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Feedback, Advocacy, Support: Listening to Customers Is Key to Success posted on Thursday, 12 February 2009

Most companies, regardless of size or industry, share a common goal in striving for customer loyalty.

By Toby Richards, General Manager of Community Support Services Microsoft

Toby Richards, General Manager of Community Support Services

Each and every customer, especially in today’s turbulent economy, plays a vital role in business success and growth. If each relationship is not handled with care, the effects of customer attrition can be detrimental in the short and long term.

Customers choose to build trust and loyalty with companies that actively seek to improve and enhance their products, services and overall experience. The first step in building trust is simple. When people tell you something, listen to them. And if they’re telling you nothing, then ask for feedback. From compliments to critical comments, feedback in all forms can help make the customer experience better and keep people coming back for more.

Some companies don’t know where to begin to solicit feedback. Start with finding out what people are saying about you and your company. Business leaders may think their online presence doesn’t extend beyond their own Web site, but through a quick Live Search, they quickly discover the magnitude of unsolicited feedback in cyberspace. With blogs and social networking sites, like Twitter, gaining traction and new users daily, consumers have global outlets to voice their opinions about anything and everything. Companies can learn a lot about perceived product quality, value and problems by simply reading what is out there already.

Taking it a step further, company leadership can engage in the conversation. Some easy ways to get this started are to establish a Twitter account, a company blog or Facebook group to facilitate discussion and provide channels for customers to offer their views. These online tools should not focus on marketing your product or service, but serve as a basis for building an online community that fosters feedback and discussion.

In addition to gaining a better understanding of public perception online, companies can proactively set up a system to solicit feedback. This can take many forms, including traditional comment cards and phone surveys, to online forms and electronic surveys. To ensure good results, surveys and online forms should include multiple choice and open ended questions. This way the company can compile data through qualitative and quantitative means. While this task can seem daunting, companies can start small with process of collecting and organizing data. Once a company determines which methods of collecting feedback is most valuable for their particular business model, the scope can be expanded.

Gathering data is only the first step. Once the information has been compiled it is essential for business leadership to advocate on behalf of the customer. Make no mistake about it, customers watch and wait to see if the organization listens to their needs. Decision makers should communicate back to customers when changes are made based on customer feedback. It is crucial that a company keep the dialogue going with customers so that feedback is not just a one-time occurrence.

Strong customer relationships help build strong companies. In fact, once a relationship is established, customers might even become advocates for a company. Some of your biggest supporters may even share their experiences with others via independent online user groups. For example, there are several San Diego-based online groups that focus on everything from general PC usage to specific technologies like Microsoft Windows. These sites provide a forum where people can ask questions and seek guidance from others who have relevant experiences and knowledge about a specific topic.

Companies may eventually want to establish a more structured program to solicit feedback and foster a community that furthers company innovation. One example is Microsoft’s Most Valuable Professional Award (MVP) Program, which connects the company with thousands of members of the technical community. The feedback provided by MVPs, which is often critical, helps shape better customer experiences, which is mission critical in today’s challenging economic climate. To date, MVPs from around the globe have provided vital feedback resulting in substantial direct changes to several Microsoft products, from entertainment devices to servers.

As the need for customer loyalty continues to drive sales for companies, businesses must take into account what their customers are, and aren’t, telling them. Listening and asking for feedback is no longer a nicety. It is an essential strategy to attract and retain loyal customers and elevate your business to weather any economic condition.

Toby Richards, general manager of Community Support Services within Microsoft Customer Service and Support, which provides customer service and support solutions throughout California, including San Diego. To learn more about Microsoft’s MVP Award Program, please visit http://mvp.support.microsoft.com or read our blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/mvpawardprogram/

Posted by bizSanDiego: San Diego Business News