Omnichannel

How to collect, analyze and act on customer feedback

Customer feedback is an immensely helpful tool but are you utilizing it to its full potential?

Photo: Adobe Stock

July 16, 2024 by Smitha Baliga — CEO/CFO, TeleDirect Communications

Customer feedback is an immensely helpful tool but are you utilizing it to its full potential?

It doesn't matter if your product or service is perfect in every way: if you aren't considering your customers' needs, your business can't reach its full potential. To run a thriving business, your team needs to listen to your customers and learn from their feedback — even when it's not what you want to hear! The importance of customer feedback cannot be understated. It's a cornerstone to success.

Is the customer really always right?

No, of course not. Nobody is always right. However, when a customer is unhappy with their experience, your team should address the issues being raised. This can feel challenging when a frustrated or confused customer lashes out at your team members, but while these heated interactions can be tough, they are sometimes more useful than positive ones. After all, an unhappy customer is dissatisfied with something — and that can be considered constructive criticism for your strategy. Hearing this (typically negative) feedback will help you find pain points within your strategy and make important changes for moving forward.

Though these dissatisfied customers can be a valuable source of feedback, not everybody is as vocal about their negative experience. Some dissatisfied customers might also choose to share their feelings online, not with your support team. This is why so many successful businesses go further. When you go beyond the feedback of agitated customers and begin considering the experience of everybody who invests in your brand, your company can go much further.

The power of customer feedback: How does it work?

Your team can make important customer connections and better understand the needs and experiences of your customers and leads. It just takes the right tools. Once you've collected and analyzed this data, it will be easier to find gaps in your operations and move forward with success.

Going to the source

There are lots of ways to collect customer feedback including:

Conducting surveys

Surveys are a straightforward and easy way to collect customer feedback. This type of research can have a very far reach since surveys are quick and easy for customers to answer. Your company can easily customize your questionnaires to meet your specific needs so you can focus on areas that need the most improvement.

There are several ways to conduct research with surveys. Many companies work with outbound call centers to handle all surveying services, while others develop automated text or email questionnaires after a purchase.

Focus groups/market research

Focus groups are an excellent tool for gauging response to products or getting a better handle on what certain markets are looking for in a brand. This type of research takes more planning and time than surveying, but it can be done well with effort.

Social media sleuthing

Take a page out of your leads' book and have a look online. There's a big chance that people are talking about your brand on review sites like Yelp or Google Maps, as well as social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, or Reddit. These are the sources your consumers are potentially consulting before investing in your brand, and what's being said influences their decision.

Have a look at the way people are speaking about your brand on these apps and sites, and make note of what comes up frequently.

There are apps and tools which can help you do this. This is valuable feedback, and it's already out there for the world to see. You might as well get in on the knowledge.

Pinpoint your pain points

Once you've collected customer feedback, it's time to crunch some data. This can be a difficult big job, but plenty of apps, tools, and services that take care of this portion of the process. Once this information has been categorized and analyzed, your team will have lots of data to work with.

Some of this information will be much more helpful than others. For instance, if you make wedding dresses, and dozens of customers are having the same issue with construction, this is a pain point that needs addressing. If one customer is angry because your bridal shop was closed on Christmas Day, this may be a less pressing matter.

Moving forward

Now that you've highlighted your pain points, it's time to develop a new strategy that addresses these issues.

This might just mean a few small tweaks, or it could require some big overhauls to your current system.

Whether your improved strategy involves some debugging, introducing new roles, outsourcing helpful services, or planning a marketing rebrand, you'll be making the best choice for your business.

Tools for success

If your business isn't already collecting customer feedback, don't worry: there's no time like the present. You can start tapping into your customers' experience today! There are so many helpful services available to collect and utilize customer feedback, including outbound call centers, survey widgets/apps, and even AI-based data analysis tools.

While it can be discouraging to meet dissatisfied customers or find that your company has bigger pain points than you'd expected, these experiences are actually a big gift!

Not only will you have the opportunity to correct any issues, but you will also better understand your clientele's needs and expectations from your product and brand. This is invaluable information that will be cause for much more celebration down the line.

About Smitha Baliga

Smitha is the CEO and CFO of TeleDirect. Smitha obtained her license as CPA in 2007 from the California Board of Accountancy. Smitha is a results-driven leader with a proven track record of driving profitability and growth. Smitha is passionate about building strong relationships with clients and fostering a culture of excellence that empowers employees to deliver outstanding results.

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