One of the biggest lessons I learned from reading those parenting books was that giving specific feedback works quite well with kids; and one realization is that it also works in a business environment.
As an example, when children are behaving well, it does make sense to give them a little bit of positive reinforcement. But instead of giving very generic praises like, “You did well;” it would be nice if you can give a specific example of what they’ve actually done well. It’s always best to give feedback in a form of “It’s very thoughtful of you to clean up your toys.” The child then learns that doing that specific action would merit appreciation and positive feedback. If feedback-giving works well for kids, I’m sure it does for adults too.
As business owners, how would we prefer to get feedback from our own clients? I’m sure everyone would appreciate getting feedback like “You presented the benefits of the product very well” rather than “Great job on the presentation.” Furthermore, any given day, anyone would choose “Your website has contents that are easy to understand and an interface that’s easy to navigate” over “You’ve got a great website.” Also, who doesn’t wants to get a very vital piece of feedback like “The fact that your company didn’t return my calls prompted me to cancel the service.”
Getting very specific feedback can really help out any business. This ever valuable feedback customers give will provide you direction on how to innovate or improve your products or service. This feedback from them will also tell you what you need to continue doing and what you need to drastically change. One thing to take note is that this specific feedback is not freely offered. As a business owner, you have to ask, or sometimes even beg, your customers or clients to be more specific
Most of the time, people think that they’re great feedback-givers; but, almost always, people lean towards using very generic statements when providing feedback. It is then up to you, as a business owner, to get this valuable piece-of-mind from them.
If you’re seeking firsthand experiences from customers, then it would be best if you craft your questions to be more specific. Asking questions like why they like or did not like the product or service or why their expectations were met or not met are excellent questions.
Moreover, it is highly suggested that feedback be given anonymously. This can be done by sending requests for feedback from a neutral email address like customerfeedback@yourcompanyname.com. Doing so will prompt your customers to be more honest and be more explicit regarding their experience with you or your company.