Constructive Criticism: Why Direct Customer
Feedback is Better Than Surveys and How It Can Help Propel Your Business
Forward
Constructive
criticism is always important, regardless of the type of business you're
running. It's one of the single best ways to not only identify areas where
you and your team truly excel, but more importantly, identify things that
you could be doing better that you might not be otherwise unaware of. The
key word in this phrase, however, is "constructive." You need to
be able to glean something valuable from what your customers are trying to
tell you. To do that, you really need to consider the source.
The Survey Conundrum
Many people believe that sending out surveys is one of the best ways to get
open and honest criticism regarding what they're doing, what they should be
doing, and what they should stop doing as quickly as possible. In reality,
this is incredibly false and surveys, in general, are faulty for a very
important reason. The types of people who are the most likely to fill out
surveys are the ones on the extreme ends of the customer spectrum. People
who are really, really dissatisfied or who really, truly already love your
company are going to represent the vast majority of all responses. As a
result, you're going to get a huge number of responses that you can't
really do anything with or learn anything from and the few, valuable leads
that you do have are easy to get lost in the shuffle.
What is Direct Customer Feedback?
The best way to get the constructive criticism that you're after is to go
to more direct sources - namely, social media, forums and similar channels
online. Social media, in general, has made this incredibly easy in the last
few years - you can search for your company name on a site like Twitter or
Facebook and look at the conversations that users are already having with one
another that you had no part in starting. These are people who were already
having an open and honest discussion that they never assumed you would be a
part of in the first place, so they don't have a "horse in the
race," so to speak. These are the conversations that you need to be
learning from. Online communities like message boards are also a great
source of this, provided that it isn't a message board hosted on your own
website. Again, these will be users who are similar to survey respondents -
they're not the customers in the middle who you really need, but are the
"extreme" customers who fall firmly in "love it" or
"hate it" camps.
Onward and Upward
Direct customer feedback is something that you should not only embrace, but
actively seek out on a regular basis. In a way, it's like any other
customer service channel - by showing that you're ready to accept anything
that your customers can throw at you, you're showing that they have a voice
that is equal (if not more important) than your own. Some business owners
label people with issues "haters," even if they have legitimate
concerns. This would really only be true if you believe that your business
is already perfect, which is not true. This is also hugely beneficial from
a marketing perspective. Simply put, customers enjoy supporting businesses
when they know that their opinions are valued and they feel valued, too. By
seeking direct customer feedback through public channels, you're putting
your best foot forward in this regard and are only strengthening your
marketing message, your brand, and ultimately your business at the same
time.
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