Last week, Amy Lyden wrote about Disneyland still being the benchmark for exceptional service. One of her tips for offering better service is to survey customers about what it is that bugs them, and raises the excellent point that people often forget when starting a feedback survey:
It doesn’t have to mean changing complete systems though. It could be a small annoyance that is easily handled like fixing a navigation problem on your website. The important thing is to get outside of your own business and hear other viewpoints.
Here are three observations:
How is the phone answered?
In helping a client to understand at what stage prospects were in their buying cycle, we found the main block was the receptionist. She wasn’t professional. In addition, they’d developed a process to protect themselves from calls they didn’t want to receive that was so rigid many legitimate calls couldn’t get through. How is the phone answered at your business? Have you called it recently not using your caller ID to see how other people get welcomed to the business? Have you developed systems to provide you with time and space to run the business that stops prospects and customers from reaching you effectively?
Do you actively provide opportunity to buy?
I know this one seems a little unusual. Many businesses ‘sell’ too much, but some, in an effort to not appear like aggressive sellers they don’t like, end up under-selling. More than once when collecting feedback, we’ve been told by engaged customers that they’re looking for ways to buy, be reminded how you can help and solve a problem they’re having, and be told about new products and services you offer.
Is it simple for all types of feedback to be given?
Many websites and businesses have channels and processes for complaints to be taken and processed, but not all feedback is a complaint. Sometimes feedback is a compliment or an idea. Not providing these other types of feedback gives a message about your brand that you may not want people to have. They also want to know that you’ve received the feedback and have acted on the content.
A simple way to gather feedback
If we could do one thing differently to improve your experience, what is it?
