5 Signs That Your Business Is Bad at Listening to Feedback
Do you think that your business listens to its audience? It might sound surprising, but very few companies actually bother to really go through the feedback they get. This usually isn’t because they think those opinions don’t matter, but it’s simply a matter of time. Imagine getting a hundred emails every day, all with valid opinions that need to be read and categorised before sending them to the relevant team. It takes a long time and most companies just don’t have the right funds or systems to support it.
To help you out, here are a couple of signs that show your business just isn’t capable of accepting feedback properly.
1. You don’t use your phone
Sadly, many modern companies have switched to using online methods like email and social media for receiving feedback and they rarely ever use their phones. You can install a relatively cheap voice over IP system even as a startup and it will provide yet another form of contact that your customers can use to contact you and give you feedback.
2. You don’t have enough customer support
Customer support is something that can easily be outsourced but it’s rare to see in-house customer support that actually takes in feedback in addition to offering assistance. If you’re serious about growing your company, make sure you grow your customer support team so that you’re capable of listening and responding to feedback.
3. You aren’t using social media well
If you have zero social media presence then you’re not doing a good job of accepting and listening to feedback. Make sure you have a presence on sites like Twitter and Facebook and use both platforms to respond to any feedback that you’re given. The point is to engage with your audience to make yourself stand out a little more.
4. Your customer ratings are dropping
Online ratings are fantastic for getting a good idea of how good a business is, but if you’re getting lots of low ratings lately then you should read the reviews to see if customer communication is a problem. If it is, it’s time to work on listening to your audience a little more. If the complaints aren’t about your communication, then having a more open method of contacting you could drastically reduce the negative ratings because your customers will have a chance to discuss issues before posting a comment.
5. You aren’t connected with your audience
When was the last time you really felt connected with your audience? Whether it’s listening to their suggestions or complaints, it’s important to get involved with your customers so they feel a tighter bond with you. This can often be done via social media, but it’s also possible to do this by attending public events and by having a booth at a trade show. There are plenty of ways to engage your audience—you just need to get yourself out there.
If you’re having difficulty communicating with your audience and find that these rules apply to you, then follow the given suggestion and you’ll start to hear what your customers have to say about your company.
