Who really completes customer feedback surveys?
When the topic of survey response rates comes up, people typically say that customers with the best or worst experiences are the customers most likely to respond.
I’m sure that some organization has the numbers to prove this out. But I don’t buy it.
At becco, we’ve seen thousands of customer feedback records evaluating the service provided by individual store associates. The responses have mostly ranged from middle-of-the-road to great.
Where are the negative reviews? You could argue that the retail associates we measured were so good that they didn’t earn negative reviews - that’s not likely. Or that customers don’t like providing negative feedback on specific individuals - maybe there’s some truth to that.
After poring over the customer feedback responses, I have come to a different conclusion. I believe that the customers who provide feedback feel good about the brand and want the brand to succeed. Because, if the brand is successful then, by extension, the customer will feel successful, too. That’s their motivation. If you win, I win too.
If a customer feels good about the brand, and assuming that the customer feedback tool is attractive, easy and super convenient (which becco is!) then that customer will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly of their shopping experience.
Some may question whether that sample of customers who feel good about the brand represents a valid, unbiased, sample. And whether the insights from that sample would be actionable.
I would counter by asking: what’s wrong with getting customer feedback from the customers who really care about your brand? Whose opinions are you going to take action on, casual walk-ins or customers who care? My vote is to take action on the feedback from customers who care. At becco, we have found an innovative way to collect the types of customer feedback that can help store associates improve their performance. To chat with Stuart, pick a time for a call here.
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