Getting customer feedback is sometimes hard. People are busy, they forget, they don’t want to or they just don’t care enough to take the :30 seconds to do it. But it is oh so important to get customer feedback.
Customer feedback makes me think of index cards on a bulletin board, doesn’t it? Or comment cards attached to the bill at a restaurant. Sometimes companies solicit feedback in an email survey. For the most part those don’t really give you the kind of information you need. They’re great for graphs in the newsletter though, aren’t they?
So here’s a couple ways to collect some meaningful customer feedback.
Outside your website, looking in! Don’t assume that I’m going to suggest adding a “customer feedback” form because those don’t often get much engagement. Instead, email your long term customers and ask them to take a look at your website from a “newbies” point of view.
If you provide services, ask them if you’re describing your services correctly. If you’re making claims, ask if the claims are accurate. Ask ’em what you’re missing or what you’re being too boastful about. Find out if they’re experiencing they benefits you’re promising. And if they’r experiencing benefits you’re not explaining.
In the end you’ll have a list of things you should delete, change and add. And your customers will feel a valuable part of your organization. Besides, wouldn’t it be bad to be called out by a client for being untruthful?
When the presentation is said and done! One fantastic way to get customer feedback and great information is after a presentation. For the folks who didn’t purchase what you were offering, or perhaps didn’t start what you wanted them to start, offer them an opportunity to get a prize in exchange for answering one question. That question is “why didn’t you buy”, or “why didn’t you start yet?”.
The answers to those questions are going to help you immeasurably. To start you’ll find out what kinds of issues you should cover better in your next presentation. You also create for yourself a simple giveaway “10 Reason people Don’t Start Projects”. . . type ebook. And you learn which customers still want to be engaged.
Surely you’ll be a better marketer and teacher armed with the stumbling blocks of your community.
Unsolicited feedback can be viral. When a customer emails you with a complaint, question or praise, take it as a sign from the heavens. What a great way to contact your customer base and feed them the information.
Imagine getting an email that says, “Suzie H. wrote to tell me she was having a problem with X. Here’s my reply to her. Are you having this problem as well?”
Or how about “David Lee just wrote in to say he’s thrilled with the new ebook. Here’s what he wrote. . . Were you equally thrilled or was there a question I could help answer?”
Basically use the power of feedback to solicit feedback. Once people have seen others do it, they’ll be more inclined. And feel free to turn feedback into blog posts, emails and ebooks. If your audience truly is a community, they’ll enjoy hearing and sharing in the thoughts of others.