LOOK WHO’S TALKING.
Most communication you have with your customers occurs in the form of a monologue. You run an ad, you’re the only one “talking.” Same with direct mail, email blasts, and even most forms of publicity and public relations. You’re the only voice in the room. The medium itself doesn’t allow for a two-way dialogue.
Without some sort of customer feedback, you have no idea how this one-way communication is being received. The good news is, the time is ripe to have a true dialogue with your customers. A recent study conducted by product review site ExpoTV found that a good number of consumers do actually want to “have a conversation” with a brand. The study found:
- Consumers want to establish a conversation: 55% of consumers want an ongoing dialogue with brands.
- Learning about new products in the pipeline is a top priority: Respondents were most anxious to talk to the product design (49%) department, followed by customer support (14%), marketing (14%) and pricing (13%).
- Dialoguing with customers results in positive brand experiences, which in turn often generate word-of-mouth buzz: More than 60% of those polled said they tell 10 or more people about the products they like while a third tell 20 or more.
- Listening leads to loyalty: 89% of respondents would feel more loyal to brands which invited them to participate in a feedback group, and 92 percent of those who have a positive experience communicating with a brand will recommend purchasing a product from that brand to someone they know.
- Consumers are open to engaging with the competition: 93 percent of consumers surveyed would be interested or very interested in communicating with competitive brands that expressed interest in their feedback if their first choice is not interested in hearing what they have to say.
Okay, so how do you go about initiating the conversation between you and your customers? A lot of it simply has to do with putting the mechanisms in place to receive feedback. Include online and telephone contact information on your packaging or prominently in your place of business. Allow for feedback on your web site. Consider an opt-in email program where contributors are rewarded. Set up a blog. And whenever you hear something, be sure to promptly respond.
Another option is to do some on-going research. Profile your best customers, then conduct “voice of the customer” research with them for an in depth look into their experiences with you. Or set up a customer advisory panel that meets at regular intervals to discuss customer experience issues.
Whatever it is you decide to do, chances are your customers will be ready and willing to engage.
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