to the company were not returned. Yet the feedback requests kept coming. It was finally resolved, but by that time, the colleague was not interested in leaving great feedback. Had the issue been resolved first, or more quickly, or without repeated requests for an update, some really great feedback could have been left!

The last example leads again to multiple feedback requests. A story shared with me involves someone who had a great customer experience and, on her own, left a glowing review for the company on their website. Three days post-transaction, an email was received requesting feedback. And then, like the other examples, a flood of subsequent requests came, even though this customer already left feedback. While they were just ignored, it was an annoyance, and one that could have been resolved by dispatching the request more quickly after the transaction, and again limiting the number of requests sent.

Automation is great, but abusing it and/or not having great control over it can be a turnoff to customers, and defeat the objective of collecting customer feedback.

Do you have a story to share on customer feedback gone wrong? If so, please feel free to share in the comments below – we’d love to hear from you!

Use Negative Feedback in Marketing Efforts

There are many benefits to collecting not so great company feedback, but there is one that might be overlooked by some.

I was watching TV the other night when I came across a commercial for eHarmony. It left me wondering if they are using this tactic, as the gentleman asks if the woman he is talking with if she is signed up with eHarmony, and she says she doesn’t have time to answer all of the screening questions. He quickly replies, “Do you want fast or forever?”

It got me thinking – I wonder if one of the trends they are seeing is that potential customers are saying that it is too time intensive to complete a profile, and this is what is keeping them from joining. The company could also potentially be utilizing social media monitoring to learn more about those using online dating sites, what they like and don’t like, and they have taken on what is perceived as a negative by potential customers and highlighted in their advertising, along with reasons why this makes them stronger than their competition.

I thought it was a great way to address features in their advertising. It got me thinking, and I tried to recollect other companies that may have done this. I will admit I’m not a commercial watcher (I tend to flip channels too much), but the only one that came to mind, though it was not quite as a success, was McDonald’s recent “ask us anything” campaign:

Unfortunately, this campaign was deemed “a little too late” for McDonald’s. They were under heavy scrutiny for a long period of time before this campaign was launched, and this campaign was criticized and was not as successful as the company had hoped.

The two examples illustrate a beneficial use of negative feedback or trends being used in advertising. If done at the right time (before there is a significant issue or viral publicity), and used effectively, taking what is perceived as a negative by potential customers and using it effectively in marketing campaigns can go a long way in marketing efforts. Done right, this is a great way to turn a stumbling block into a new customer.

Use Feedback For The Future? A Look At Ford’s Approach

Customer feedback is used for many perspectives, from frequent customers to new customers. One item that is often asked on a feedback survey is some version of “What is one thing we can do to improve future visits?” While a good question, one that might spark a new product or service idea, often times customers don’t have specific suggestions. In other words, they don’t know what they don’t know.

Ford looks past that theory and has utilized customer feedback for future car designs. It’s not your typical feedback program, of course, but instead works to get insight and feedback from specific customers based on their next design. On Ford’s website, they discuss how they go about this:

Our marketing experts use an intensive research and analysis process to understand who our potential customers are, what they value and what they want in a vehicle. We define a “brand DNA” and a “target customer” for each of our main brands and products. The brand DNA and target customer profiles go beyond simple demographic information such as age, gender and income; we build complete profiles of our target customer, including information such as what they like to do, what music they listen to and where they shop. Using a fully developed, typical customer as the focus for vehicle development brings our market research data to life and keeps everyone on the product development team focused on designing a vehicle that meets customers’ needs and desires.

At the Industrial Designers Society of American (IDSA) Conference earlier this summer, Ford engaged in a panel discussion surrounding this very concept of using customer insights for future car designs. Specifically, they obtain feedback from target customers prior to the design process, and then again as the initial design process has completed. They will go as far as talking directly with customers, allowing them to provide detailed feedback on what they like and don’t like. The company finds that this will yield a strong product for its customers.

This is a great way to use customer perception and feedback for new products; more and more, customers are very in tune with what they like and don’t like. While Ford conducts this feedback research on a very high level, it is something to consider on a much smaller level.

Some tips for using customer feedback and insight for future products and services may include:

1. Ask the right questions: customers may see a general question like “what is one thing we can do better next time” as a more literal question, and only thing about their experience from a limited standpoint. When this happens, you may see responses such as “open more registers during busy times” or “have more staff on the sales floor to help customers.” These are limited, more operational type observations that help companies see where they can improve, but don’t lead to future forward thinking.

Instead, ask if customers frequent your business often; if they are regular customers, ask if they would be interested in participating in a feedback program specific to new products and services, or serve on an online feedback panel. This way you can target those customers to get their feedback, while making them feel like they are a part of your business, and that you value their business.

2. Don’t just focus on the existing customers: new customers often have a lot of suggestions too; after all, their first experience with your company gives a fresh perspective. What made them visit? Did they find what they were looking for? Did their pre-visit perception match what they experienced in store? What can you do differently to keep them as a returning customer? This insight is valuable and can provide insight into other products or services you can implement into your company.

3. Ensure you have a consumer panel for a new product launch: soft launch or pilot programs ensure that things run smoothly. While you’re testing at the company level, the next step should involve a small base of customers. Let them use the system or new product, test it out, and give their feedback before it goes to market. Since they are on the front lines, and seeing it for the first time, they can provide some good insight into any issues, bugs, or ways to improve before it is officially rolled out. If you have a panel in place, as suggested earlier, this will be easier to do.

4. Use social media data: expand your horizons a bit by using a social media monitoring program. This type of program can scour the internet for conversations as general as “automobile designs” or “clothing for teens.” Use these real-time conversations to learn what consumers are thinking, what they need in your industry, and where the industry falls short in the eyes of consumers.

Using customer feedback can be extremely useful in making sure your new products and services are the best they can be. As consumers become more savvy and educated, thanks to the world of social media, take advantage of their opinions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement.

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