Taking Customer Feedback on Board

 

Is the customer always right?

Regardless of your opinion on the answer to that question, it cannot hurt to know what they think. That is the purpose of customer feedback, and it is something that businesses are often very enthusiastic about receiving. They want to know how they can do better in the eyes of customers, and they want their willingness to make that effort to be plain to see.

Sometimes, though, you might struggle to implement your audiences' suggestions as easily as you would like. Therefore, it helps to know some ways that you can make these potentially transformative changes easier to implement.

The Level of Change

If you collect feedback forms and find that the same issue is coming up again and again, you can be fairly confident that it's worth looking into. The difficulty can come in actually implementing change due to the overhaul that it could require and the disruption that your brand suffers as a result of that.

For example, if you are getting criticism about the delivery service that you are using. You might find that it's time to look for another option, such as Shiply, that can provide you with more confidence in your goods getting to where they need to go on time and in the right shape. However, the difficulty might come in timing that swap effectively so that there is as little downtime as possible. The end result will likely be worth it, and it is important that you don't let the disruption deter you from making that shift – it's just about knowing how to do it right.

Your Own Way

However, you might want to avoid a situation where your business is dropping everything by changing approaches based on what customers are saying. After all, this isn't your only source of information, and you have your more statistical information to back up what might be the right move. That is not to say that you should discount what customers are saying, but while the information is important, you might find it more worthwhile to implement these changes in a way that makes sense for your brand.

The end result could be that you are able to deliver something that still feels very much like an original idea from your business, but one that incorporates what you know your audiences want.

Discount Anomalies

When you are receiving criticism, it can be difficult to not take it personally. However, with customer feedback, you have to understand subjective opinions' role. While you could argue that it is all subjective, a strong sample size can give you a better impression of the issues that multiple people agree on against the ones that only come up fleetingly in comparison. You want to be able to identify anomalies so that you do not confuse your approach by trying to please too many opposing directions. If you are able to use the information you gain to identify your biggest weaknesses or vulnerabilities, then it's been a worthwhile venture.