Customer Feedback Techniques
When you have accurate, balanced and worthwhile information from
your customers, you put yourself ahead of your competition in
the marketing stakes. Here are 6 ways to get this information.
1. Ask Them. The simplest way to find out what people
want from your service or product is to ask them. That's what
the hairdresser does when he says, "How would you like your
hair, sir?". The trouble is, most service-providers assume they
know what people want. When hotel customers are asked what they
want for their breakfast and then the waiting and catering staff
are asked what they think the customer wants, the answers are
invariably different. Always ask and act on the answers.
2. Be Your Own Customer. One of the most obvious but
underused ways to find out what your customers experience when
they use your service is to be a customer yourself. You can do
this by walking the customer journey one step at a time and
seeing things through your customer's eyes. You can even act as
one of a special group of customers - such as a person in a
wheelchair, or someone whose first language is not English - and
see how you're treated.
3. Focus Groups. Focus groups are representatives of
customers whose job is to provide you with information on their
needs and preferences. When Selfridges Food Hall in London's
West End used a focus group to review their customer needs, they
discovered that they had three different types of customer:
locals who wanted personal attention; after-work shoppers who
wanted convenience; and tourists who wanted something special.
4. Questionnaires and Surveys. Getting customers to put
their thoughts in writing on a questionnaire or survey is one of
the most well-established feedback techniques. That's because,
when well-conducted, it works. When Volkswagen designed the new
Bug, they sent their existing customers a detailed survey
saying, "We want you! Your ideas, preferences, and constructive
contributions will be evaluated and fed into the development
process. So tell us about your impressions and ideas for the new
Beetle. We'll do our best!" The result? Air-conditioning as
standard and optional lighters and ashtrays. Who would have
guessed?
5. Usage Statistics. The most important current
information on whether your customers are satisfied with your
service or not is whether they continue to buy from you or use
you. However, while information on sales may be an accurate
indicator of how well you are doing at present, it is no
guarantee that you are delivering the product or service that
the customer really wants. It may be that you are at present the
only supplier in the market, or that you are the cheapest or the
most convenient.
6. Your Front-Line Staff. Your front-line staff are the
most resourceful and reliable, as well as the least costly, of
your customer feedback sources. Front-line staff should be
encouraged to build strong relationships with customers so that
they feel free to share how they feel about the service. It is
then for front-line staff to feed back important information for
improving customer care and for managers to make use of what
they tell them. There is also a value in looking after
front-line staff. The supermarket chain, Sainsbury's, discovered
a direct connection between customer satisfaction levels and
front-line staff satisfaction levels. Each year it carries out
customer surveys and staff surveys. Those stores where customer
satisfaction is high are invariably the same stores where staff
satisfaction is high.
You may deliver the best service in the world. But if it is not
what people want, you're wasting your time. Implement one, two,
three or all of the above techniques, and your service and
product will improve overnight.