 If you want to find out how people really feel about your business, it's time to ask! Whether you want to find out how people rate your products/services, how employees feel about working for you or how people perceive your competitors over you, the only way to truley find out is by asking. Here we explore '5 Ways to get Important Customer Feedback'. 1. Go Direct. This rings true with the popular phrase 'to hear something straight from the horse's mouth'. A popular example: Richard Branson in his candid book - Like a Virgin - Secrets They Won’t Teach You At Business School - cites numerous examples of how he values customers ideas and criticism and how he embeds some of these ideas into his business. Some of which have come directly from a customer or through an employee on the shop floor or frontline. This feedback directly from staff and customers is part of what has made the Virgin brand what it is today!
Another good example is; Howard Schultz, long time CEO of Starbucks in his book - Pour Your Heart Into It - again portrays how a business can use its customers prospective to help shape a company into the successful business it is today especially in getting more customers and retaining them! Your customers also shape your business plan which every business should have to guide the business albeit be flexible according to your target audience’s needs for certain products or services. 2. Listen to your employees. Employees have first-hand experience and interaction with our valued customers. A manager who doesn’t interact with his or her customers or employees on the shop floor on frontline (and this also refers to staff in a non-managerial position) are truly missing out on viewing their business from their customers' perspective. You need to do the “MBWA”—management by walking around exercise. Nothing can equal this and it will never lose its value. Hence, the saying; ’Experience is the best teacher, and the worst experiences teach the best lessons.' 3. Social Media (SM). Except for a few industries and sectors, you cannot get away without engaging with SM. Even though Primark do not have an online store, Primark has a prominent online presence. They have everyone talking about them even top fashion magazines! Nowadays, if you want to go beyond the high street presence, you need an active online presence (this also depends on the level and kind of business you own). This especially rings true with the younger generation X & Z. According to recent research, ‘global consumers aged 20 to 29 are the biggest users of social media…Those in this age group make up nearly one-third (31%) of all social media users worldwide. People in this age gap are often very opinionated and can therefore make or break a business’s online presence and likewise its success. However, do bear in mind you need only be on the SM platforms that host your target audience, customers, potentials and influencers. 4. Focus groups (FG). Whilst these can be time consuming to build up, they are often useful in market research and product development. It is often used to brainstorm in a small group setting representing a wider audience and facilitates what changes (if any) should be made before the formal roll-out of a product. FGs can also be informal and impromptu. A story is told of an informal FG which took place at a deli whist a Vice President of a retail group was standing in line for her lunch. She came away from it appreciating the wait, which turned out to be a great opportunity for one of her company’s customers to bring to her attention a policy they had changed to the disadvantage of their customers and themselves. This was therefore overturned! Other points of view, such as public questionnaires are a real eye opener. I did this many years ago for a retail company and the feedback often cannot be valuable enough as these are people who have no personal relationship with you and can therefore voice their true and valuable opinions freely. 5. Mystery shopping\Working Undercover! This title speaks for itself and very much reminds me of the TV series; ‘Undercover Boss’. Not only is it very entertaining, it serves as a real life experience and eye opener for the bosses who took part. they also appreciated what their employees go through and the handling of customers first hand which takes us back to our second point; ’Listen to your employees’. The late John C. Bogle, founder and former CEO of Vanguard (now the largest mutual fund company in the United States) and credited with creating the index fund, helped handle customer calls in the contact centre throughout his career. He often commented on how hard the job is and on some occasions, customers had questions he struggled to answer and asked to be transferred to his supervisor. Truly a great example! As a leader, it’s not practical to be directly involved in all of these areas all of the time. However, finding ways to stay tuned in—beyond formal reports—sets the right example and makes a huge difference. The most successful leaders don’t rely solely on data to tell them what’s happening. They take steps to put themselves in their customers’ shoes. They want to thoroughly understand the business—its products, employees, and competitors—and experience it as their customers do. Never has this been truer than now; how customers influence the retail and service industry. Bottom line, If you cannot accommodate and incorporate your target audience’s habits into your business expansion strategies, your competitors probably will. 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. |
