If You Want to Know - Ask!

One of the great dangers in New Zealand businesses is the tendency to make assumptions. Businesses can be particularly prone to making assumptions when dealing with customers who they have known for years and have regular interaction with. We can fall into the trap of feeling we know these people well and have a great relationship with them. As many businesses who have had one of their key clients suddenly leave will tell you; it is never safe to ride on our past successes - it is so much better to ensure that you are continuing to deliver what the customer wants and needs. As we've discussed previously, it is best to work with them to uncover pain points they might not even be aware they have, and to do research and development to see how you might be able to give them an edge in the market.

One of the most effective ways of ensuring you are not taking your clients for granted is to do regular surveys. These can be done in a few different ways: a personalised one-on-one survey, using an app like SurveyMonkey, or through outsourcing to companies that are specialised in this field. Ideally, you do not want to ask a lot of questions; thought must be given to what you really want to know and how you will use the information you receive as a result of the customer giving you feedback. Remember that you are asking them to share their time with you and it can be valuable to let them know what you will do as a result of their investment in you.

One of the ways that I have found particularly effective is to share the overall results in a summary format. Highlight the two or three consistent pieces of feedback that you have had and define what you will work on. It is also useful to note which feedback you have received and will be parking until you have achieved what you identified as your top priorities. For example: this number of clients said that they would like you to open earlier; you might have identified this as something that you'll be putting in place soon. If some people had said they would like your delivery dates to be shorter, this might require more internal work. It would be worth noting that you are aware of it and will be working on it and giving people feedback as you feel you're making progress.

When we seek feedback from our customers and show them we want to maximise and help them to feel like they are in partnership with us, it can also be very insightful when customers share why they choose to do business with you. Very often this will be your point of difference in the industry and it can be useful to hone this further to ensure you keep your edge.

If you have never done this before, asking your customers can give you great insight into things you can start doing, things you can stop doing, and things you need to continue doing. 

Here's to your success!