Although there’s plenty of ways to evaluate how you’re doing in the market, having insight from your customers is one of the best ways to get a feel for what you are and aren’t doing right when it comes to the customer’s experience. Analytics and data can provide you with insights into the market and what your customers are expecting, but most of the time they can’t explain why customers are doing what they’re doing. There are many methods that can be used to collect the right customer feedback to enhance your business, here are 5.
Surveys
Surveys are one of the most tried-and-true methods used in collecting customer feedback. They’re not difficult to set-up, and many customers will be open to filling them out so long as they’re not too complex (and if they are, have a small reward ready). There’s two basic surveys that you can use:
- Long surveys – Using sites like SurveyMonkey, you’re able to link customers to a longer-form survey and have them answer a bunch of questions. The only problem with these surveys is that most people get bored fairly fast. Be sure you keep your survey under 10 questions and start with a few open-ended ones.
- Short surveys on your site – If you’re doing a survey such as these, it’s suggested you don’t use a full-blown survey. Try putting up one- maybe 2- questions on the side of the page for your visitors to answer, and make sure they’re somewhat relative to the content on the page.
Feedback boxes
Customers are constantly thinking of ways you can make your business better. More often than not, they won’t reach out to your support team unless it’s really serious. Rather than having them walk away angry at the smaller stuff, provide a feedback form at the bottom of every one of your website pages. This gives customers the opportunity to tell you about the small things also.
Reach out directly
Sometimes, surveys and feedback online will give many recommended solutions to address the one problem. Digging deeper is something that will have to happen, and for that asking your customers directly can go a long way. Most people won’t mind having a brand discuss with them their opinions especially if it enhances their next visit. Focus groups and interviews are great tools for this.
Social listening
Probably one of the most prominent methods today is social listening, and it’s simply collecting customer feedback from social media platforms. Direct comments and mentions are easy to pay attention to, but listening in on conversations across platforms is also great for customer feedback. Social platforms are also great for single-question polls when looking for customer engagement.
Email and customer contact forms
When establishing feedback via email, it’s important that you: assure customers of a speedy response, create an organized customer feedback system, and send candid follow-up emails. Emails are a great way to add a personal touch to the customer experience and encourage the opportunity for 1-on-1 engagement and feedback.
Secret shopping for the best customer feedback
Although customer feedback is a great tool to utilize when looking to enhance guest experiences, Getting an external perspective from a professional is also important. Secret shoppers can help provide you with an analysis of your business from the customer’s perspective along with an industry overview so that you can compare your customer service skills with competitors. Connect with Braymark and start working with the best secret service shopper company today.
