Customers Have a Say in Success

Published in the Northern Territory News, Wednesday 18 May 2011

Do you know what your customers really think about your services? Listening to your customers, and more important, acting on the feedback they give is one of the best ways to transform your business into a successful one.

Whilst it is important to budget for business promotion and advertising, a relatively small amount of money can be spent on surveying your customers and gathering feedback about your services and customer experience with your business.  Customer feedback is one of the most reliable ways of knowing that your business is meeting customer needs and whether you are delivering the product you promise. Ignoring the feedback given by your customers, puts your business at risk of thinking it is ‘on the right track’ and letting your customers go to a competitor that is more in tune with what your customers want. The way you think your customers feel about your product is not always the same as what your customers really think about your product.

There is one important reason for collecting customer feedback. By listening to your customers' needs and desires, you can tailor your product and service to better meet their demands.  This will ultimately lead to greater success of your business and ability to deliver the right product to your customers.

Of course, asking for customer feedback may open your business up to negative comments.  But if these comments heard early, then your business has an opportunity to do something about it.   In the most part, customers generally have overwhelmingly positive things to say about their experiences with many businesses.  By giving these people an opportunity to tell you about it, you can find out what you are in fact ‘doing right’ and understand the elements of your business that are already working well. 

Knowing what your customers think, especially if it's good, can impact on the decision of new customers when they are considering which business to approach for services. Hearing about a positive experience a customer had with your company, could mean the difference between a potential customer choosing your business or your competitor.

There are various ways in which business can collect feedback from customers, including:

• Suggestion box in the reception area of your business.
• Feedback forms (either mailed or delivered with the invoice at the completion of a job).
• On-line forms are an interactive way to collect feedback for customers who work in online environments.
• Focus groups collect feedback from a group of customers in a discussion forum. 
• Survey questionnaires can provide more detail on customer experience.

Choosing which method of feedback collection will depend greatly on what kind of business you are and what type of information you are looking for.  For example, you may want feedback on how your customers may respond to changes in service delivery.  In this case, focus group or survey questionnaires may be the most appropriate method.

When considering which method to employ, there are some important considerations to make.  Remember to make it easy for customers to give feedback; thank your customer for taking the time to provide feedback to you; and analyse all feedback and action any issues that are raised, in the shortest possible timeframe.   Following these simple rules will tell your customers that their feedback is important to you and to the success of your thriving business.

Article by Alison Hucks, Principal @ Avant