What is customer feedback?

Customer Feedback refers to customers’ comments about your product, service, or brand. It is a written or spoken communication either praising or criticizing your company or its offerings. It is the raw response or input from your customers.

Customer feedback is the cornerstone of business improvement. It can come in various forms, such as social media comments, direct emails, online reviews, or surveys.

The world’s most successful companies have one thing in common – they all take customer feedback seriously.

According to a Microsoft study, 52% of people around the globe believe that companies need to take action on feedback provided by their customers. The same study also found that 77% of consumers have a better view of brands that actively seek and utilize feedback from customers.

Whatfix.com has the following definition of the term “customer feedback”:

“Customer feedback is information provided by customers about their experience with a product or service. The goal is to understand their level of satisfaction and to help product, customer success, and marketing teams identify areas of opportunity. Without customer feedback, your company may never know whether customers are getting value out of your product or service offerings.”

Customer feedback matters!

Without customer feedback, you cannot have a clear view of what you are doing right and what needs to improve. Consumers who have bought from you, that is, your customers, are the best judges of your products, services, and brands.

Their feedback is like a compass that points towards the areas that need attention or improvement.

  • Two examples

A series of comments about your product’s weight, specifically that it is heavier than other equivalents in the marketplace, can alert you to focus on lighter materials.

Repeated feedback on a jacket’s zipper being tricky to use may lead to redesigning it for easier, smoother operation.

Listen to Your Customers - Customer Feedback
Image created by Market Business News.

What delights customers?

Apart from letting you know what’s wrong with your product, service, or interactions, feedback can also tell you what delights your customers.

Positive feedback has many benefits, including:

  • It encourages you to continue and even enhance what you are doing well.
  • It can serve as a powerful marketing tool. Positive reviews can be much more powerful than any advertisement.
  • It boosts team morale and confidence. When customers express satisfaction, it validates the team’s efforts and can motivate them to maintain high standards.
  • Testimonials are great for your brand image. Satisfied customers’ stories can help build trust in your brand.
  • Feedback influences product development. Positive responses about certain features or services can guide future enhancements and innovation strategies.

Customer feedback – a chance to engage

Feedback does not have to be a one-way street. It is a great opportunity for you to engage with customers.

If you always respond to customer comments, you are showing that your company listens and cares about them. This can help build trust and a sense of loyalty.

Customer engagement that follows feedback can be personalized, which is great, because it demonstrates a commitment to cater to their unique needs and preferences.

When customers see that a company is willing to go the extra mile to address their specific feedback, it enhances their perception of the brand’s customer service quality.

Interpreting customer feedback

Sometimes, feedback can be challenging to interpret, especially when they are vague or written by someone in an emotional state.

There are some business tools today that can dissect and help you understand the sentiments behind the feedback. Some tools and software programs can sift through large volumes of data, categorize it, and even highlight trends.

Here are a few examples:

  • Qualtrics XM:
    A platform for experience management with AI-powered analysis to understand customer sentiments and trends from survey responses.
  • Medallia:
    Captures feedback across channels, using analytics to highlight customer journey insights and improvement areas.
  • SurveyMonkey:
    Offers survey creation with analytics to identify customer satisfaction trends and insights.
  • Zendesk:
    A customer service platform that gathers and analyzes support interaction feedback for customer satisfaction insights.
  • HubSpot Service Hub:
    Integrates feedback tools with customer data for a comprehensive view of satisfaction within the HubSpot ecosystem.

Facilitate feedback

You must ensure that giving feedback is as easy as possible for your customers. Most people won’t bother if the process is complicated, cumbersome, or confusing, and valuable insights could be lost.

Simple surveys, accessible online feedback forms, or encouraged reviews can make a significant difference.

Final thoughts

Customer feedback is a dialogue between a company and its customers that provides valuable insights into the customer experience.

It is an essential part of maintaining quality, improving products and services, and a relationship with customers.

Companies that listen to customer feedback and act on it are better equipped to meet their needs and stay ahead in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace.