If you really want to know what your customers think of the way you do business, there is a proven method of gleaning this information.
What’s more, the utter simplicity of the technique might come as a shock.
Are you ready for it?
Here goes.
Ask them.
People will tell you anything you want to know—if you ask. And, when it comes to the nature of your dealings with your most treasured asset, doing so is imperative. It is nigh impossible to overestimate the real value of customer feedback,as it is useful in a number of ways.
Among them are;
Continual Improvement of Your Products and Services
In all likelihood, you did a bit of market research and determined there were enough people with a problem you could solve. So you went into business and enjoyed a modicum of success. However, if you want that success to multiply, ask your customers about the benefits, problems and results they’ve experienced with your offerings.
Another factor of which you should be aware, situations evolve. While your product might be dead on target today, things might change as time goes on. You’ll see the shift coming before it occurs and have time to adapt when you keep your finger on the pulse of your patrons.
Further, there could be something like a problem with one of the processes on your site and your customers are just working around it. Switching to a website theme like those offered by Shopify could turn the situation around. But you won’t know unless you ask.
Gauging Customer Satisfaction
It’s easy to slip into complacency when things are flowing well. However, basing your success on sales alone can be deceptive. People will sometimes continue to buy—even if they feel the environment could be better—for a while at least. But they won’t be recommending you to others; they’ll just tolerate the situation until they can find a better source.
Conversely, a happy customer usually keeps quiet while a disgruntled one will tell everyone they meet how lousy you are—except you. Running customer satisfaction surveys on a regular basis will help you catch firestorms before they ignite.
Tells Customers You Care
If you want to see somebody smile, ask how they’re doing. If you want a customer to know you value their business, ask them how YOU’RE doing.
Keep in mind; people come to you for solutions to problems. Whatever you sell, the only purpose for your existence is to make life easier, happier, safer or improved in some other way for the people who spend money with you.
When you ask how you can serve them better your processes will improve and your customers will feel they have more of a stake—which leads to enhanced loyalty.
Provides Social Proof
You can hire the best marketing company ever formed. You can pair it with the most formidable PR machine in existence. And still, their combined efforts won’t be nearly as effective as a customer testimonial. Shoppers are so over commercials and “expert advice”. They want to know how other people fared when they bought from you.
When was the last time you tried an unfamiliar new service without conducting a search on Yelp or some other consumer review site?
That’s just part of the buying process now.
When you ask for customer feedback, you can post pertinent excerpts to help new shoppers learn how existing customers feel.
These are just four examples of the real value of customer feedback. In addition to helping develop your products, improve customer service, and manage customer satisfaction; it will help ensure your clients exhibit brand loyalty and evangelize.
