How to Generate Customer FeedbackWhat do your customers <i>really</i> think of you? If you don't know, it's time to use these methods to find out.
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With the focus today on customers' experiences, how can youget good feedback? "Direct consumer feedback need not beexpensive or overly complex," explains market researcherJeffrey G. Jordan of 1-on-One Marketing Associates in San Diego.Familiar research tools include mystery shopping, customer commentcards, on-site intercepting, Web site evaluation and toll-freephone numbers.
Teen retailer Hot Topic encourages comments through its Web site(which gets almost 800,000 hits per day) and through in-storecomment cards. Car rental company Avis features a feedback sectionon its Web site and even requests customers' contactinformation in order to send a response.
If you're looking for feedback (and lots of it), make sureto put your comment information everywhere-at the front of thestore with in-store signage, in shoppers' bags and via a linkon your site. You can also sweeten the incentive for feedback byrewarding input. Of course, since you're giving something away,it's hard to determine if your customers have a valid commentor are just looking for a freebie.
Toll-free phone numbers are another reliable communication tool.Fast-food operators such as Jack In the Box publicize a toll-freenumber for guests to leave comments. Even Jack himself answers thatline.
Remember,askingthe customer is always the rightdecision.
