Business Perspective: Utilise the constructive feedback from your clients

As a mother, I have to rely on feedback from my children to help me make proper decisions in their up bringing. Many a times my three year old son, who is so intelligent, would give me a feedback on something that I have done for them. For example if I bought him a pair of shoes, he will appreciate the fact that mummy brought shoes, but later when I have forgotten about the whole issue, he will come and sit next to me and tell me that he preferred I bought him something else other than the shoes. This has made me learn that I cannot just assume for him when making some decisions about what I think he needs, but rather I now involve him by asking about what he needs. Feedback is a very important tool in our day to day life and in business as well. Just imagine a case scenario of a dissatisfied client who wants to give you information on something concerning better results for your business; you refuse to hear him out thinking you know everything about what a client needs. Unfortunately, many business leaders today treat their customers just like people who have no idea what is best for them. Listening to your customers, and more important, acting on the feedback they give is one of the best ways to transform a struggling business into a successful one. Not being in tune with your customers in business is like living in an alternate reality; the way you think your customers feel about your product is not always the same as what your customers really think about your product. Too many business people would rather live in ignorant bliss than accept the true reality about their product or business. The fact is, even if the true reality may be harsh, in most cases it is manageable. The reasons for accepting customer feedback are quite obvious to some, but not so obvious to others. Your customers are ultimately the ones responsible for your pay slip. By listening to your customers’ needs and desires, you can tailor your product and service to better meet their demands. This will ultimately lead to greater success.Below are just a few of the more common forms of accepting feedback. Depending on your business and your customer base, some will work better than others.Suggestion box A physical box usually hanged on a wall where customers can give feedback. I have seen these boxes in many places including the banks. These boxes help a company gather feedback from their clients concerning their services. Feedback form This can be mailed or delivered with the invoice at the completion of a job. The questions can be structured to prompt the customer for the right kind of information, even though most companies do not use this method for not wanting to spend money on printing the questionnaire. On-line An e-mail address, on-line form, and interactive forum are all good for feedback. This form of feedback is ideal when the majority of customers are on-line customers. This can be the most effective, cheap and quickest way to gather information from clients since if these people can be found to be online most the time.Making it easy for your customers to give feedback can do wonders for the overall attitude of your customer base. Actively seeking feedback, as in offering some form of compensation for the feedback, shows your customers that their feedback is important to you. Acting on the feedback and implementing reasonable changes based on customer feedback is a sure way to win over your customers and increase the success of your business. Regardless of the type of business you are in, getting input from your customers is critical to your success. Email: kayitesius@yahoo.com