Every business owner is looking for the finer details that will improve the way their company works and make their product or service better. While many will have customer feedback tied down, there is also a large number who probably let teammate and staff feedback slip by them.
To get a full and complete image of how your business operates, listen to everybody involved in it, both externally and internally.
Customer feedback
Customer feedback allows you to shape the items and services that you offer to your clients and customers better. A product may be excellent to start with, but it can always be improved once it has been released onto the market and feedback has been received.
It is important to remember that positive and negative feedback are as important as each other.
If a customer has reported on an aspect of your business that they love, consider how you can bring more focus to it and how you can bring that to all of your other products. Dealing with negative feedback is discussed below.
Feedback tools
Gaining ongoing feedback on a product is made easier with product management tools that capture it and compile it for you to act upon.
Trawling through feedback comment by comment can be a tiresome task, making it difficult for you to get results from the recommendations and criticisms given. Automatically collating your feedback into an action file will save you time and improve your service.
Teammate feedback
Allowing staff to be honest to you and air their concerns will make them more at ease and lift team morale.
If necessary, ask for anonymous feedback in case any teammates only wish to give their thoughts that way. Much of your customer feedback will be anonymous, so don’t be put out by this.
Using feedback
The most important aspect of using feedback is to be open. Rejecting any feedback you receive is immediately acting as if you know better than the person complaining, which is a dangerous precedent to set and means you are automatically not trying to understand their point of view.
Once you have accepted and understood feedback, create an action plan in order to make the relevant and necessary changes.
Handling criticism
Occasionally, the feedback that you must accept and use to your advantage is negative. Handling criticism and doing it courteously is a huge part of being a business owner and will teach you quickly how to respond to comments about your own work.
A business account should never appear angry or offensive when responding to online criticism, as this can lead to losing customers and terrible public relations.
If you feel the criticism is unwarranted and you do not want other reviewers or potential customers to read the comment and be put off using your service, simply respond in a timely and calm manner apologizing and explaining your side of the argument.