I am Glad to Hear the Positive Feedback - 3 Ways to Encourage Customers to Share

Getting feedback on how you and your team are doing can be hugely helpful to improving your customer service. The happy customers help us know what we got right. The upset customers can be a painful clue that we may have missed the mark. Encouraging both positive and negative feedback will create an environment where those customers feel more comfortable sharing their experiences. Here are 3 simple ways to get more feedback.

1. Give Customers a Discreet Way to Share.

Not everyone will share about their good or bad experience on Facebook, Google, Yelp, Twitter or Reddit. If you look only at the comments that are posted publicly, you'll miss most of the conversation. Consider the motives; when a person is jaded by your customer support, they may be compelled to help others avoid that experience or even to inflict some revenge. That can push them to those online outlets. Conversely, an extremely pleased customer may feel the need to guide others to you and even to help you succeed. However, most of your customers will fall in the middle. There isn't a motive for them; they don't feel the need to be heard, and It may feel like there is no story to share. If those middle ground experiences aren't likely to be shared publicly, how do you learn about them? Give them an easy way to get their feedback to you in a private forum. This is also a great way to hear about the good or the bad before it hits those online outlets

2. Give Positive Feedback on Their Feedback.

Good or bad, it is helpful to know how the experiences your company is creating are received. by your customers. Thank them and show that they have helped your business by sharing with you. If you're made aware of an unfortunate experience, it is usually appropriate to empathize and try to make the situation right. You might say, "I'm sorry that our service didn't meet your expectations." If they let you know their experience was outstanding, then your reply might be even more gracious, such as "I am glad to hear the positive feedback."

3. Don't Limit Where You Solicit Feedback.

Helpful comments about your products and services can come from unexpected places. If you try to be extra careful about who you ask for suggestions, you'll significantly narrow your pool, and may get far fewer responses than you'd like. It may be uncomfortable to ask for feedback from a customer you know had a poor experience. But that may be exactly whose point of view you need in order to improve. It can also be difficult to determine when someone is most inclined to share with you. Letting anybody share on their own timeline removes those constraints and gets more information back to you. 

VGM Forbin's reputation services are more than just a way to encourage gleaming reviews. Those services are designed to bring a lot of feedback in, then help people share the best experiences with the rest of the world. Contact Forbin today to learn more about how feedback and reputation management can help your business.