How to increase the volume of customer feedback

Now that Apple has implemented the Net Promoter Score process for Apple Watch in-store try-out testing, there are few companies left that don’t listen to their customers.

After you have taken the first step to become more customer-centric company and listen to your customers by soliciting feedback, the next step is to increase the volume.

This is important because in order to deduce statistically reliable information, the feedback volume has to be as high as possible.

To maximise the feedback volume you should take into account these five points:

1. Ask for it

How often have you been in a situation where you thought: “If only somebody had asked me what I thought about the service here or at least gave me an text message number or web address”? A small percentage of consumers give feedback spontaneously. But most people will not give feedback unless they are solicited for it. The simplest way to grow feedback volumes is to ask for it.

2. Make it visible

Too many companies hide their feedback form deep inside their web pages (for instance in the small print menu in the footer). If people can’t find the form, they can’t give feedback. The link to the form should be prominently visible on all pages. Mobile apps can ask to be rated on the app store. Or you can simply send the customer an event-triggered email or SMS to capture their opinion.

3. Time it right

Customer feedback is most accurate when the emotions are still fresh and that means immediately or preferably within hours after the customer experienced your company one way or another. A good example of getting the timing right is an airline that sends a text message to the passengers immediately when the plane has landed.

4. Keep it simple

Because giving feedback is a customer experience in itself, and part of the customer journey, you should make it as appealing as possible. The shorter and easier it is, the more feedback your customers will give.

5. Provide many channels

Customers choose the feedback channel, not you. Making just one channel available limits the volume. If you are running a restaurant chain you should have:

• A feedback form on your website.
• Feedback form URL and text message / WhatsApp numbers on menus and doors.
• QR code or NFC tag on your tables or menus.

Asking for feedback generally improves the customer loyalty. People appreciate that you value their opinion. Enraged customers are also less likely to rant on social media if they get a chance to spill their guts after a bad experience.

If feedback is collected on the same day the experience took place, then the customer feedback can act as a metric to track how the company is doing close-to-real-time. Potential operational issues can be discovered and dealt with immediately.