Top Considerations When Getting Feedback From Your Customers

Do you wonder what causes people to use your product? Do you also wish to know why they stopped getting your services altogether? Data analytics can provide answers to your questions. You can gain valuable insights into what customers need and want from your business from it.

A recent HubSpot research revealed that 42% of companies don’t gather customer feedback. Don’t be part of this figure. Do not neglect to reach out to your clients. Ask them what they think.

Top-performing companies understand the importance of putting their customers first. Be one of them. There’s no better way to do this than by listening to what your customers have to say. Once you know what they’re looking for, it will be easier to provide the features they expect in your product or service.

Doing this can help you create stronger relations with them. This, in turn, improves customer retention. They can be your brand ambassadors who can do your word-of-mouth marketing for you. 

But acquiring effective feedback is a common struggle for many businesses. This is because most customers have busy schedules. Filling out surveys or taking part in reviews is often an inconvenience. Meanwhile, others are reluctant and don’t feel comfortable giving you honest information. 

Below are a handful of points you should consider when getting customer feedback. 

Be Mindful of Timing

Timing is critical in getting meaningful responses from your customers. It’s not only about the time of day or week you’re sending them the survey. But it’s more on what point in the customer life cycle you should approach and ask them for feedback. Note that you should never interrupt them in the middle of any process. 

The ideal time to ask for customer feedback depends on your business and the kind of reviews you’re after. But you may consider the following: 

• Immediately after a transaction. Catch your customers when their experience with your brand is still fresh in their minds. This is especially helpful if you’re in the service industry. You’ll get a more open and straightforward review by asking for feedback right away. Suppose a customer had a negative experience. In that case, you will get the chance to fix the problem immediately. You can still make them into a returning customer.
  
• When your customer leaves. Asking for feedback from customers who stopped using your product or service is crucial. Note that 96% of dissatisfied customers won’t complain to you. But they will tell their friends and followers. Knowing why they leave can help you identify your errors. Rectifying them will prevent other customers from doing the same.
  
• Before making a significant change. Every business wants to grow, and this always involves making a change. But not all customers may welcome it. Asking for their feedback beforehand will make them feel engaged. It will help them embrace future developments. 

Select the Right Channels

Relying on a single channel to get customer feedback is not a good idea. If you want to connect with your customers, consider their preferred channels. This is vital so that you can gather accurate responses.

These will provide unique insights into how, where, and why your customers use your products or services. Below are some of these channels:

• Polls and Surveys
• Live Chat
• Social Media
• Email
• Website Feedback Tool

Use Customer Segmentation

Every customer has different needs. So before you reach out to them for their feedback, group them into customer segments. 

There are different ways to do this. But you can start categorizing them by demographics, shopping behaviors, and purchase motivations. This is also a great way to identify your brand promoters and detractors. 

It is easier to address your customers’ needs or interests with customer segmentation. Note that you’ll have to prepare a separate set of questionnaires for each group. This will allow you to gather relevant feedback. 

Ask the Right Questions

Asking customers the right questions is essential to get insightful feedback. But doing so can be a tricky balancing act. You might want your customers to give careful thought to the responses. Meanwhile, you also don’t want them to get tired of your questions. 

The key is to develop questions with a clear objective. Remember to consider your goals when crafting your feedback survey. Are you looking to learn more about what customers think and feel about your products? Do you also want to gain insights into another area?

Customers usually take their time when giving their feedback. So, make sure to ask relevant questions and, as much as possible, limit them to ten or less.

Set Up a Continuous Feedback Loop

Your customers’ feedback is an invaluable tool. They can help you build the best product possible. But to do so, you have to create a continuous product feedback loop that allows you to turn insights into action. 

Note that collecting the feedback is only the beginning of the process. You should also learn from the data you gathered and use them to enhance your product and customer retention. 

The Takeaway

Every business would want to receive positive comments. But that is not always the case. When getting feedback from your customers, be willing and open to even the most negative ones. They will allow you to look inwardly at your company and find areas for improvement. 

Also, don’t hesitate to experiment with various tools and methods. There is no cut-and-dried way to get customer feedback. So, never be afraid to try out the ones you believe could benefit your business the most.

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