No one can deny that customer feedback is very important for a business. It could belong any industry, if the customers are not valued or if their opinions are not considered, there is every chance that the business may not just lose customers and profits, but may also have to shut down the enterprise.
Dissatisfied customers use social media to share their frustrations or simply move on to another brand or enterprise, recommending others to not try the brand they are unhappy with. Either way, the business ends up with reduced customer base and minimum or nil expansion into the market.
Now that we have established the importance of customer feedback, let us how business enterprises can go on with the process. The general ways of taking feedback are,
- By asking customers to fill the expensive and ornate looking feedback cards,
- By asking them to complete a form with various details online/ offline,
- By asking customers to write a detailed email about their experiences, etc.
None of the above methods have proved to be effective for the enterprises because all of those are time-consuming jobs that require a customer to spend exclusive time on giving feedback. Also, the questions would either be vague, boring or require lengthy answers which the customers have no way of knowing if the management will ever read and implement.
So what should business enterprises do to take feedback from customers? Simple. Move online. Use digital feedback cards and Smiley Face Rating instead. What exactly are those, one might wonder.
Digital feedback cards are a cost-effective, time-saving, easy and interactive way of taking feedback from customers. It can be via SMS, voice call, email, interactive pop-up page, or an app. The choice is left to the customers. The questions are simple, to the point, and require direct answers which will be brief. The questions are also rotated on a timely basis so that a single customer will answer different questions at different instances.
The feedback system is connected to a database that stores the responses. These are analyzed and the result is displayed immediately for the management to figure out ways to find solutions. The system is also linked to employee records and employee devices so that they can be alerted when a complaint is made or an issue is raised. This enables the management to track the performance of every employee.
Smiley face rating is a type of digital feedback card that can be used in the body of emails. That means a customer can give feedback while reading the mail or replying to it. The process takes less than 5 seconds and is easy.
Each face in the smiley rating denotes a satisfactory level. When a person clicks on the corresponding smiley, the rating is recorded in the system. Ratings with dissatisfaction are highlighted immediately for the management to get into damage control mode. They can interact with unhappy customers and assure them of satisfactory results. Of course, that said, it is important that the business enterprises resolve the issue and update the customer about it. This will help build trust that the enterprises indeed care about the opinions of their customers. Over a period of time, it results in,
- Increased customer retention and loyalty,
- Expanded customer base,
- Increased sales and profits,
- Improved quality of standards of the enterprise,
- Wider market share and reputation, etc.
Business enterprises that are using digital feedback cards and smiley face ratings have noticed the increase in customer feedback. They say that more customers are willing to provide them with feedback as the process is simple and the enterprise is acting on the provided feedback.
Alerts are tracked by the system and regular reminders are sent to employees to solve the issue. The window will remain live and active until the issue is resolved. This helps the management keep track of all the active, pending, and solved issues by taking one look at the interactive dashboard which is automatically updated. Satisfied customers can be directed to social media pages to provide a testimonial about the enterprise. The testimonials act as recommendations and can bring more customers to the enterprise.
About Ashly William:
Ashly William is a freelance writer, with years of experience, creating content for varied online portals. Her content is published on many national and international publications. She has expertise in writing about Business services and Education.