Sometimes, even the best minds in your team need help to determine what is working and what is not for your app or website. Only a customer, through their feedback, can help improve your product or service and grow your business. If the customer is king, their feedback is worth its weight in gold.
While every business values customer feedback, it scrambles to find ways to reach out to every client. According to a study by Microsoft, 96% of clients consider customer service a vital factor when choosing a brand. So, how do you monitor your customers’ responses efficiently and effectively? We have curated seven effective customer feedback strategies to keep customers engaged and know what’s on their minds.
Why is customer feedback important?
Before we delve into the strategies, let’s understand why customer feedback is vital. When it comes to customers, it helps them voice their opinions about a service or product they have invested their time and resources in. For businesses, it’s a chance to understand their customers better and gather valuable insights about their products and services.
If done right, a good customer feedback plan is the guiding light that steers your business toward its goals, besides giving ideas for innovative products and improved services. How you gather, organize and implement customer feedback can make a world of difference to your products and services.
Let’s look at some of the benefits:
- Customer feedback is essential to discover customer needs and anticipate them.
- Collecting and consolidating feedback helps you decode customer experience, leading to better sales and improved products and brand perception.
- Customer feedback provides new ideas for new products and services, which comes at no extra cost.
Essential aspects of customer feedback
Customer feedback is more than just gathering and consolidating responses and engaging the customer; that’s only the first step. What you do with the input and managing it is just as important. The feedback loop can be closed only with appropriate action and follow-up. Here are the four steps that must be a part of your brand’s communication strategy:
- Request customer feedback– This is the first step when you initiate the gathering of customer feedback through different channels such as emails, live chat, social media, etc.
- Analyze and interpret it- The next step is to consolidate all the data and information received as feedback, decode them and make inferences.
- Implement suggested changes- Feedback is of little or no use until and unless it is efficiently implemented in the form of changes and updates.
- Follow up with the client- The final step in the journey is to go back to the customer and follow up about the updated product or service.
7 effective customer feedback strategies
While there is an array of tools to delight customers, they must be backed by the right customer feedback plan. The thumb rule for soliciting customer feedback is always to be friendly and polite and not come across as pushy. At all stages of the feedback journey, make your clients feel valued and show them their feedback is appreciated. Let’s now look closely at the seven most effective customer feedback strategies:
1. Request response post customer service interaction
Understanding the customer experience is imperative, as 73% of clients attach importance to it while choosing products. When your customers contact you, make sure your support team responds promptly and resolves the client’s issues. The next step is to request the client for feedback about the customer service and rate their experience.
2. Embed in-app feedback questions
A quick and sure way of getting real-time responses is through app pop-up requests. These in-app surveys can be in the form of fast and straightforward star ratings and scales. You can also ask customers to rate your app in an app store. If users want to give more detailed feedback, provide a textbox and enable attaching screenshots.
3. Use live chat support
A live chat is the fastest and surest way to engage customers and assure them if they face issues. These tools let you track customer conversations, spot persistent problems, and find prompt solutions. It’s a great approach to help your customers and, at the same time, gather valuable feedback.
4. Send interactive feedback emails
Whether you welcome a new client or touch base with existing ones, send emails requesting their feedback or rating. A study reveals 86% of customers favor email communication with the company. Customers will likely reply if your message is short, simple, and direct. Ensure to send emails only after a purchase or interaction, and refrain from spamming their inbox with unnecessary information.
5. Leverage the power of social media
Track your brand on social media to read customers’ pulse and pick up feedback. 55% of customers have a favorable opinion about brands that address customer complaints on social media. An innovative way to leverage social media platforms is to create hashtag campaigns offering a prize in exchange for reviews. This simple exercise can reinforce your brand and also drive user engagement.
6. Provide freebies for more feedback
Talking of incentives, who doesn’t like a freebie? Your clients are more likely to provide customer feedback in return for a small gift. Incentives such as a slight discount, gift cards, free samples, or free shipping are great ways to elicit consumer responses and feedback.
7. Display customer reviews on-site
By allowing customers to post reviews on your site, you empower them to share their opinions. A study shows 87% of customers read reviews before zeroing in on a brand. Displaying customer feedback on-site will help new customers and also show your appreciation for the ones who have posted these reviews.
With the help of these consumer feedback strategies, you will have heaps of invaluable data and insights. Ensure you analyze and manage them well and implement the learnings to improve your products and services.
