Do you wonder how to come up with innovative products & services for your business?
In this article you will learn different ways to get information from your customers that will help you innovate solutions for their problems.
You will feel motivated to listen more, enhance customer experience, and innovate products that will bring you more money
Read Reviews: When customers give you unsolicited reviews, they speak from the heart and they always tell you I would say 90% the truth. Read the reviews about your brand with an open mind and in between the lines. They will tell you about their experience with your brand and /or what they would want to see. The reviews also tell you about the gaps that are in your product/service offering. I would encourage you to also read the reviews of your competitors. It will tell you a lot about how they operate their business, what they are doing right and what they are not. Reading your product reviews and those of your competitors will give you information that can be a seed to some breakthrough ideas and innovations.
Ask Questions: After you have served your customers, ask them whether you met their expectations or not. If you have done an excellent job, they will tell you and they may even go further to ask you what else do you offer. This is an opportunity to remind them of your other services. Also go ahead and ask them to elaborate what they have in mind when they asked you this question. This allows you to see what else they may be needing and see if it is something you can incorporate in your offering. By listening to your customers as they answer your questions, you learn their language and words that resonate with them. This is invaluable insight that will enable you to serve them better because you have clarity of what they really value.
Surveys: After you have served your customers, send them a survey to ask them how the service was. This is a bold move, but it allows the customer to give you an honest feedback on how they feel about your business and services.
Recently I went for a dental appointment. When I was on the dental chair, the dental assistant asked me if I had dental insurance. I had already gone through this procedure earlier at the front desk and had all these insurance issues covered. I found it disconcerting to get this question just before the dentist comes to start working on my teeth. Several questions went through my mind. After the dental visit I did not tell anyone about this incident, and I gave the dental assistant the benefit of the doubt.
A day later I received a survey questionnaire from the dental office asking for my feedback about my experience. I took this opportunity to tell them about this incident and how it made me feel to be asked about my insurance cover just after the dental assistant has checked done the initial check up on my teeth. They called me back and promised to improve on their processes and enhance their customer experience.
As a business owner, be bold and curious to ask your customers for their feedback on their experience with your brand. Then listen attentively. The customers are always telling you what they need and how they would want to be served.
When you listen to them, you will always be ahead of the game. You will be able to respond to the needs of the customer and at times even anticipate their needs before they are even aware of them. By listening to the customer, you can even spot trends at their early stages, which could give you an innovative edge in your industry. Listening is the secret code to coming up with break through products and services.
