Unlike customer surveys, which businesses create to collect data, customer feedback forms give product and service users the freedom to voluntarily leave their comments and opinions. In theory, customer feedback forms should be as easy to access and complete, as posting a tweet, the reality however, is somewhat different.
It appears that many brands have forgotten what its like to receive feedback, positive or negative, right away, and are instead invested in fighting to maintain their image online, hours after the fact. As an alternative, they could invest in their feedback infrastructure, removing the negative stigma that feedback forms are dull as dishwater. Businesses should seek out a highly flexible, multi-functional platform, which can collect real time, simple and quantifiable customer feedback such as Buzz2Get; the single click feedback app.
Personal Contact Details
Passing compliments to the chef, or reporting a spillage, are the most socially accepted forms of feedback, and do not require personal information. Instantaneous feedback does not need to be a drag, where you hand over acres of valuable information before even getting to the point where you can report information they think would be important for the company to hear! The more intrusive and extensive the form, the less likely you are to receive commitment and honesty from the customer.
The Lock In Trap:
The real deal breaker when it comes to filling in customer feedback forms is the asterisk. Mandatory questions lock you in to spend more time than you anticipated and give out more information than you feel is necessary. Because of them, surveys take as long as 20 minutes, and that for some of us is the equivalent of a diarized meeting. It’s a serious issue to have a survey that takes longer to fill than the experience the customer is trying to report.
Lack of immediate follow-up:
Customers leave genuine feedback in hope that it will be recognised. Whether it’s a positive comment about a staff member, a constructive criticism or a suggested improvement; you should always try to show gratitude for the time the customer has taken to communicate with you or attempt to address their concerns in a timely manner. Your commitment to respond to your customer’s feedback will define your future relationship with them and how they judge your accountability.
Giving your customers the ability to give as much or a little personal information as possible leaves the power of response in their hands. With their personal information, you can contact them back with your gratitude, or a notice of your intended reaction.
