This article was based on the interview with Stacy Sherman of Doing CX Right by Greg Kihlström, MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
Customer feedback is crucial in today’s business landscape. It provides organizations with valuable insights into their customers’ experiences, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions. In the interview, the importance of customer feedback is highlighted through examples from different industries.
One example mentioned in the podcast is the elevator industry. The speaker explains how elevators and escalators are not typically associated with customer experience, but they actually play a significant role. Companies in this industry engage with customers at key moments of truth, such as installation, maintenance, and modernization. By understanding and asking the right questions at these touchpoints, companies can gather feedback and provide it to the relevant teams, such as product and sales teams. This feedback helps improve the overall customer experience and ensures that customer needs are met.
Another important point raised in the podcast is the need for a feedback loop. While organizations may collect a lot of data, it is essential to have a mechanism in place to effectively utilize this information. The feedback loop allows organizations to take action based on the feedback received, whether it is positive or negative. It is not enough to simply collect data; organizations must analyze it, identify trends, and make changes accordingly. The feedback loop ensures that customer feedback is not ignored but instead used to drive continuous improvement.
However, implementing a feedback loop can be challenging, especially for larger organizations with multiple departments and systems. Silos are a common problem, where different departments have their own data and systems that do not communicate with each other. This lack of integration hinders the ability to prioritize and follow up on customer feedback. The podcast suggests creating a centralized repository of customer data to break down these silos and enable effective collaboration between departments. This requires intentional design and partnership with IT teams to ensure the systems are interconnected.
The challenges of implementing a feedback loop may vary depending on the size and complexity of the organization. In larger companies, silos are a major obstacle, while smaller companies may struggle with limited resources and investment in infrastructure. However, the principle remains the same regardless of company size: departments need to align their goals and communicate with each other to provide a seamless customer experience. The example of a small company is given, where departments have different objectives, leading to customer frustration. For instance, a customer who purchases a product online and chooses to pick it up in-store may face delays because the online and in-store departments do not coordinate effectively. This lack of integration can negatively impact the customer experience and ultimately affect customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Customer feedback is crucial for organizations to improve their customer experience. It provides valuable insights that can drive decision-making and continuous improvement. By implementing a feedback loop and breaking down silos, organizations can effectively utilize customer feedback and align their departments towards a common goal of delivering exceptional customer experiences. In today’s competitive landscape, customer satisfaction and loyalty are essential for business success, making customer feedback a critical component of any organization’s strategy.
