Customer feedback is one of the most reliable sources of insight into your business. It unveils strengths and weaknesses, as well as potential areas that may require fixes. It’s a window into the intricate dynamics between B2B enterprises and your clientele. Whether you’re an aerospace giant or a tech startup, customer feedback should be the North Star guiding your business forward.
Here are some pro tips on how B2Bs can generate and utilize customer feedback that encourages growth and customer loyalty.
Interviewing your customers
What better way to get the word out about the quality of your product than by getting it straight from the horse’s mouth?
At Rankin PR we like to focus our PR efforts on getting customer feedback and then building stories around them. Once we write them up, we can typically get them published in numerous trade publications. However, there have been many times when a quote from one of our client’s customers delivered that gem of a new unknown benefit that they could then guide future marketing efforts around.
By interviewing your customers for a PR article, you can get valuable feedback that you might not have gotten otherwise, including why they chose you or what feature they found most worthwhile.
Putting customer feedback into action
You can take that business insight that your customers are feeding you and use it to grow your business further. For example, say your marketing has always been focused on one particular benefit, let’s say that for this argument we will label it a longer lifecycle. However, when you start getting customer feedback, you find out that the majority of people chose you, not because of that one feature, but for a completely different one. Let’s say that is less downtime due to maintenance. Now you can shift your messaging to include that benefit.
It keeps you up to date with current market trends
Your clients’ feedback serves as a compass for continual innovation. By actively seeking opinions on improvements, you’re essentially tapping into a wellspring of insights on emerging trends. This positions your business to adopt new technologies and strategies aligned with client needs. It’s like having your clients as innovation partners, giving you an edge in a competitive landscape.
As an example, we had a client recently get feedback that there was a missing component needed for sub-THz communication devices. Since they were a manufacturer of these high-frequency components, they decided to gauge their other customers and see how big the demand was for the device. It turns out there was a very large customer base that was having to use suboptimal solutions. The client immediately began engineering the device, which was not an easy task, and within a few months, they had a new product that is now selling like hotcakes. All because they were gathering and actively reacting to customer feedback.
Customer feedback for operational improvements
Regularly seeking customer feedback can also reveal where improvements are needed. Imagine completing a project and receiving candid feedback – this not only gauges satisfaction but also provides invaluable insights for tailoring your operational strategies.
For example, let’s say you ship large power transformers and a customer points out that it takes them several hours to configure the footprint of the units in the field so they can be properly connected. In response, you change your manufacturing process so that every transformer you sell goes out the door already set up for installation. It costs you almost nothing, but your customers are grateful for not only eliminating the headaches but the downtime as well.
Analyzing responses can enable more efficient project management, boost customer satisfaction, and attract new business.
It builds trust and attracts new clients
New clients are often swayed by the experiences of previous ones. When a company is seeking to invest in services, they look for validation. Showcasing positive feedback from past clients enables you to build trust and credibility with potential clients. Authentic testimonials affirm your expertise, allowing you to convert prospects into loyal patrons. This cycle of positive feedback fuels new customer acquisition and propels growth.
Customer Feedback elevates customer loyalty
Retaining existing clients is a cost-effective strategy compared to acquiring new ones. Regular feedback surveys provide a direct line of communication, helping to tailor services to their evolving needs. It all creates a sense of goodwill.
This personalized approach amplifies customer satisfaction, translating into customer loyalty. After all, your company’s success hinges on your client’s success.
Pro Tips for Effective Customer Feedback Collection:
Customer testimonials unleash numerous insights for B2B businesses that you can leverage to strengthen your marketing campaigns as well as public relations.
Conduct website surveys
While a lot less personal than interviewing them, you can also deploy website surveys to capture user feedback in real-time. Smart widgets seamlessly gather insights without interrupting user experience and extract valuable data on what impedes conversions. This approach yields actionable insights to refine your online presence.
Execute email surveys
Email questionnaires are a conventional yet effective way to collect opinions. However, to boost response rates, opt for one-click email surveys. Simplifying the feedback process encourages greater participation, enriching your data pool.
Harness social listening
Monitor social media for unprompted feedback. Often, customers express opinions or frustrations on these platforms. Incorporating social listening tools ensures you’re attuned to sentiments across various channels.
Apply feedback to remarketing
Incorporate feedback data into Google remarketing campaigns, and tailor ads and remarketing lists based on customer preferences. This personalized approach enhances the effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
B2B PR requires different strategic tools to capture, acquire, and retain your customers. Customer feedback is just one powerful tool that can help B2B businesses unlock growth strategies that might have been ignored, neglected, or limited.
Rankin PR can help leverage customer testimonials to your business’s advantage. Contact us today.