Regardless of the industry you are in, customers are the most important part of your business. Consequently, knowing what they think of your services or products is essential. To find out how they see your business, you must consistently ask customers for feedback.
However, asking for feedback might seem like a daunting task. In this article, we will show you how to receive the customer feedback you desire by asking the right questions, at the right time.
Customer feedback gives you insights into how your customers feel about your services or products. Its primary purpose is to help you improve, remain competitive, and enhance the customer experience.
Basically, customer feedback is a critical review of your business’s services provided through an objective lens. This review could come in the form of suggestions to improve performance or reduce complaints. It is safe to say that this feedback, aggregated from different sources, represents the voice of the customer.
Often, companies request customer feedback but don’t use it. The reason is that they haven’t defined the purpose of the feedback before asking for it.
🔄 Defining the purpose of customer feedback is necessary for building an effective closed feedback loop system and boosting brand credibility. So before you start asking customers to share their opinions about your business, make sure you know exactly what you’re going to do with this information.
There is a common misconception that customers are unwilling to leave reviews or feedback. In reality, most people are willing to leave feedback, especially if they are happy with a product or use it frequently.
Around 95% of consumers will leave an online review about a product if asked to do so. However, some things will determine them to become unresponsive or abandon the feedback process:
📝 At Textmagic, we struggled to obtain reviews on third-party review platforms like Capterra or G2, but this wasn’t because customers were unwilling to do so. The process of leaving a review was just very cumbersome and time-consuming. Asking for feedback on the review process itself helped our support team identify issues and simplify it.
Any feedback, even a negative piece, is better than no feedback at all. Naturally, customers often leave feedback when unsatisfied with a business or service.
Negative reviews should be viewed as an opportunity to improve. When addressed correctly, they might also encourage unhappy customers to give your business another chance.
Whether you’re looking to build a closed feedback loop system or increase Google reviews, asking for feedback is vital. Below, we will discuss some of the benefits of doing so.
Asking customers for feedback is undoubtedly a major step toward achieving your business goals. Here are some of the best methods of asking for customer feedback.
Striking up a conversation with a customer can make them comfortable enough to voice their concerns and give you a review. Hence, you can gain insights into their experience of using your product. To achieve this, you can use customer service emails, live chat, or phone calls after each successful interaction.
Inserting feedback requests at critical points of the customer journey is an excellent way to discover why they decided to do what they are doing. For example, when a customer backs out from a purchase, you can inquire about why they didn’t complete the action.
This feedback is directly tied to the customer’s actions, so it’s crucial to ask the right questions. For instance, if a customer doesn’t upgrade from a trial to a paid account, ask about their concerns. Utilize tools like HotJar to gather feedback, analyze insights, and identify behavioral patterns that can optimize the conversion process.
Despite the rise of newer communication methods, SMS marketing is still at its peak. By 2025, an estimated 5.9 billion people worldwide will be sending and receiving texts. This widespread use makes SMS an excellent method for requesting customer feedback.
Create automated text workflows to follow up on customer actions when they have used your services.
You can also send regular messages to inquire about the customer’s experience over a particular period. SMS for customer support is great because it allows for two-way communication with customers and more organic feedback requests.
Here is a short and effective template to help you get started:
Hi [Customer name]! We hope you enjoyed your experience with [Your company name]. We are always trying to improve our services and would love to hear your thoughts about your experience. Please use this link to leave your feedback: [survey link]
Here are a few ideas to help you simplify the feedback submission process on your website.
Social media is an excellent way to get customer input about your services. Including polls or engaging posts can help encourage your customers to leave feedback. You can also include links to your website’s review page in the captions of social media posts.
Another great strategy is to create paid social campaigns highlighting reviews from other customers. Retarget your existing customers and ask them for feedback. Take it one step further by reaching out to these customers and featuring their feedback in case studies or success stories.
📲 We started featuring reviews from Textmagic users in our social posts. The feedback from other customers was very positive. They started commenting on the posts, sharing their own experience, and reinforcing our value proposition.
Example of customer comments:
Third-party review websites are more than just an effective way of getting customer input; they also help boost your market reach. Sites like Trustpilot and G2 have specific review pages that customers can fill out. Once published, these pages can be used to capture demand.
Here are a few ways that you can benefit from feedback on third-party websites:
Product and service experience questionnaires are surveys in which customers describe their experience using your products or services. After creating such a questionnaire, you can publish it on your website so that long-term customers can fill it in. Please note that these types of surveys are different from quick one-question surveys.
Typically, these surveys are longer and much more detailed. Our recommendation is to request this type of feedback from customers who have already responded positively to shorter feedback requests or who use your products often.
After receiving customer feedback, it is essential to thank the customer for their input. For example, if you’re using a conversational method, you can end the conversation by thanking the customer for their time and for giving valuable feedback.
It is also a great idea to include a thank you message at the end of a questionnaire or social media poll. Then, once you’ve obtained the feedback you need, you must act on it. This could require you to fix a bug on your website, add a new service, or improve your customer service.
Loyalty programs are a great source of customer feedback. Customers who are already engaged with your brand know it best. They offer honest, constructive feedback even without being asked. If you combine their loyalty with the occasional reward, like points or exclusive offers, you get continuous feedback with little to no effort on your part.
Here’s how to make the most of your company’s loyalty program.
Feedback sessions and focus groups are unique opportunities to collect in-depth, nuanced feedback. Unlike multiple-choice responses that come with standard surveys, these gatherings focus on open-ended questions that allow participants to offer more details about your product.
This is how you can leverage feedback collection groups.
Customer feedback questions have various purposes. Some will help you to improve your products and services, while others will help you to understand the customer’s general experience.
Here are a few typical examples of customer feedback questions to get you started, but we encourage you to check out our full list of survey questions organized by user journey:
We asked Aleksandra Lemzyakova, our head of customer support, to share a few words on the mistakes to avoid when requesting customer feedback after a support interaction. This is what she said:
“When requesting feedback following a support interaction, it’s crucial to avoid making the process feel like a transaction or an obligation for the customer. We never pressure our customers into giving feedback or make them feel that their support experience is contingent on their participation in a survey. Instead, we invite feedback in a way that communicates genuine interest in their thoughts and experiences. Bombarding customers with multiple reminders or using overly aggressive language can detract from the positive experience we strive to provide.”
Here are some things to avoid when requesting customer feedback:
Customer feedback is a powerful tool for business growth. However, the process doesn’t stop once you have obtained it. Acting on it, to a large extent, determines whether your customers will use your services again or not.
There are numerous ways to request customer feedback. These include using third-party websites, emails, SMS messages, and a service review page on your website. You simply have to find the method that works best for you and apply it to gain that vital customer input.
Keep a close eye on our blog for more tips and strategies on leveraging customer feedback to enhance your business!
Raluca Mocanu is a seasoned content writer, specializing in content marketing since 2016. With a strong focus on customer behavior analysis and SEO optimization, she crafts compelling narratives that drive engagement and boost conversions.
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