4 Frequent Feedback-Gathering Flaws
If organizations really want customer feedback, why do they make it so difficult for customers to provide that feedback? Here are four examples from my own experience that suggest some things to keep in mind when gathering feedback from your customers.
1. To resolve a checking account problem that resulted from my bank ignoring its own policies, I used the chat box on the bank's website to seek help. It took some time, but the customer representative, who said her name was Michelle, restored my balance to its rightful amount. I told her I appreciated her help. In response, she thanked me profusely for being so patient. I had the impression she was accustomed to having customers bite her head off when her only goal was to help. But that's not where I'm going with this example.
When I closed the chat box, up popped a message asking if I'd be willing to provide feedback about my “recent interaction.” Sure. Several questions followed, all of them concerning my assessment of Michelle’s assistance. Not a single question had to do with the problem that led me to seek her assistance. The bank was apparently uninterested in taking steps to understand the problem or prevent its recurrence.
2. When I rented a car awhile back, I found candy bar wrappers in the car and trunk. It was a minor matter, and fortunately, the car worked fine. The feedback form the company sent me afterward listed ten categories of complaint and directed me to check any that applied. None of the categories concerned the cleanliness of the car, and nowhere was there a place to describe a possibly lackadaisical cleanup crew (or one that gorged on sugary treats while cleaning the cars). A place for open-ended comments would enable customers to provide feedback that might prove useful.
3. A hotel I stayed at understood the importance of open-ended comments. Well, almost. When I made the reservation online, the website asked if I had any special requests. I did, and I started to enter it in the box provided. But I was stopped mid-message because the message box allowed only fifty characters. Fifty! Even Twitter allows 140 characters per message, even if u smtimes hv to abbrev 2 make it fit. Why such a constraint?
4. I had a complaint about the ordering process for some items I purchased online. The online feedback form requested information about my complaint and then asked if I'd like someone to contact me about the complaint. I said yes and provided my contact information. I've yet to hear from anyone. Offering to follow up with customers and then not doing so is a bad policy. But who knows, they may call at any time. It's been only four years now. As Michelle observed, I'm very patient.
