How to Generate Customer Feedback What do your customers <i>really</i> think of you? If you don't know, it's time to use these methods to find out.
By Elizabeth Goodgold •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
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, asking the customer is always the rightdecision.
