{"id":3230,"date":"2017-03-14T11:14:45","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T11:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpmudev.whitespark.ca\/8-awesome-easy-ways-encourage-customer-feedback\/"},"modified":"2024-10-28T16:06:06","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T22:06:06","slug":"8-awesome-easy-ways-encourage-customer-feedback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/blog\/8-awesome-easy-ways-encourage-customer-feedback\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Awesome & Easy Ways to Encourage Customer Feedback"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every business owner wants more online reviews. They help with brand trust, rankings, having an edge over the competition, etc. But the fundamental principle of stimulating feedback (both online and offline) is often overlooked on the path to a shiny star rating on Google, Yelp, and so on.<\/p>\n

We fully encourage getting all the web reviews. But we\u2019d like to take a moment to explore some ways to take a step back, and put a strong customer feedback strategy in place first (which can also\u00a0lead to more online reviews).<\/p>\n

Here are some of the best and easiest ways that you can collect feedback from your customers day in and out (in no particular order):<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

#1. Put up In-Store Displays, Signage, and Kiosks<\/h3>\n

Having information on display in your store about how you value your customers\u2019 opinion not only demonstrates that you take their feedback seriously, it also makes it really easy for customers to leave feedback on their own terms.\"\"It can be as simple as having a comment and feedback area, a poster on the wall, a sticker on the door, a business card with feedback options, or all of the above.<\/p>\n

#2. Send Emails<\/h3>\n

Follow up with clients by sending a friendly email asking for feedback. You can follow up with a client after any interaction. While many organizations traditionally ask for feedback post-sale, there are numerous other opportunities to request feedback in the pre-sale process as well.<\/p>\n

Customers are often willing to give you more feedback in a private environment versus leaving an online review. Honest feedback from current customers has huge value in helping you evaluate your business and any areas that need improvement.<\/p>\n

For businesses serious about customer feedback, using an all-in-one platform<\/a> can help to streamline and organize the collection of feedback, and your process of reviewing\/responding to it. Some platforms (like Whitespark\u2019s Reputation Builder\u2026 eh-hem<\/a>), also provide you with valuable insights into your overall customer experience by capturing your Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS <\/a>is an industry recognized benchmark for a customer experience metric. The NPS is calculated by asking all customers a simple question along the lines of:<\/p>\n

\u201cHow likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or relative?\u201d<\/em>\"\"Your customers provide a response on a scale of 0 – 10. Your NPS is calculated by taking the percentage of Promoters (people who choose 9 or 10) minus the percentage of customers who are Detractors (rate you 6 or below).\"\"With an automated system in place you will save time, receive consistent feedback, have your feedback in a central place, you can easily respond to all your customers, increase your customer testimonials, and more. A platform really does make it super easy for you to manage feedback and reviews.<\/p>\n

Your NPS also serves as a customer experience benchmark, which you can use to measure customer satisfaction over time, and compare against any changes to your policies, products, services, or support procedures. How cool!?<\/p>\n

#3. Call Your Customers<\/h3>\n

This may be one of the most overlooked options in our digital age. A phone call is an incredible way to establish a personal connection, and another opportunity to create a relationship with your customers. When you speak directly with a customer you get far more in-depth information and insight into what\u2019s really going on. With a conversation there are emotional cues, tone of voice, volume, and speed of response which all help create context and a better understanding into the customer’s experience. Most people are also far more willing to talk than type.<\/p>\n

In The New Science of Customer Emotions<\/a> researchers found that businesses who were able to emotionally engage their customers had:<\/p>\n