How To Get And Implement Customer Feedback

Cecily Giancaterino

Feb 09, 2023

∙

15 min read

CRM

• Social media platforms give you access to a wide audience and the tools to gather opinions.
• Email mailing lists are essential in business, including for questionnaire distribution.
• Remember to use face-to-face conversations for feedback when appropriate.
• A CRM software program can manage customer feedback processes.

Customer feedback is one of the most valuable assets for your business and sales performance. Clear feedback gives you the intelligence you need to improve products and drive more sales. You may think you have the ideal product on sale, but when customers test it out and engage with you, you’ll find out just how good it is or where you need to improve. How do you ensure you receive customer input in a timely way that is both constructive, enables sales generation, and generates new customers? There are a variety of methods.

Why Customer Feedback Is Essential

Feedback is a catalyst for businesses when it comes to succeeding and meeting customer expectations. It is an essential tool that can be collected in numerous ways, reviewed, and used to improve both processes and products in real time. It can help you find out what is working for your company and what needs to be changed in order to truly satisfy your target audience. Customer insights into aspects of your service are the perspective you cannot see but require for business growth.

How To Get Customer Feedback

There are several effective ways to get feedback from clients. Using a wide range of methods will help you access people from various demographics and show where you need to target marketing. For example, using a phone survey could be more accessible to those who do not use social media. On the other hand, millennials have different needs when it comes to marketing, such as attitudes to brand loyalty. Understanding the demographic will enable you to tailor customer feedback methods.

Social Media

There are several social media platforms where you can reach out to customers to both promote products and generate feedback easily. The range of tools for e-commerce and on-site business is exciting, from promotional videos to offering user testing and creating polls. There are also some excellent ways to obtain feedback, such as questionnaires, posts designed to generate debate, and allowing people to comment on products or advertisements.

Another way to collect customer feedback is to use personal messaging with a bespoke link to a questionnaire. Instagram and Facebook offer several interactive features, such as fun polls and questionnaires that can be conducted quickly. They are interesting and easy to participate in, allowing you to get different opinions from all around the world. If you sell a lot of B2B products, using LinkedIn to generate feedback is another helpful resource.

If you use social media, you will likely attract respondents who have never used your product or unhappy customers. Therefore, it is vital to monitor the platform carefully and act proactively to deal with any concerns or issues. It is also important to differentiate between an unhappy customer and someone who is trolling the platform and deal with them in the most appropriate way. Another advantage of social media is that you can easily search for positive or negative feedback that customers may have left on different pages or accounts. You can easily do this by searching for mentions about your products and brand.

Emails

An email circulation list is crucial for marketing and obtaining customer feedback. It enables you to tailor responses when gathering feedback and developing strategies to retain loyal customers. With an email, you can generate a newsletter and use it to promote or gather feedback on a new product. Emails are helpful in creating incentives for existing customers and adapting to the type of feedback you are aiming to generate. Don’t forget to use email software that automatically personalizes your messages, increasing response rates.

Emails are ideal for promoting long surveys as you can offer incentives for completion and also indicate the length of time it should take to complete. Always thank people for participating. If you are promoting good customer service, reach out to clients who have recently purchased from your company by email. After they have used your product or service for a certain period of time, asking them for input regarding their experience with the company and the products is a great way to get raw and real-time feedback. Many customers often don't get in touch with the company or think to give feedback unless they have a complaint or problem with the product. Make sure you reach out to these clients by emailing them and asking for their opinions and reviews so you are proactively addressing issues with negative reviews, creating a more positive customer experience.

Live Chat

The live chat feature is a window pop-up on websites that automatically shows up when a customer starts browsing. It is designed to prompt a customer to ask questions or connect with the company instead of making a call or emailing. This tool enables simple questions to be answered, but it also helps with telesales as it allows them to be more productive, especially when telemarketing software is used. Telesales staff can deal with more than one live chat at once, for example. Live chat features have been shown to increase customer engagement and interest so they are another essential tool for generating positive feedback.

While having a live chat with your customers, make sure you pay attention to any unsolicited feedback they give. You can directly ask for feedback once the query has been solved or add an automatic prompt after the chat has ended, asking the customer to rate the service, website, products, and more. Use open-ended questions so you get a more insightful response as to why the customer contacted you today. A closed question will limit their answer and may prompt them to disengage.

Surveys and Questionnaires

Conducting a survey or questionnaire is a great way to gather customer feedback, as it allows you to ask targeted questions. You can tailor your questionnaire to focus on the customer journey, from how they researched a product to the experience of actually using it. Or, you can focus on a specific aspect of the business, such as a new product. When you start working on a questionnaire or a satisfaction survey, focus feedback questions on areas where you want insights or have gaps in intelligence.

Even a brief set of questions can help you collect data and measure metrics, and ensure you can implement the feedback effectively. When you ask open-ended questions, you also allow for more honest feedback from your customers. Another aspect of getting truthful and accurate feedback is allowing them to answer anonymously since some people may be hesitant about giving negative feedback with their names displayed.

The best way to do this is by creating your own questions so that they are as specific as possible — and don’t forget the importance of catalytic style questioning that will generate insightful responses. But if you need help, several online websites and resources offer free templates to help frame the right questions. Always test your survey questions first to check for usability before distributing them to a wider customer base. You can also promote customer loyalty by using incentives such as a small discount for completion or a competition. Email surveys work well, or you can use social media. Automated telemarketing services have software that asks a short set of questions, so you can use feedback tools like this to reach a wider audience.

Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Using a net promoter score (NPS) is a great way to get a more objective perspective on how well your brand is faring with customers. It allows you to get directly measurable data by asking specific questions that the customers can answer by scoring on a scale of 0 to 10. This kind of measurable data in feedback surveys can be requested on a regular basis from customers so that you can find the right trends that work for you and analyze them against your performance metrics. Since it barely takes a minute to complete, customers will also find it easy to do.

Ask for Feedback

In a world of increasing technology use, it is easy to forget the most basic tool of all to review customer experience. You can simply ask the client face to face about their experience with your company, which will give some insight into customer satisfaction. Try to speak to your customers in person when you get the chance, as talking to them directly can help you better gauge and understand their concerns or positive feedback, especially when it comes to user experience. For example, asking someone whether they found everything they wanted could reveal something they did not buy due to pricing or a quality issue. Understanding customer needs is essential when promoting sales and getting new clients.

Talking in person also opens up more opportunities for cross-selling, as you can not only find out how the current product is working for them but also let them know about other effective solutions and products to help them. Take advantage of these individual interactions and create a better interpersonal relationship as well, so customers find it easier to share feedback with you.

If you regularly require feedback to develop your products, consider a forum of customers who are prepared to respond to a set of questions. For example, if you publish a magazine, establish a consumer forum, and send members copies with a questionnaire so you can get constructive and timely responses on your product, using feedback to generate changes. You or the support team can also follow up on any queries with a forum as you have an established relationship with the group.

Don’t Forget the Negative

While we all like to hear praise and positive stories from customer support and user feedback, just hearing the good and not the bad wouldn't help a brand succeed. Some of the negative feedback you receive could turn out to be a blessing in disguise if you are responsive and act on it. When asking for feedback through any channel, make sure you ask for all opinions your customers may have. Ensure they understand how feedback helps your company do better and elevate their overall experience.

Responding to negative feedback also shows people that you truly care about what your customers think about you and are trying your best to take it into consideration and implement fixes where possible. When people are honest and open about issues, the client is less likely to take a complaint further, such as using legal action.

Implementing Feedback

There are several effective ways of implementing change using a customer-centric approach. For example, a feedback form gives you a lot of information that can make a big difference to your company and hopefully encourage potential customers.

Use Feedback Examples in Advertising

If you have an example where you have improved a process or product as a result of customer insights, promote it in your marketing. When people see you have responded to a low customer satisfaction score or acted on negative feedback, it shows you are a listening organization.

Incorporate Feedback in Staff Training

Some people get defensive when customer feedback surveys and complaints are received. So when you employ people in your organization, make sure they receive training in customer care and understand how the feedback loop works. By understanding the benefits of customer insights, they will become more insightful and be able to work proactively with feedback. When employees can deal with a negative situation positively, it makes them more resilient.

Use a CRM to Manage Your Customer Feedback

Once you've collected all the customer feedback necessary through these different sources, what should you do with it? It’s really valuable data and intelligence and needs to be analyzed and acted upon in a timely way. If you are busy with your job, you’ll need to prioritize delegating it or using a software solution.

Using customer relationship management (CRM) software can help your business effectively collect, store, compute, and analyze all the data you acquire. Feedback from each customer is stored with their other data to help sales and marketing reps have all the relevant and required information at hand for any future interactions. That means that you can use the reports for board meetings but, more importantly, interact with clients and staff. 

The data collected using CRM software will be stored with client details so you or a colleague can access it and work on their preferences or sales history the next time you speak to them. You can also follow up on any inquiries via the website, asking them about a product they bought or whether they would recommend you to others. Having the data in one place and accessible saves you significant amounts of time, especially when you are under pressure to meet targets and deadlines. In addition, it makes you more efficient and effective as a business instead of having to trawl through countless questionnaires. Using CRM software enables you to seamlessly incorporate customer feedback into your business, so it becomes the norm.

How FiveCRM Simplifies Customer Feedback Processes

To get high-quality and impartial customer feedback, you'll need a range of methods in your toolkit. From questionnaires and social media to CRM software and traditional face-to-face discussions, there are many innovative ways to find out what the client thinks of your products.

FAQs

Q: Why is customer feedback important for businesses?

A: Customer feedback is crucial for businesses as it provides valuable insights into customer preferences, satisfaction levels, and areas for improvement. It helps businesses understand their customers better, make informed decisions, enhance their products or services, and ultimately build stronger customer relationships.

Q: How can I collect customer feedback effectively?

A: There are several effective methods to collect customer feedback, including:

1. Surveys: Conducting online or in-person surveys to gather feedback on specific aspects of your business.
2. Feedback Forms: Implementing feedback forms on your website or within your product or service.
3. Social Media Listening: Monitoring social media platforms for customer comments, reviews, and mentions.
4. Customer Interviews: Engaging in one-on-one conversations or phone interviews with customers to gather detailed feedback.
5. Online Reviews: Encouraging customers to leave reviews on platforms such as Google, Yelp, or industry-specific review sites.

Q: How can I encourage customers to provide feedback?

A: To encourage customers to provide feedback, you can:

1. Offer Incentives: Provide discounts, rewards, or exclusive offers to customers who share their feedback.
2. Simplify the Process: Make it easy for customers to provide feedback by offering user-friendly feedback channels, such as online forms or quick surveys.
3. Follow-up Emails: Send follow-up emails after a purchase or interaction, politely requesting feedback.
4. Social Media Engagement: Actively respond to customer comments, reviews, and questions on social media, showing that their feedback is valued.
5. Personalize Requests: Use personalized messages when reaching out to customers, acknowledging their specific experiences.

Q: How should I handle negative customer feedback?

A: Negative feedback can be an opportunity for growth. Here's how to handle it effectively:

1. Respond Promptly: Address negative feedback promptly to show that you care and are actively working to resolve the issue.
2. Be Empathetic: Show empathy and understanding towards the customer's concerns and frustrations.
3. Investigate and Resolve: Investigate the issue internally and take necessary steps to resolve it, keeping the customer informed throughout the process.
4. Offer Solutions: Provide appropriate solutions or compensation to the customer, if applicable.
5. Learn from Feedback: Use negative feedback as a learning opportunity to improve your products, services, or internal processes.

Q: How can I implement customer feedback to improve my business?

A: To implement customer feedback effectively:

1. Analyze and Identify Patterns: Review feedback data to identify common themes or patterns that need attention.
2. Prioritize Actionable Items: Focus on actionable feedback that can lead to tangible improvements in your business.
3. Communicate with Your Team: Share customer feedback with relevant teams or departments, such as product development or customer service, to initiate necessary changes.
4. Continuous Improvement: Regularly monitor customer feedback, track progress, and make ongoing improvements to meet customer needs and expectations.

Michael King says...

"I can’t think of a time where a client has requested something that we weren’t able to do with FiveCRM. Unlike most systems, it has a lot of flexibility."

Get Started

Managing Director, Senior Response

JAINE HUSBANDS SAYS...

“Each client, and each of their campaigns, has its own unique specifications. We essentially needed to set up mini CRMs on one platform to meet those requirements.”

Get Started

Operations Director, Team Telemarketing

Why wait?

Start improving your outbound efficiency now, with the most customizable Telesales solution on the market.

Get Started