The 7 Most Effective Ways to Gather Client Feedback (to Grow Your Business)

As a busy business owner, it’s important to collect client/customer feedback effectively so that you get quality results and make the best use of your time. You can use these tips in your firm and pass them along to your own clients and customers.

Before we begin, there are three foundational requirements for any survey to be significantly successful: mobile-friendly, time estimation and a reward. More than 65 percent of email and webpage viewing happens on mobile devices these days, so surveys must be formatted accordingly, including the estimated amount of time it takes to complete the survey also leads to significantly increased participation. Finally, consumers are 20 to 30 percent more likely to complete a survey or give feedback if you offer them a reward. Starbucks gift cards have the highest conversion rates and Amazon gift cards come in as a close second. If you’re low on a budget, a discount coupon will suffice! Now, which survey to use? Here are the seven most effective methods of collecting customer feedback.

1. Check-Out Page Survey

Check-out is applicable to a service- or product-based business. This is a great place to find out what sealed the deal for your clients and is one of the most valuable kinds of feedback. Most businesses see the greatest success when asking just two to three questions at this stage. In your survey, ask which factor leads them to purchase: price, sale, product quality, uniqueness, reliability or any other factor you think would be highly likely. Another great question for a customer at this check-out phase would be, “What else would you like to see us offer?” Surveys under this category that receive the best results just list out the 3 questions right away, without an initial landing or referring screen.

2. Social Media Surveys

Google+ recently debuted its own survey system, which is easy to use and is very user-friendly (people want to participate). Other great options here include Facebook-friendly apps like Simple Survey, Poll or Cup.li. Facebook-based surveys are great because you’ll automatically capture demographic data about your participants (helps put feedback into context). Ask your fans and followers what they’d like to see more of or how they use your services and products (gifts? themselves?). On social networks, people are most engaged with content that asks them about themselves.

3. Pop-up On-Site Surveys

Use a third party to send pop-up surveys, commonly called web intercept surveys, to viewers on your site. This technology has advanced dramatically in recent years, and surveys can now be timed to appear at a specific stage in a client’s process – for example, when they’re looking at your FAQ or value pricing sections). These surveys are most effective when they have a very conversational tone, are short and don’t take up too much space on the screen. A related method would be to simply employ chat boxes for your website, and ask for feedback manually.

4. Emailed Survey

Don’t email your cold leads. Instead, email contacts who are frequent clients or customers, a part of your loyalty program (if you have one) or anyone who have recently used your services. The secret to this method is to promise to get back to them with a prompt and personal response. A recent study found that 43 percent of consumers didn’t complain or leave feedback because they didn’t think that the business would act upon their suggestions. Of those same consumers, 81 percent said they would be willing to leave feedback if they knew they would get a personalized response. If possible, make feedback surveys a regular part of your automated marketing process.

5. A Facebook Post

If you’re between two designs, or picking between several visual features (new logo or new color, for example), create a picture-heavy Facebook post and ask your fans and their friends to weigh in via comments. Facebook users love this type of content, and typically share with their friends to see how their opinion might differ. Facebook fans also love to feel like they are a part of the company’s process. Be very careful not to use language such as “like for yes, and comment for no,” as Facebook is attempting to eliminate these types of posts.

6. Feedback From Inside the Product

It’s a great idea to use services like Intercom.io to provide messaging capabilities from inside a software product. You can target active users who are using your software, right at that very moment, for a higher likelihood of response! Intercom claims their in-app messages are up to 10 times more effective than email.

7. Old-Fashioned Conversations (and Physical Survey Cards)

 You can learn a lot more from a casual conversation that you might not get from a formal email or survey response. With in-person conversations, you can ask additional questions or get further clarification.

On a similar note, as someone checks out, ask them to fill out a quick physical survey card. Many studies have found that physical comment card reviews solicited at the time of service can see completion rates of 80-90 percent. That’s incredible, as far as response rates go!

It wouldn’t be totally out of the question to ask some of your more familiar customers to give you feedback, for your feedback methods! If you are seeing low response rates, it’s a sign that that particular method isn’t the right fit for your audience. Pay close attention and adjust as you go.