UbongNkanta | Feedback Works
ˈfiːdbak/
noun
information about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.
The continuous change in customers’ needs and expectations is a clarion call on businesses – established, growing and startups to engage their customers satisfactorily. Businesses spend time to develop, review and evaluate their business strategy periodically, however, very little (if anything) is done to seek and review the feedback on the customers’ experience with their products and services. A best-in-class business strategy is incomplete without a clearly defined customer feedback plan.
A research conducted by Esteban Kolsky shows that 70% of companies that deliver best-in-class customer experience use customer feedback, versus industry average of 50%, and 29% for laggards.
Every business expectedly, is set up to operate optimally and be the ‘top mind’ brand for their customer at all times. However, as services are being rendered round the clock, customers’ feedback on their perception of the experience are not also gathered on the go. So many organizations do not have structured, clearly defined and effective customer feedback channels, thus they only get to know of their customers’ experience with their services when the customer has already gone public – the power of social media! Today, we all have access to media platforms through which we provide unsolicited feedback on a/an good, bad, ugly experience with brands at any time. This liberty for experience expression is also a very good, bad and ugly form of brand exposure, depending on the usage and for what purposes.
So many organizations are spending millions in protecting their brand from poor reputation resulting from bad publicity and some are trying to salvage theirs from one that has gone awry. This is the power of the Voice of Customer (VOC) at work. So many businesses make little or no effort in putting in place a structured, easy and convenient process to gather and listen to real-time feedback from their customers. Today’s customers do not wait or give you a second chance to improve on a poor service (if at all you know about it); they are at liberty to talk about their experiences in the public (virtual) space even while being served. This is a big dilemma for established businesses that move like cruise ships.
”Only 1 out of 26 unhappy customers complain. The rest churn. A lesson here is that companies should not view absence of feedback as a sign of satisfaction. The true enemy is indifference”. – Kolsky
In Customer Feedback management, the customer is in charge! So handling it must be from the customers’ perspective and not on perceived assumptions. Organizations, irrespective of market size must strategically develop and implement a seamless, effective, easy and accessible feedback process. It must be a deliberate act and the customers clearly informed. The feedback channels should serve all cadre of customers and must be available and managed at all times.
Most importantly, the organization should have an empowered team to listen to, engage personally and act real-time on the voices of their customers. Effective customer feedback process is a veritable tool for continuous improvement and a sure pathway for business growth.
Forrester found that 80% of companies say they deliver superior customer service. However, only 8% of people think these same companies deliver customer service worthy of a superior rating.
What kind of customer experience are you providing? Have you asked your customers? Have you asked your employees? Engaged customer-facing employees have a better idea of the customer experience than non-customer facing employees. Disengaged employees don’t care.
How do your customers define an acceptable, unacceptable, and outstanding customer experience? Ask them. That is the only way you will ever know.
Talk to your customers to let them know you care about what they think. They will be amazed that you care about them as individuals.
Recognize employees who provide an outstanding customer experience so other employees will know what you value – beyond revenue.
Today, so many organizations have improved on their product offerings and service models; increased their customer base, market share and profitability from customer feedback. This in turn enhances their customers’ experience, which today is the competitive battleground and marketplace differentiator.
Credits –
http://www.insightsfromanalytics.com/blog/what-kind-of-customer-experience-are-you-providing
http://kurtkummerer.com/customer-experience-management/
http://www.insightsfromanalytics.com/blog/what-kind-of-customer-experience-are-you-providing