Why You Need to Shut up and LISTEN to Your Customers in 2018!
Alright, we all know that feedback about your business or career is always important. Everyone preaches that you need to do what is best for the customer…. but I very rarely see someone just sit there and LISTEN without responding.
Instead, I hear people giving excuses as to why it’s this way or why something is that way. SHUT UP and LISTEN! Only once you have truly listened, can you then work with your team to improve. Let me explain…
Take Time to Interact With Your Customers & Just LISTEN
As the owner/CEO/COO/CFO, you need to spend the time to visit and call your customers. They don’t have to be the biggest customer you have, or the most influential customer you have, but getting their opinion still matters. Call or visit any of them!
The truth is, I know that customers would love to hear from someone high up at the business and not just Jimmy, the 22 year old account manager fresh out of college who is playing Gucci Gang by Lil’ Pump in the background.
Talk with your customers, record the call, take notes, and just LISTEN. Don’t respond back with excuses and reasons why you’re going to change. Even worse, don’t try to upsell them to make their experience better. LISTEN, say thank you for your time, and send them a gift card in the mail that thanks them for their time.
Discuss Customer Feedback with Your Team
After you’ve listened to your customers, it’s time to regroup. This is the time to reflect, discuss, and decide where/how to improve moving forward.
Make This Team Meeting Enjoyable
Order lunch, have some beers, and make this time engaging and enjoyable for everyone involved. If your entire team isn’t engaged, it’s a waste of time for everyone. Open the floor to new ideas, bad suggestions, and ridiculous new offerings – anything and everything they have on their minds.
Team Engagement is Necessary
Depending on your size of the company, the c-level executives may not want to be present for this interaction. If you think their absence may hinder the employee feedback, divide these meetings to ensure the most engagement. If it takes multiple meetings, then make the time for this. It’s worth it!
Where Can You Improve Based on Your Customer Feedback?
Time to summarize your notes from the internal meeting and decide what your next steps are.
These could be along the lines of:
- Adding more employees
- Changing the packaging of products
- Creating a new tool to solve a recurring problem for your customers
- Refining your target customers
Keep Listening to Customers and Keep Improving Your Services
Congratulations! You have spent time listening to your customers, hearing what they have say, and then implementing improvements that came directly from your team. Now, you need to keep soliciting the feedback from your customers all year. Make sure you’re reaching out via email/text and asking for their reviews!
