 In the business sector, we often talk about; how to get customer feedback in order to create strategies to improve business performance. However, we don’t often talk about what to do with the valuable feedback as pointers to ways to improve business performance. Acting on such valuable and essential customer feedback is crucial for improving your products, services, customer satisfaction and in the long run your business growth plans and success in getting more customers. This should be mandatory to any business’s business expansion strategies. Below is a guide on 5 easy-to-follow steps to efficiently act on customer feedback:
1.Collecting Feedback: Collecting as much as possible honest and valuable feedback is always the first step. Without this, you have nothing to act on. Therefore, utilise your multiple communication channels to gather feedback, discussions and reactions. This would include; customer reviews, social media (SM), such as; Facebook, X, instagram, surveys and of course direct and indirect communication. Such communication very often gives advice and tips on how to improve business performance. Business owners and entrepreneurs can often encourage this by taking the lead in being honest and transparent. This will open the channel for customers likewise to feel free to openly and honestly share their thoughts, opinions and criticisms. Honest and open feedback should also be encouraged from your junior employees (who often have direct and face-to-face contact with your clients and customers), family and friends. Another key note is to acknowledge and show appreciation for customer feedback especially those that have contributed or impacted on your business. 2.Utilising the Data: You now have all this wonderful data! How do you make the most of it? This is where organisation is crucial. Categorise feedback into different themes or topics to identify patterns and trends. Prioritising your feedback would depend on your type of business and how feedback aligns with it. This will also apply to plans, such as; how to grow your business. A frequent mention of certain important areas of your business, getting the relevant team or teams on board and brainstorming with your staff members may be a good starting point. Being able to analyse the main cause of customer dissatisfaction should be the main key point. However, analysing the main cause of customer satisfaction is also key as this will be an opportunity for your business to reinforce its strengths and can lead to getting more customers, which is the ultimate of any business. Systemic problems should always be addressed and this includes isolated incidents which may have a real impact on your business. Another important point, which is often overlooked is to appreciate customer feedback and get back to them. Be it on your SM platform or directly, whichever is most appropriate. 3.Acting on the Valuable Data: This is where it really starts to get exciting. It is one thing to analyse the data and another to act on it! With the valuable data, create a feasible plan to address the identified issues. These should align with your business to create the aimed outcome and be incorporated into your business development plans. This may require a business health check to be carried out which will help you to valuate your performance and therefore identify areas of the business that needs certain business performance strategies to be put in place. You have to bear in mind, that dealing with feedback impacts on so many different areas of the business which you may not have foreseen. It is therefore an opportunity to address other issues that could bring up recommendations and suggestions for business improvement, such as; help to raise finance and advisory and brokerage service where or if applicable. Each issue that is raised should be clearly defined to ensure everybody concerned is on the same page and the issue is resolved according to priority and its impact on customer service and your business in the long run. 4.Change Implementation: With every necessary staff member aware and bought up to scratch, you are now ready to implement the necessary changes. Once these are being implemented, it is good practice to bring this to the attention to all concerned, not forgetting your valuable customers (and most especially those who had an important part to play) and take them along on your journey where applicable and possible. This in the long run would help your business in getting more customers especially through your website, word of mouth, SM channels, business events etc. 5.Change Observation: To ensure the changes are carried out accordingly, it is mandatory they are continuously monitored. This also helps in keeping track; its success rate against selected indicators. Hence, make any relevant and necessary changes along the way. One has to bear in mind that collecting and acting on the relevant customer feedback is an ongoing process in any business, be it a large, medium or even a small or micro-sized business. This makes for a long-term robust customer-business relationship, continuous returning customers and customer recommendations which would eventually lead to ways to improve business performance and success! With a great number of businesses operating online, never has there been a time when customer feedback has been so crucial. Customer opinions are very much the voice of many a business and cannot be ignored or overlooked. If you feel you need help in aligning your business with your customers or clients, give us a call today on 0333 355 1696 or send us a message today. |
