Are You Really Listening to Your Customers?

Most businesses, when asked, would say that they welcome customer feedback. But is your team really listening and taking full advantage of what clients have to say?

What Does it Mean to Listen to Customers?

Substantially more than simply standing there and nodding when a customer is talking to you, that’s for sure. To really listen, and for listening to have a positive impact on your customer experience, it needs to include a good deal more. Whether you’re listening to a complaint or a compliment, or you’re getting a suggestion, you need to do these things to ensure that you get the most from your feedback:

• Receive the information – Unfortunately for many businesses, this first step is the only one that is ever really in practice, and oftentimes representatives listen without hearing. Taking in information from clients allows your business to put a finger on the pulse of your customer experience, and every relevant metric dealing with positive growth and evolution supports the fact that knowing what your customers want and need, rather than guessing, is the way to go.

• Assess the information – Once your business has received feedback it is absolutely critical that that information finds its way to who needs to hear it. Feedback should be collected, analyzed, and discussed with your team to determine whether or not the information is actionable.

• Act on the information – Not every customer idea or bit of feedback is going to be constructive or useful—anyone who has ever visited Yelp can tell you that. But there is far more gold than there is garbage. Once information has been looked over and discussed, a plan should be developed that attempts to address any complaints or shortcomings in your customer experience.

If you take all three steps into account you can confidently say message received. Doing these things consistently puts you miles ahead of other businesses. While it’s not always easy, or fun, to do the payoff for your clients, employees, and your business as a whole is priceless.

Balancing Customer Feedback and a Healthy Work Environment

Everyone has heard that “the customer is always right.” But are they? No! Be careful to balance feedback and how any changes made may impact your workforce. Failing to do so might make your customers happier short-term, but you’ll soon exchange one problem for another when your turnover rate triples and you find yourself struggling to keep competent talent that is capable – and willing – to follow your practices.

Equally bad, you’ll also find out just how skimpy your customer experience can get when your employees are frustrated and exhausted. Unhealthy employees struggle to maintain good customer service, and it is not their fault if your required practices are robbing them of a healthy workplace.

Exactly How Important is Customer Feedback?

Customer service, retail, B2B—it doesn’t matter what type of business you own, operate, or work in. All spheres benefit from customer feedback, now more than ever. A strong media presence and a good product is important, but it’s all about how good your customer experience is when you’re talking about growth and long-term success.

Does your business really listen to its customers? If not, it’s not too late to make positive change! During your next major meeting discuss easy strategies for improving taking in feedback. Great options for this can be as simple as installing a suggestion box, or offering an email address dedicated to processing what your customers have to say. Starting small can make a huge difference!