Be Quick to Listen Stuart Wilkinson
We now communicate with each other in a myriad of ways. Social media coupled with the ongoing adoption of new online (and mobile) services have provided us with the opportunity to gather both information and opinion quickly. Unlike decades past, we can now find out what our customers think on a daily if not hourly basis.
Feedback from our customers and communities used to be both sporadic and untimely. We took feedback reactively and pieced together the message as best we could. These days we have the opportunity to control the conversation and proactively gauge sentiment in the moment. This means that feedback need not be a ‘once a year’ exercise or an unwarranted exchange with an unsatisfied party. Feedback is available in real-time and can be gathered quickly to improve our services and interactions with our customers today.
Social media tools and online surveys are often underutilized as a means of gaining key customer insights. Questionnaires and surveys have become increasingly popular due to the simplicity and ease at which they can now be implemented. Services such as ‘Survey Monkey’ and ‘Constant Contact’ provide small and medium sized organizations with the controls, framework and analysis needed to generate useful insights and feedback. Web based survey tools have removed the time commitment and financial investment typically needed to undertake market research.
We should also not understate the benefit offered by social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) and the open channels of communication they provide with our customers and communities. These services should be used as a means of gaining ongoing and constructive feedback.
Even with the right tools, a number of steps should be taken to successfully engage your audience and secure worthwhile ongoing feedback.
Step 1 Establish your goals and expectations.
Understand what you want to achieve and define your approach accordingly. Feedback should be an ongoing and effortless byproduct of maintaining good channels of communication, and an open dialogue, with your customer.
Step 2 Choose your ‘research tools.’
Think of the customer. Don’t implement a survey or use an online social media service if you know your customers will not appreciate or take advantage of it. Work with your own circumstances and find the rights tools that will be of benefit to both you and the customer. This means focus your efforts and don’t waste your time setting up resources that your customers won’t use. If you just want a quick answer from your customer, post a question or poll on your Facebook wall rather than send an online survey.
Step 3 Build your online community.
It may sound redundant, but you need customer email addresses. Email addresses are essential and are the cornerstone of any online feedback or relationship- building program. The quality and scope of your email list will determine the ease at which you can implement online strategies and acquire feedback quickly.
Step 4 Take time to sort through and analyze the information you acquire.
Feedback provided by your customers is only as useful as the insights you gain from it. Organize the data and time needed to extract meaningful and accurate conclusions.
Today there are many web based tools that are easy to adopt and fast to set up. These tools open up additional channels of communication that will help you gain a better sense of what your customers are thinking. You will learn more if your door is open to the voices of both clients and colleagues. With so many low-cost services now available you really have no excuse.
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