To start making feedback fun, we first have to unpick what it is that stops feedback from being enjoyable.
To understand what’s holding back your customer feedback, one of the key areas we need to address is that from the customer’s point of view, their feedback lacks purpose. They can’t see why they should give you feedback, because they don’t think you’ll do anything with the data. Lack of purpose leads to customer inertia - hardly a fun feeling!
“Why don’t people complete surveys? Because they don’t believe brands are going to do anything with the data.” Frank Burnett-Alleyne - Rant & Rave
Let’s look at the issue of purpose.
If you say you’re going to do something with your customers’ feedback, you have to prove you’re true to your word. By doing this, it says to your customers: “We are engaged, we are listening and with your help and assistance we can make our business better for you.”
Consumers are much more likely to leave feedback if they can see evidence of the impact that it has. They then start to see feedback as a longer process, a continual conversation between them as an individual and you as a brand.
How can you prove you’re using customer feedback?
One way to prove that you’re using the data collected from customers is to bring it all the way back to when you first ask for feedback. So, as well as asking your customers for feedback, give them examples of how previous feedback has impacted your business. Show the actions that you’ve taken in response to what your customers have told you. That way, before a customer even gives you their feedback, they’re reassured that you’re planning to use what they have to say.
Another approach would be to publically say to your customers: “This is what you wanted and this is what we did”. Imagine how powerful it would be if a brand ran a campaign that said: “We’re eliciting feedback from you. Then we’re going to use our most engaged customers to help set the business priorities that come out of this feedback.” Essentially, you’re empowering the consumer in a controlled way, to develop on the feedback and integrate it back into the business priorities. Just knowing which areas customers are prioritising would be a very useful discussion point for senior management.
This level of openness can be uncomfortable. As people, we’re often scared of receiving negative feedback, so we shy away from any situation that opens us up to criticism. But we need to remember that feedback is just an opportunity to improve. It shouldn’t be seen as someone beating up your brand (though this does happen). Marshall Goldsmith actually says we should “Treat ideas like a gift” because, even if they’re negative, they’re still a chance to improve [Source inc.com].
First Direct is very transparent about the information they present back to consumers. They invite people to go onto their website and simply select a plus or a minus, depending on what their experience has been. Then, if they want to leave more detailed feedback, they can. All the comments are left on the site for other customers to see, with only profanities filtered out. It’s certainly a brave move, but it’s also quite innovative. While the feedback is overwhelmingly positive, there is still some negative feedback.
It sounds risky - what if their competition started to flood the interface with negative feedback?
First Direct actually found that their customers would almost self-regulate, defending the brand where they could. In one instance, a customer complained that they’d enquired about a mortgage rate, and then phoned back four weeks later to find it had changed. Other customers then chimed in to say that the customer should have taken the rate at the time rather than waiting.
On the flip side, if you’re not transparent about capturing the negative comments and doing something with them, you risk people moving away from your company because they feel they can’t engage with you. If people do leave negative feedback, there’s nothing better than when you see someone responding to it. You can find lots of great examples on Trip Advisor of businesses responding to people who have left negative comments. For consumers, seeing how brands respond to negative feedback can be even more powerful than the positive comments. Things will go wrong, it’s how you respond and react after the worst happens that matters.
If you want to explore the idea of making your customer feedback a bit more fun, grab a copy of our eBook below:
