How to use customer feedback to improve service

Multiple channels now let people say exactly what they think about your company and the service it provides. This means there’s a level of accountability and visibility like never before.

Receiving praise from happy customers is nice, but it isn't the most helpful type of feedback.

That’s because this is just an affirmation of what you may already know is going well. Getting negative feedback from customers can be helpful. It might feel uncomfortable, but it can still provide valuable insights.

Tapping into your customers’ opinions

There are many ways to gather this information. You can give feedback after talking to a customer service representative. You can also sign up on review sites like Smart Money People.

For more in-depth investigations, conducting phone surveys with customers is another good option. If your company is an online business, then using an online chat function can be just as effective.

But before we examine the specific areas that we can improve by listening to customers, a word of advice.

Don’t just look at individual responses. Instead, try to spot overall trends and comments you see recurring again and again.

If many people say the same thing, you can be sure this issue needs attention or improvement.

Improving the user experience

For online companies, one of the most important questions to ask is how easy the website is to use. Feedback on your website improves user experience, which should naturally result in more conversions.

The responses you create can show business areas to develop. They can also highlight new products that are in demand.

It can also help you to refine your offline services. For example, you may find that customers have difficulty getting through on the phone at certain times of the working day.

Developing staff skills

Having staff capable of dealing with customer demands is another essential for any successful company. So using feedback to identify areas where extra training could be useful is another important consideration.

As well as helping to improve your company and its performance, there’s another benefit to using customer feedback. By showing that you’re a dynamic and responsive organisation, it helps to raise your profile and credibility.

So make sure that you offer people as many ways as possible to share their opinions.

Soon, you'll likely see high scores when you ask customers how valued they feel with your company.