How to Solicit Qualitative Customer Feedback (Before It’s Too Late!)
As a CSM, you understand firsthand how critical customer feedback is to the ongoing satisfaction of your customers and the success of your business. On paper, an account can be ticking all the boxes – engaged during meetings, high product usage rates, etc. – but until you know for sure exactly what a customer is thinking, how they are feeling, and what ideas they can bring to the table, you can never be truly comfortable.
The most significant risk that a customer success team can take is not soliciting customer feedback regularly, and, without this information, the customer churns due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’. While usage data and quantitative information may point to a happy and satisfied account, the qualitative feedback may be saying something else.
Tips for soliciting qualitative customer feedback
Here are some tips to keep in mind when it comes time to collect customer feedback:
1. Record impromptu feedback:
In every customer meeting, call, and discussion, you probably hear some helpful nuggets of customer feedback. Even the smallest soundbite can be considered when measuring qualitative input from a customer, so don’t let any of this information go to waste. Record meetings, jot down soundbites, and discuss your customer calls in detail with your client team to ensure you capture all relevant data.
2. Foster a safe space for customer discussion:
Sometimes, customers hesitate to provide feedback because they are unsure of or uncomfortable around vendor teams. Build a safe, encouraging space for feedback by giving your customers openings regularly to give their opinion. It’s also essential to ask for input from customers on smaller items and more significant strategic initiatives to ensure they feel their feedback is valued.
3. Implement a regular feedback (aka survey) schedule and stick to it:
All customer success organizations leverage some sort of feedback system through surveys, NPS, or Customer Health Scoring. While these are all great ways to gather quantitative and qualitative feedback, they are only successful in the long term if there is a regular schedule so your team can monitor improvement and changes from one survey to the next.
4. Follow up when new processes are implemented:
If customers know their feedback is being taken to heart, they will be more open to giving even more input down the road. Let the customer know if a customer makes a suggestion, and your team uses this feedback to help inform a strategic process!
Want to learn more about gathering and using customer feedback? You can get more tips with these additional resources from ClientSuccess: