Customer Feedback - How Do You Get Yours?

Favourite Customers...

You know the ones that pay on time, work with you during the specification phase, are clear about what they want and don't want, and give you feedback on the products and services you provide.

It seems the 80/20 principle can be applied here - but why is it only 20% of customers provide 80% of the feedback a business (especially an SME) really needs to grow, adapt and change to meet the demands of the end user.  How can we engage our customers more fully to provide a cleaner, smoother buying process where both parties are satisfied?

Do your customers provide unprompted feedback?  Is it a British thing to keep quiet and not make a fuss?  Will it make us too proud if we receive positive feedback?  We're apparently a nation of whiners - where's the whining gone?  If we can't hear you, we can't help you........

Thinking a little more about this topic - and how the likes of super seller Amazon openly encourage author / book seller feedback - it would seem the easier way to report on a book / book seller is through digital feedback systems, which is fine, but how about a bit of direct "liking", "not liking" or commenting over the phone, or for those who do prefer a written response - email.  I would expect most SME owners are very open to criticism that could lead to the discovery of a new and innovative way of conducting business based upon an upfront, and honest critique of the way the product or service was delivered.

Our harshest critics can turn out to be our greatest teachers.......

Granted, companies do use Facebook for feedback and for customer service messages, however, is social media really taking place of the customer service team, the person on the end of the phone?........What do  you think?

Anyway, back to our favourite customers:  we all have them - they pay on time, ask engaging questions and challenge us to be a better company, give honest feedback and give us referrals for more business.

Our hats are off, and we are bowing down to The House of Yoga Owner, Jason Pooley, who recently opened the first hot yoga studio in Putney.  He has worked very closely with us right from the get-go to ensure the best type and model of infra red heaters were fitted into the new studio, and that his members/clients would be happy with the hot room.



He provides us with regular feedback, what has worked, what hasn't worked, and asks questions about refining the controls of the heating system.  With this sort feedback we can improve our services, after sales support, and it helps when advising customers by providing solutions based upon experience rather than a manual.
He has provided us with referrals, and we are busy providing quotes for more hot yoga studios in and around the London area.

So, we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to get involved in a project that was a little outside of our usual scope, for the insights into the hot yoga industry and the chance to be a part of fast growing market.

Thanks Jason, we wish you the very best of success, and look forward to the expansion!