All businesses claim that they value feedback from their customers, but how many of these businesses actually learn from the feedback their customers give them?
The difference between listening to customer feedback and actually learning from it is the degree of involvement your business has in the process. Learning from customers can be and should be a strategic process that leads to transformational shifts in your product or service.
The following examples help to illustrate this point:
Learn from customers’ lifestyle: Is your product an impulse purchase for your customers? Do they enjoy the experience of using your product or service? Does your product make a noticeable difference to how they live their lives? Will they talk about your product to their friends? Such questions will help to determine effective pricing and promotional strategies for your business.
Learn about their buying context: Did your customer choose your product from a dozen competitors? Or was it simply because the competitor had run out of inventory? Do you get repeat customers after running a sales promotion? Finding answers to these questions can help you improve your marketing.
Learn from your loyal customers: Most businesses have a set of loyal customers. Find out what makes them come to you day after day in a competitive market. If you can discover the triggers to their loyalty, you can work to apply this learning to convert more of your customers into loyalists.
Learn how they are using your product: Your biggest opportunity in designing a market-winning product lies in actually observing how customers are using your product. Are there any pain points in their use? Is a particular feature being used in a different way than intended? Should you train them in effective use of your product?
Inviting customers to participate in face to face learning programs can result in very valuable information. Choose customers who have a keen interest in your business, but are able to look beyond the obvious. You may be surprised how keen people are to offer their feedback and opinions.
Keep the learning sessions as pure as possible. Share a printed agenda of the sessions with the participating customers beforehand, so they know what the focus of the discussion is going to be. Sharing feedback and keeping customers updated on the progress of the ideas helps to cement relationships as well as complete the loop and tie up loose ends.
The process of learning from customers is a win-win situation for businesses. By involving customers early, you do not have to wait till you launch your offering before you can weed out potential problems. And when your customers have a say in designing a product, they will ensure that it meets their expectations and implied needs perfectly.
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