As a general rule, small-business owners are afraid to hear what their clients and customers have to say about them, especially when they know things aren’t exactly smooth sailing.
Even though this may be the case, there are still some really powerful things to be gained, and a number of reasons why getting this deeper understanding can only be a great thing in the long term for your small business.
Here are three powerful reasons why understanding what your clients and customers are saying about your business is so important.
Use the feedback in your marketing content
Your clients and customers may be saying that you’re trustworthy, efficient, on time, your dresses make them feel special, the descriptors may be endless. These great adjectives are words that you can use in your content.
Document all of these “descriptors”, and when it comes time to write content on your website to describe your business or create social media postse – whether you’re doing the writing, or you have a copywriter doing it – these descriptors are perfect and come in handy.
It makes your content real and you now know what people think about you, so they are true descriptors of your business.
Allows you to make change
If you know that something isn’t working, you want to be able to make a change.
Business owners can get super defensive when they receive feedback. Look at it, be objective, put yourself on the other side of the conversation and say to yourself, maybe they’re right and is there something that I can change?
Maybe you can’t make a change, and that’s fine, but at least take the time to consider and ask yourself whether it is something that you that you can improve on or not.
Shows you genuinely care
If you have taken the time to create a customer experience journey or pick the phone up to speak to customers or clients, then it’s clear you actually care about them and that you want them to return.
You’ve invested in a process, invested in a team member to make the call – so simple – in an era where customer service is dying. A great customer service experience drives loyalty, and is super undervalued.
We are always wanting to get that new customer or client. How about keeping your existing ones, no doubt there’s 30 to 40 per cent of revenue to be made from your existing clients and customers.
And finally, I hear you ask, how will I gather this feedback?
Ask them face to face
If you have the opportunity to be face to face with your customers and clients, ask them for the feedback. Don’t be scared to ask the questions if you have that face-to-face interaction.
Show them that you’re genuine – people see that, and it goes a long way in succeeding in business.
Pick the phone up
Don’t be afraid to ask them for a couple of minutes of their time to get their thoughts around the customer experience with you. It can be super casual.
With a simple survey and five really simple questions, it will allow them talk about how they’re feeling and rank you on your customer service offering with them. Maybe ask three closed questions and two open-ended ones, which will allow them to open up a little. You never know what you can learn from your existing customers and clients.
