How to ask for better customer feedback

Customer feedback is one of the most valuable forms of data you can get. It's the lifeblood of data-driven marketing strategies.

That's because it provides direct insights into what your customers think, feel, and experience when interacting with your brand. It's the closest thing you can get to seeing what your customers are going through on the other side of the transaction.

Looking at a numerical database of your sales is great - but does it help you identify what your customers are feeling and thinking?

Data-driven decisions often outperform intuition-based ones

You might think you know your buyer persona like the back of your hand, but when you gain insights into their life behind the scenes, you'll gain invaluable insights into their behaviour that inform your marketing decisions.

But getting this feedback isn’t just about asking questions - it's about asking the right questions in the right way.

Making marketing decisions based on data is not only integral to your business, but it helps you to make important data driven decisions.

Why you should be asking for customer feedback:

• Allows you to make informed decisions based on real customer experiences rather than making assumptions

• Helps you gather information about your customer experiences that are relevant to your business goals

• Allows you to tailor your product to your customer's exact pain points

• Enhances brand loyalty

• Helps you to identify trends in customer behaviour

• You can spot potential issues before they become major problems

• Helps you to uncover new opportunities 

How to gather data

Depending on the type of product or service your business sells, generating feedback could be like drawing blood from a stone if you're not using the right strategy.

But using the right strategy for your customers, you can encourage more customers to share their thoughts.

Try using:

• Surveys: Create surveys with a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions. Try platforms tools like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms to distribute them.

• Email campaigns: Personalised emails go a long way. Ask for a concise response, and explain why their feedback is valuable to you.

• Social media polls: Use your socials to run quick polls or ask questions generating feedback, or ask your customers what they want to see more of. This is a great way of generating a quick response, plus these platforms make it easy for customers to engage with your brand.

• On-site feedback: Implement feedback forms or pop-ups on your website or app. Make it easy for customers to provide feedback while they’re still engaged with your brand.

• Third party review sites: Encourage your customers to leave their feedback on TrustPilot or Google Reviews, so they're reviews look more genuine.

How to ask smart questions to get meaningful feedback

Your customer doesn't want to sit through pages and pages of customer feedback surveys.

Try and ask smart questions which tell you multiple answers with one question.

There's a heap of different questions that you can ask to generate a response.

You might ask...

• Actionable questions

• Product specific questions

• Experience related questions

• Improvement focused questions

Asking general questions will provide general answers. By asking a varied selection of niche questions about your customer's experience, you'll gain a more detailed insight.

Actionable questions

Just ask what you want to know. You don't have to beat around the bush and ask for a general overview of their experience - instead, ask for specifics.

Examples include:

• What specific feature would you like to see improved?
• Was there anything you wish you knew before buying our product?

Product-specific questions

Gives you valuable insights into your customer's experience with your product or service directly. Shoot these questions following a purchase, after the customer has used your product.

Examples include:

• What do you like most about our product?
• What would make you more likely to recommend our product to others?

Experience-related questions

These questions inform your sales and marketing strategy more directly.

Examples include:

• How would you rate your overall experience with our customer service?
• Were there any challenges you faced during your purchase?

Choose the right platform

Choosing the right platform to collect feedback is crucial. Use the same platforms as you would normally use for your marketing, because that's where your customers are.

You might find that certain platforms are more effective than others for feedback generation.

You could try:

• Email surveys: Great for in-depth feedback and reaching customers directly.

• Social media: Ideal for quick polls and engaging a broad audience.

• Website pop-ups: Effective for capturing feedback in real-time while customers are on your site.

• Third-party review sites: Encourage customers to leave reviews on platforms like Yelp, Google, or TrustPilot.

Ensuring anonymity can lead to more honest and candid feedback, especially when asking sensitive questions.

Anonymous surveys are particularly useful for understanding negative experiences, as customers may be more willing to share their true thoughts without fear of repercussions.

Not a peep of feedback? Try incentives

Offering incentives is a proven way to increase participation in feedback requests. Offer discounts on future purchases in exchange for client feedback. This could be a great way of generating valuable feedback.

Enter into a prize draw to give customers a chance at winning something in exchange for submitting their feedback.

Try giving your customers access to exclusive content, where your customers could have early access to new products as a thank you for their feedback.

Make sure the incentive aligns with the effort required to provide feedback. For instance, a simple poll might only need a small incentive, while a more detailed survey could warrant a larger reward.

Feedback is the key to understanding your audience

Asking for customer feedback is more than just a formality, it’s a strategic tool for understanding your audience and improving your business.

By focusing on the quality of feedback, using the right platforms, and asking the right questions, you can gather valuable insights that drive data-driven marketing decisions.

The more your customers share their thoughts, the more your business can stay aligned with their needs and expectations.

Learn how we help brands make better marketing decisions at Method