6 ways to gather the complaints that make your business better…….

Since continual improvement requires continual feedback, it’s important to make finding out about and analyzing customer complaints/compliments/needs a formal part of your business strategy. Following are six tactics you can employ to ensure your company is listening to its customers—particularly when they have complaints.

1. Lost sale follow-up program: Follow up with lost customers or lost sales by finding out exactly why customers took their business elsewhere. Ask them. Then make adjustments to prevent further losses for the same reasons.

2. Key account reviews: Some B-to-B companies conduct periodic key account reviews, which they call “debriefings.” Everyone involved in an account from product managers to customer service supervisors conducts open-ended discussions. Problems, upcoming special needs, recognition of competent activity, and complaints, are all topics for discussion.

3. Customer visits: Some companies pay a visit to their customers now and then. They observe their products being used. And, they talk with their customers’ employees to find out if they have any insights and observations that might help in product design, delivery, or service. There is no better way to get an insight into your customers’ needs and how you can meet them than by watching them and asking questions while they are working. This approach will make a powerful positive impression on your customers as well as everyone else in the company. Some companies go so far as to set job objectives for all middle managers to visit a specific number of customers each year.

 4. Complaint correspondence summaries: Consider summarizing customer complaints (and kudos) for senior and middle management as well as front-line people involved with the issues at hand.

5. Service expenses: Dig deep for tips to customer needs, wants and potential complaints in repair costs, field service costs, liability costs, high warranty costs, and returns/refunds. Include counts and amounts in regular management reports.

6. Focus groups: Bring customers in for a focus group on the topic: “What is it like to do business with us?” Record the meeting. Show the video to every employee. Run it continually in employee lounges, perhaps, and show it as part of most routine training sessions.

Sincerely,  

Chris Wilkinson.