The importance of feedback for your business and how to act on it

Most companies like to think they’re open to feedback. They probably are, at least in principle, but understanding the importance of feedback and acting on it efficiently can make the difference between satisfied customers with one-off purchases and happy, returning customers who may also recommend you to others. 

Every effective programme aimed at improving the customer experience is built around customer input. Analysing customer responses, behaviours and engagement can help to identify customers’ needs, preferences, and what they expect from the company they’re buying a product or service from.

Customers today have a wealth of knowledge and opinions, which is elevated due to increased avenues where customers can provide their input. Customers are free to comment on forums and review sites, such as Trustpilot or Google, and opinions are freely distributed across social media platforms too. The ease and immediacy of these platforms mean that people are more likely to speak up and give feedback where they can.

Blogs, tweets, comments, ratings, and reviews have the power to make or break a brand.

Turning feedback into value

Gathering feedback alone is insufficient; that information must also be turned into something useful that gives both you and your customers added value.

Gathering feedback from your customers and failing to act upon the collected information is a waste of time for both the consumer and your business resources.

It’s important for businesses to listen to what their customers have to say and then act on it. First of all, it’s important to respond to the customer, so that they let them know they’ve been heard, but also, feedback can be taken as a learning curve and used for improvements within your business systems and processes.

Ensuring your customers know that they’ve been heard, is part of a multi-stage process that can be key to developing meaningful relationships with your customers. As a result, you’re more likely to enhance you’re reputation and increase retention levels, as well as attract new customers.

Your customer knows best

It might feel like you know your business better than anyone, but your customers, after all, are the ones buying your product or service. They are your target market, so it’s important that your offering suits their purposes. 

Customers are key to providing insights that you may not always be able to see yourself. Identifying problems can be challenging when a business is in full swing; you obtain a different viewpoint of the situation when you request customer input. 

As a result, it’s important that businesses learn to become much more customer-centric to maintain success. One of the best ways to ensure your company meets client expectations is by utilising the power of feedback. Giving your customers a way to rate your performance will enable you to continuously improve the level of service you provide. It also allows you to incorporate feedback into the design of new products or services and can help inform your teams so that you can improve customer service levels.

How feedback can enhance your business

Feedback can help to plan training programmes and business processes moving forward to prevent further issues from happening down the line. It also can ensure that you have actionable metrics and a straightforward way to assess both success and failure, which can save a lot of time and money which can then be invested elsewhere in the business to improve processes.

Whilst, bad reviews and feedback can be hard to hear, ensuring that you respond and act efficiently to get that problem resolved can turn that review and customer’s opinion around! What’s more, improved review processes, leading to enhanced business reputation and increased good reviews can help employee morale and also attract both staff of a higher calibre, and also brand new customers!

There is a symbiotic relationship between a business and its customers. By harnessing the power of customer feedback, you’re accessing information that doesn’t just empower you and your business, but that can foster loyalty, growth, and excitement for your brand.

For help on gathering and acting on your customer’s feedback, get in touch with us here at Resolver Pro. Our packages are designed to help SMEs manage all their feedback and complaints in one place so that they can efficiently and simply respond and get issues resolved quickly. Check out our four-level Resolver Pro packages, and get in touch today!