In the modern, ever-changing environment of business, it is more important than ever to listen to your customers - and if you've ever checked review sites like TripAdvisor you'll realise why.
Thanks to social media and the instant connectivity that we now have, whilst it makes it easier for you to advertise your business, it also means that customers now have a louder voice than ever to tell their opinions of your business whether you want them to or not.
Sites like Twitter also enable angry customers to make their thoughts heard, and it's important that businesses deal with these issues, acknowledge, and act if they are going to keep their customers happy. So why should businesses listen to their customers? Here are 10 reasons:
1. Customers know what they need or want
You are not a mind reader and cannot guess what a customer needs or wants. The only way to find out this is by speaking to them. If you want customers to buy your product - and keep buying it - then you need to keep finding out what they want and need. If you keep doing this, then your business can only grow.
2. Customers have the buying power
Quite simply, customers are the key to success - they're the ones with the money and they will show you whether they like your product by voting with their money. After all, “No Customers, No Business”. Keeping this in mind will ensure that you will keep thinking about what the customer wants and needs and ensure that you are actively listening to them.
3. Customer feedback helps you improve
It doesn't cost much to get feedback from your customers. Feedback should be acted on, if possible, but always acknowledged – this will then make your customers feel that they are valued and appreciated.
4. Customers can tell you what their opinion is of your opposition
Has a rival new business popped up? You can find a lot of information about what people think of it by asking your customers. This means there's no need for sneaky undercover sleuthing, and you'll get the honest truth - whether it's good or bad news for your business. Either way, once you know you can act accordingly and up your game. After all, a little competition is healthy, but ignoring it is not.
5. Your business should always be focused on the customer
If you aren’t willing to listen to customers' views and act on them, then you should really reconsider why you are running a business in the first place.
6. Everyone deals with a customer
From a Director to the office administrator, all people within a business deal with a customer, you just need to see whether they are an internal customer or an external customer. For instance, if someone on the sales team is waiting for something to be signed off by the Director before being able to sign off on a deal, then they are the customer of the Director and are beholden to them to get things resolved. Treat your internal customers as valued and listened to as your external customers.
7. Customers like to feel valued
If you are open to conversations and feedback from your customers, they will feel like you want to know their opinion and look at ways to improve your offering. You may have to take the old saying, 'the customer is always right' with a pinch of salt but make them feel valued and listened to and you'll certainly keep them on side.
8. Customers hold the key to success
Want to avoid big issues in the future? Don't bury your head in the sand, but instead listen to your customers. They can foresee what might be happening to your business long before it becomes apparent to you. Customers can help you deal with problems as and when they happen, ensure you can nip it in the bud. Far better than leaving a problem to spiral out of control and cause more of a headache later.
Ok, so sometimes customer feedback might not always be positive and what you want to hear, but once you know what’s having a negative impact on your business, it's then easy to act on and improve.
If you only guess what your customers want, then you're never going to be able to please them. Give them the means to communicate with you and offer their suggestions and you'll be in a much better place than before. Customer feedback is knowledge, knowledge is power, using that power is all you need to make your business a success.
Disclaimer:
This blog is intended to give general information and does not constitute legal advice. Should you require legal advice please contact us.