Date :
25/02/2015
It’s no surprise that learning to listen to the experiences, wishes and even – or perhaps especially – the frustrations of your customers can provide you with valuable information on how you can improve your business. But applying the right analysis to feedback is essential in making sure you get the most out of it.
Why feedback?
More than 65% of consumers are willing to pay up to 20% more to stay with a company offering exceptional service, yet gathering customer feedback to improve this service can sometimes be overlooked amongst the daily demands of running a business.
So just why is listening to your visitors so important? The figures are persuasive. According to research by the Institute of Customer Service, the average business loses 20% of its customer base every year, with most not knowing why.
It’s also been found that customers who complain the most are also likely to spend the most, and so providing your visitors with a reliable, friendly and efficient platform through which to provide feedback can not only help you improve your service offering but also deepen your relationships with valued customers and encourage repeat business.
Gathering insight
Some businesses make the mistake of assuming that no news is good news, however dissatisfied customers may not say anything unless they are encouraged and provided with a user-friendly system through which to have their say.
There are many ways to capture customer feedback, and the best methods for your company will depend on business type, size and several other factors. Our Listening to Our Visitors Guide provides practical information on how to gather customer feedback, including guidance on different types of feedback, when to ask for it and how to implement the new systems.
It also includes fresh ideas in areas such as collaborative feedback, making the best use of social media and how to ask your visitors appropriate questions to encourage the most valuable insights.
If you’re looking to review your company’s online presence and see how feedback can best be incorporated there, our Shine Online Guide is a useful resource. With guidance and tips on everything from developing a user-friendly website to encouraging feedback through social media and improving your visitor experience with new technology, the guide is a handy tool available to you on our website.
Making it count
You’ve reached out to your customers. You’ve captured some useful feedback. So what happens next?
Customer feedback is only valuable if it is analysed effectively and – where appropriate – acted upon. But figuring out how to make sense of large amounts of customer feedback, sometimes with conflicting messages, can be challenging.
That’s why we’ve developed a range of online tools to help you make the most of your customer reviews and suggest ways in which effective analysis can help shape your company’s strategy. With guidance for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels, you can find the support that’s right for you, whether you’re just starting out or looking for ways to more effectively manage and use large amounts of feedback.
We even have step-by-step guidance for how to handle negative reviews so that you can address any issues and use the feedback to improve your service offering, and useful examples of ways in which other businesses have captured and analysed customer reviews.
To find out more about how you can make customer feedback work for your business, read our Listening to Our Visitors Guide today.