February 22, 2012

The Value of Customer Feedback for Online Businesses

Whether you are recruiting students for an online bachelors program or selling a unique household product, gathering customer feedback about your online business will be enlightening. When you open the doors to customer feedback, you may gain valuable information that will help you enhance the value of your service or product.

Increasing Trust Through Open Communication

Open communication increases trust. An Internet consumer who knows there is someone to contact when things go wrong is likely to be a happier customer. A comment box on a contact us page may seem like an afterthought or an automatic part of website creation software. However, the presence of it gives customers the assurance that they will not be abandoned after making a purchase or when they have a question.

Implementing an Online Survey

To take things one step further, reach out to customers to understand what they are thinking and feeling about your service. A survey tool with just a few short questions can facilitate this interaction. Formulate questions to address core issues that may potentially lead to product improvement. For example, when recruiting students for an online bachelors program, you might ask, “What courses are missing from our program that you would like to take?” Be specific.

Responding to Customers

If writing a daily blog, be sure to respond to all readers who post comments. When you do receive online survey responses, thank the respondents for taking the time to share their views. In all cases, when customers contact you with a question or complaint, reply immediately. Even if you don’t know the answer to a question, you can let them know that you’re looking into it.

 

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