Feedback can be one of the greatest assets a business has for attracting more customers, or it can be one of the most harmful in driving them away. This is not necessarily dependent on whether the feedback is positive or negative, but how a business chooses to use the feedback they receive. Here are three simple rules a business can follow to use feedback to its advantage.
Collect your feedback. It is important to note that feedback is inevitable. All businesses receive feedback based on their performance, whether it is good or bad. Customers will always have an opinion about how they were treated and although systematically collecting these opinions isn’t always easy to do, it is crucial for any business to have an organized database of feedback from customers that are willing to take the time to share their experience. By providing a forum where customers can be heard, you indicate to them that you are listening and that you care about satisfying them. Essentially, you allow them to build your business by sharing their feedback.
Don’t avoid negative feedback. Feedback may not always be positive, but it is always useful. Nobody likes to receive negative feedback, but it is unavoidable and can be more helpful in the long term than positive reinforcement. The key is to use your negative feedback in a positive way. When you get a complaint from a customer, do what you must to make sure that you never hear that complaint again. If you listen and improve, you’ll begin to collect more positive comments that you can use to your advantage. This is known as “course correction”, and it is the best strategy for guiding your business to its most effective level. Potential customers like to know that if they do have a complaint, it will be resolved and showing them that you’ve resolved previous customer complaints will instill confidence.
Use your positive feedback. If you treat your customers well and genuinely aim to conduct fair business, you should let people know. Customers are more than happy to reward a good business with their positive feedback, and an organized forum for collecting and displaying this feedback is the best way to promote yourself. It is one thing to tell potential customers that you are reliable, trustworthy and honest but quite another for your previous customers to say this for you. Real feedback gives the customer a chance to imagine what it will actually be like to work with you and if it’s positive, they will know they are going to have a good experience. Displaying positive feedback from customers you have actually worked with is genuine and the best way to market your business.
The National Consumer Protection bureau helps businesses systematically collect customer feedback and utilize that information to build their business. We work with our members to collect and display reviews that genuinely reflect customers’ experiences and insights about the business’ performance. Consumers can trust our members, knowing that the feedback they read has been verified. Start collecting with us today.
