Service providers, take note: Many customers don't bother responding to your requests for feedback because they don't believe anyone pays attention to it. So if you truly want their feedback, demonstrate that you are paying attention. How? By providing feedback to them about their feedback to you.
Consider, for example, the approach used at a large cafeteria at a major university. It was there that I came across a delightfully low-tech approach for collecting meaningful feedback on a timely basis and sharing it with not only those who provided it, but all other patrons of this dining establishment as well.
In the center of this cafeteria was a small table on which was a stack of small slips of paper. A large sign invited people to provide feedback on the slips of paper and to post their comments on the adjacent bulletin board.
Among the numerous posted slips were complaints, compliments and questions. Complaints included the scarcity of clams in the clam chowder, delays at the cash register, and the out-of-applesauce condition at the salad bar. Compliments focused on the quality of the desserts and the cheerfulness of some of the cafeteria employees. And questions concerned whether a certain brand of jam could be provided and how the recently featured soup was made. Oh, yes, and when oh when would they ever serve oatmeal raisin cookies again?
Posting these comments publicly was clever because it enabled people to learn what pleased, bugged or puzzled their fellow diners, and encouraged people to post their own feedback. It also gave cafeteria management quick access to concerns and grievances, without the cost, effort and time-consuming hassle of a formal survey.
But what made this feedback-gathering process most valuable was that on the lower part of each slip, below the diner's input, was a response from cafeteria management. Responses ranged from "Thanks for letting us know" to "We're looking into it" to "See me for the recipe" to "Sorry, we can't please everyone."
Plus the response that said, "We'll start offering them again if there is sufficient demand." That was the response to the oatmeal raisin fan. Although it may not have been the response that person had hoped for, it implied that if enough other diners indicated a similar preference, they might all get to feast once again on the cookies of their choice. And (reading between the crumbs), this response suggested that management had stopped offering these cookies because too few diners partook to justify continuing to offer them.
This bulletin board approach to feedback gathering abounds with benefits: It provides a continuous and ongoing method of collecting and sharing feedback. It lets management know what's working and what's not, and helps them improve service quality. It invites participation and communicates to customers that management cares about their opinions.
In addition, it provides an outlet for people to voice grievances about matters that are less than earth-shattering, yet nevertheless deserve a response. And it provides a readily available forum for explaining to cafeteria diners why certain of their gustatory cravings can't be fulfilled.
Finally, it provides a way to call attention to other options that cafeteria patrons might not have considered. After all, if management can persuade oatmeal raisin fans to switch to those luscious, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, everyone wins.
About the Author
Website: www.nkarten.com
Naomi Karten has always been fascinated by human behavior. Her background includes a B.A. and M.A. in psychology and extensive corporate experience in technical, customer support and management positions.
Since forming her own business in 1984, she has presented seminars and keynotes to more than 100,000 people internationally. Her services, books and newsletters have helped organizations and groups- Manage customer expectations,
- Enhance their communications and consulting skills,
- Provide superior customer service, and
- Establish successful service level agreements.
She is the author of several books including:
Communication Gaps and How to Close Them, which provides strategies and guidelines for improved communication in such contexts as building strong relationships, delivering superior service, fostering effective teamwork, and managing change
Managing Expectations: Working With People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, NOW!, which offers a serious, lighthearted look (yes, both!) at policies and practices for successfully managing expectations in the workplace
How to Establish Service Level Agreements, a handbook based on more than a decade of experience providing SLA consulting and seminars internationally and which is designed to help you avoid the flaws and failures she encounters so often
