Customer Feedback-Does It Serve Its Purpose?

Why are we gathering customer feedback? Is customer feedback an important tool to analyse customers’ opinions? According to Whitney Wood, Managing Partner of The Phelon Group "If you handle it right, the dialog between you and your customers can become the lifeline of your business. To establish and maintain a healthy flow, customer feedback must result in change your customers can see. Change is the most powerful currency to reward vocal and consultative customers."

Customer feedback form is designed to provide informational input to analyse improvement on the provided product and service. We can obtain feedback through various techniques such as telephone surveys, engaging a third party, survey form, questionnaire and online response. However, I always wondered if the managements are devoted in tackling customers concern through the highlighted feedback.

Few months back, I went to a pizza outlet, only to be left disappointed with the poor service from the waiter. The waiter poorly handled the order procedure and showed grumpiness when I expressed his poor service. He even placed the cutlery angrily. Upon leaving the outlet, I informed his superior on the waiter’s service and demand for improvement. I even wrote the feedback on the given customer satisfaction form for their record and future references. Within one month I had an opportunity to go to the same pizza outlet again with my colleagues. Deep down my heart I expected there shall be improvement in the service but once again the same waiter wined out the same poor service. After ticking the waiter off, we called the manager and explained the situation. Recalling the previous incident and satisfaction form, I demanded if the manager had taken any steps to improve the service especially from the waiter. Dumbfounded expression was enough to ensure that the manager did little to neither mend nor rectify the situation.

Another example that I would like to share was having a tea at a popular cafeteria. I liked their warm service but felt they could improve especially on key salutation areas. I wrote down in the given feedback form and explained to the cafeteria supervisor the importance of greetings through salutation. On my next visit to the cafeteria, the waiters had applied the given feedback and thus it increases my likelihood to go often to the cafeteria. Upon knowing my arrival to the cafeteria, the outlet manager and supervisor thanked for my points. The manager stated that improvement shall be done to fulfil customers’ needs. It also shows that they are serious in tackling any deficiencies.

Based on both examples, customer feedback forms are used to address any views from customers except for implementation. Example A used the feedback form as mere documentation but Example B used it to improve and provide quality service to customers. In long term, which outlet shall gain from the improved customer service? Such concern shall remain not only for Example A but for all other organizations that continuously ignores the provided feedback. It is common for poorly trained officers to belittle the importance of customer feedback and in such case management should emphasize the importance of constant monitoring and control. It is their duty to train their employees especially with the current customer that demands perfection and exceptional excellent service. Management needs to be firm with their employees when applying changes for the betterment of customer service. End day, it is how a management perceives the customer feedback form - A piece of idiotic paper or VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR IMPROVEMENT.