How Customer Feedback Can Grow Your Business

group of people giving thumbs up

Having customer feedback and knowing what customers really think about your products or services are vital to improving your business to satisfy and retain customers.

You’re too close to your business, so you may not be objective about your products or services, but customers will be able to tell you what needs improvement. Customers will also be able to identify your company’s strengths and weaknesses. By asking customers for feedback, your customers will feel valued, which increases retention and loyalty.

Customer feedback could affect every aspect of your business – what you offer, how you price your products or services, and where you sell your products or services.

How do I get customer feedback?

To get customer feedback, just ask. Not every customer will want to give you feedback, but most will because they know the more feedback you have, the better your products or services will be.

If you have an email list set up, send emails asking customers to fill out a survey. You can also include surveys on your website or blog. Include polls on your Facebook page – although, having a public poll may cause the vocal minority to influence the responses of other customers.

When you’re creating surveys, follow-up rated questions with “why did you give that rating?”. You should also include a question asking customers what else they’d like to see from you. Customers start and end industry trends – by asking customers what else they want, you might be the first to introduce a new product.

If customers are reluctant to answer your surveys, offer incentives. You can reward your customers by giving them a sneak peek at new products or by offering a prize for one random customer who completes the survey.

What do I do with customer feedback?

After you’ve collected your customers’ feedback, you want to use it to grow your business.

Once you start receiving feedback, analyze your customers’ suggestions and comments to prioritize the changes you need to make. Make sure to offer surveys on a regular basis to spot trends and see if the changes you’ve made have had the desired effects.

Customers are the ones using your products or services regularly, so they know what they need most from the products – use your customers’ ideas to make your products or services better.

What should I do with negative feedback?

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Bill Gates

Many of your unhappy customers won’t give you feedback because they don’t think you care about what they have to say. If you show you care and take steps to address concerns, then your unhappy customers will take the time to give you feedback.

If you receive several surveys with similar negative feedback, consider making changes to your business to address the changes. For example, if customers have found that your return policy is too stringent, making customers hesitate to purchase your products, consider making it a little easier to return products.

95% of your unhappy customers will return if their issue is resolved quickly. Train your employees on how to deal with common complaints so that issues can be resolved almost immediately.

Don’t ignore positive feedback – it tells you what you’re doing right. Thank your customers for taking the time to submit feedback and compliments, and use those comments to boost your employees’ morale.

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