Saturday, December 08, 2007

Get to the Po!nt - Customer Feedback

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If you're unhappy with the quality of a product or service, you know exactly what to do: You call or send emails until the problem is solved—many companies devote entire departments to handling complaints. But what if you couldn't be happier with the transaction? How do you heap praise on an employee or company?

Oddly enough, it isn't all that easy for pleased customers to sing high hosannas. Often the best you can do is to thank the person who helped you. In a post at his Damn, I Wish I'd Thought of That! blog, Andy Sernovitz suggests a number of ways your company can encourage and generate positive feedback:
  • Let customers leave compliments on an "Employee Thank You" wall stocked with paper, pencils and thumbtacks.
  • Ask your customers to vote in the Employee of the Month contest.
  • Put your Web site's feedback form in a prominent location.
  • Invite free-form comments on post-purchase surveys. "You're not going to get praise from a multiple-choice question," writes Sernovitz.

The Po!nt: "Companies need a feedback loop," says Sernovitz. "You need to open the door to positive feedback. If you don't ask for it, you're not going to get it."

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