Feedback helps us gain insight and improve what we offer. Unless people outwardly tell you, there’s no way to know what they’re thinking about your business unless you find out. Here are three tips to get a better understanding of what people are thinking.
1. Come up with a survey
Creating a survey can be a quick way to solicit feedback from clients. Setting one up doesn’t take much time. Online survey tools such as Survey Monkey, Google Forms or another source to type in a few fundamental questions.
Keeping the survey short and simple makes it easy for people to complete it. Coming up with a few questions can give you a better understanding of your clients’ needs and how you can better serve them.
If you decide to sign up for Survey Monkey, you can create a survey from scratch or choose from a variety of templates provided. Take a peek at sample questions and answers to see if the template fits what you’re looking to achieve. Whether you were doing market research or soliciting feedback for customer service, you will most likely find what you’re looking for.
You can also create a Google Form to receive feedback. Compile all of the responses on a spreadsheet in your Google Drive. Here’s a tutorial from Entrepreneur on Fire that shows you how to create an online survey using Google Drive.
2. A Facebook group can assist
I’m kicking myself for not starting a Facebook group sooner. It’s an informal way to get to know your clients, informally nurture leads and solicit feedback. What’s best is it feels very effortless for people to share. It’s social and light-hearted, so it’s not as hard to get participation. You can even pop one of your online surveys in there or create a Facebook poll.
3. Spy on yourself
If you want to overhear what people are saying about you online, there are some ways to put a “glass to the wall” to find out. The internet and social media can be an ongoing, informal source of unsolicited feedback. Find out what people are saying about you online by setting up a Google Alert. Whether you need to work on interpersonal skills and improve emotional intelligence to better serve your clients or maybe just tweak how you invoice.
While typing in your name and the name of your business is straightforward, there are other ways to “listen in” using an advanced search. If you want to search in a more sophisticated way, this article explains how to do a more advanced search to monitor your brand and track interest.
You’ll also want to monitor social media for the good, bad and the ugly. Look into some social media monitoring tools to see what works for you. There are both free and paid options.
The Bottom Line
There are many ways to get feedback both formally and informally. Use the tips mentioned to find out. Whether you work in public relations, photography or the tech field, getting feedback can serve as a compass to guide your future steps.
