How to thank your customers for their helpful feedback

Transcript: Fifteen years ago my colleagues at the Harvard negotiation project and I wrote a book called difficult conversations and I spent the last couple of decades traveling around the world helping people and organizations with some of their most challenging conversations now the first thing that we do when we work with any group is that we say well what are your toughest conversations what would you like some help with and together we make a list that we can draw from throughout the day now over the years we started to notice a pattern which is that feedback showed up on that list a lot to put a finer point on it and feedback was on that list 100% of the time it didn't matter what continent we were on it didn't matter what industry we're in it didn't even matter why they brought us in people and organizations all over the world struggle with feedback now for the first ten years we did what I think everybody does which is that we taught givers how to give more skillfully more clearly more often how many of you have ever been to a session on how to give feedback... See more →

Transcript: Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video Iam going to teach you a very, very important thing for customer service. I used to workin customer service, and this is actually one of the most important things I learned, andthis is called the L-A-S-T or LAST approach. So, to get started, let's talk a littlebit about: What is customer service? So, customer service is when you have customers, ofcourse, and you're trying to make your customers as comfortable and happy as possible. You're alsotrying to meet their needs and expectations, and solve any problems or situations thatthey might have. So, customer service is a huge category. There's many, many differentjobs where you use customer service. If you work in a hotel, for example, as a clerk,you know, in the lobby, as a bellhop, you will be using customer service. If you workat a restaurant as a server, you'll be using customer service, or as a hostess. If you're themanager of a store, you'll be using customer service. If you work in a business or even ina hospital, you'll be using customer service. So, pretty much any time you're dealing withpeople from the public and they're customers and you're trying... See more →

Transcript: So I'm going to make a prediction. The chances of this video going viral is thisbig. Here's why. Because no one cares to talk about customercomplaints. But I promise you, I want to challenge youto listen to this whole thing because it will save you a lot of sleepless nights, it willmake you a lot of money, it will save you a lot of money and it will just create a culturefor your company. So let's get right into it. Complaints are a part of business. When you decide to become a business owner,you are putting yourself out there for customers to say you are not as good as XYZ and it isour job to hear them out and get better because this is free counsel that people are givingyou. Just think about it. There's companies that do focus groups thatpay $75 per participant to just show up and complain about your product and you're gettingall these things for free. That's one of the things I want you to bekeeping in mind. Now let's talk about how I look at complaints. There are five different types of complainerswhen it comes down to your business and no matter what you do,... See more →

Key quotes:

• "For the small amount of effort a handwritten thank-you note takes, it’s amazing the extent to which you can brighten the recipient’s day by sending one — and if that recipient happens to be your customer, the indisputable return on investment you’ll see."
• "In one experiment that aimed to increase personal contact between troubled youths and the case managers helping them, the case managers and their supervisors received weekly thank-you cards sent from the homes they visited."
• "The organization now works handwritten thank-you notes into their business model, since donors who opt in to receiving “those sentimental, hand-crafted, physically mailed, personalized collections of gratitude” increase their average annual donation amount by $41, which translates to more than $3 million in additional donations per year."
• "When customers receive a token of appreciation as heartfelt as a handwritten thank-you note, they feel compelled to return the favor — ideally with repeat business, and public advocacy of your product or service."
• "Instead, follow this simple thank-you note formula: Here’s several examples: Dear Christine, I just noticed you’ve been a Help Scout customer for FOUR YEARS."

Transcript: How to say thank you to your customers customers are the lifeblood of any business let your clients know how much you appreciate their business with one of these simple strategies you will need a handwritten note special deal in discount offers public acknowledgement periodic check-ins information sharing and a personalized gift optional note cards step 1 send your patrons a handwritten note taking the time to express your thanks in a personalized way show sincerity your customers will value have your logo or letterhead printed on plain note cards to convey professionalism step to offer your best customers special deals or discounts usually given to attract new customers giving established clients these perks will let them know they are appreciated in return they will keep giving you their business step 3 acknowledge good customers publicly by mentioning them on your website in a publication or on your Twitter page they'll feel special if you take the time to give them a personal shout-out step 4 check in periodically with customers to either help solve any problems they're having or solicit their feedback thank them for their input and let them know if you've implemented any suggestions they've given you... See more →

Key quotes:

• "Most people don’t take the time to provide feedback to the company."
• "Ecommerce websites often have a pop-up appear asking “do you want to provide feedback?” Put yourself in the shoes of a customer who is shopping online."
• "Reaching out to your users via email is an appropriate and generally well-received funnel for soliciting customer feedback."
• "New features or product releases offer an opportune time to check in with your users to ask more specific questions."
• "Asking a customer to choose an answer to the leading question “I was the most helped by Company X when…” subtly prompts the respondent to answer in a particular way."
• "To further help clear the air, leave an option open for “N/A” or “other.” People won’t leave feedback if they think your company doesn’t care."

Key quotes:

• "Similar to Airbnb, eBay feedback goes both ways: to help ensure a great experience for everyone, both buyer and seller are asked to leave public reviews for each other after every transaction."
• "That means reducing customer effort as much as possible and enhancing customer service by: – Shipping on time — Providing tracking numbers after purchase – Responding to complaints politely and promptly If you’re happy with the quality of your goods and services, the best way to get feedback is to ask for it."
• "Here are some points to take into consideration when requesting feedback revision: – Remind the customer what you did to solve the problem or improve the service — Reiterate that feedback is essential to your business – Simplify the process by either explaining specifically how to revise the feedback or provide the link Take a look at this example below: After you feel the issue with the customer has been solved, ask if they are willing to revise their negative feedback."
• "You can’t please everyone, but there are steps you can take to reduce your chance of receiving negative feedback on eBay."

Key quotes:

• "When approaching customers for feedback make sure to ask questions that encourage a free flowing response rather than simply a YES/NO or a 3.5 out of 5."
• "It opens the opportunity for someone to provide a more honest answer.” While asking questions, dig for information that can really help you improve that area of your business that needs improvement."
• "If you’re looking to improve your help center articles, get an idea of why someone abandoned their shopping cart, or how good a live chat experience was, then feedback forms are the way to go."
• "At the end of the live chat session a user is served a pop-up requesting feedback on the agent’s performance so they may improve their service and support."
• "Getting customers and prospects to respond to a survey can help you learn what they like about your business and what they don’t."
• "It’s a fantastic way to engage customers and prospects to get feedback and gain insight into what aspects of a product or service users appreciate and where things may be improved."