5 Ways to Obtain Contactless Customer Feedback

The importance of customer feedback shouldn’t even be a question. But, just in case it is, let’s clarify why obtaining customer feedback is essential for any business.

Look at it this way. Whatever kind of business you are running, customers will be at its core. After all, without them, there is no business to run. The way to keep customers happy and engaged is by providing solutions to their problems, making the adjustments they would like to see in your product, service, or the customer experience you offer.

Now that we’ve clarified that, how do you know what customers want? And what their preferences are. Or what to develop and improve? You could try assuming. You could even get it right. No matter how you look at it, the best way to collect valuable information is straight from the source.

How easy it will be to collect this valuable information is a whole other story.

Many businesses fall into the trap of thinking; it will be easy to obtain customer feedback. Then, they find out it’s not. Eventually, they give up and lose the valuable insight they could be gaining to make their business stronger.

People have their plans and their busy schedules. So, what could convince them to take time off from their busy lives to help you? The answer isn’t so complicated. One solution is to make your customer feedback collection very convincing. Another is to make it very easy for customers to provide their feedback. Ideally, you will combine both of these solutions to get the best results.

To help you in your efforts, we’ve lined up some great solutions you can use to obtain contactless customer feedback. Easy and painlessly.

QR Codes

Customer expectations are constantly evolving, and meeting them is your pathway to improving the overall customer experience. Your customer feedback response rates will come down to how well you manage to simplify the process of obtaining it. The more comfortable you make it for them, the more people will be willing to answer your questions about their satisfaction level.

A QR code is by far the most convenient option to give product feedback you can offer your customers. This method is extensively used in the US and many other countries. It’s well-received by customers because it’s fast and straightforward. All it takes is a smartphone – which everyone is glued to all day long, and a moment of their time.

For you, it’s ideal because it’s customizable and offers numerous and instant results.

If you are unfamiliar with them, QR (Quick Response) codes are those funny squares with the barcode inside you keep seeing on product packages, receipts, or billboards. They are scanned using an app. Or, they used to be. Latest generation smartphones can now scan QR codes without a scanner app. Scanning a QR code will typically take you to a website.

A great feature of QR codes is that they can pretty much be placed on anything, anywhere. Some stores place them close to the exit so customers can scan them on their way out. Others have them printed on their receipts. Many brands use them in emails or on their packaging. Restaurants use them on menus. Companies have them on presentations. Realtors use them on open house signs. You get the picture. QR codes are versatile.

They can also be linked to anything. Scanning them can take customers to a website, your social media, a form, or a survey.

OQ codes are a very cost-effective and efficient way to increase customer engagement.

SMS Survey

Maybe the internet and smartphones are not your types of scenes. Perhaps you prefer a more traditional approach. Maybe your customers do, too. SMS surveys are also among the top effortless ways to obtain customer feedback, and they can reach large groups of people. Just like QR codes, they work well because they only require a phone and very little of your customers’ time.

You can create one-click surveys, send them to your customers by SMS, and get great insights into your business’ strengths and weaknesses.

It’s best practice to keep your SMS surveys short and simple. It’s also important to time them well for the best results.

You can use SMS surveys in several ways. For instance, after a customer makes a purchase and their experience is still fresh in their mind. You can ask for their feedback on how the transaction went, how they appreciated your services, or how they are enjoying the product.

Another great moment to use an SMS survey is after the customer has used your customer support services. Ask them how their experience went if their problem was solved, how they would rate the level of support they received. There are tons of questions, and you’ll get tons of answers that can help you improve your services and increase customer satisfaction levels.

SMS surveys even have better response rates than email surveys. So, you should include them in your options for ways to obtain customer feedback.

Website Feedback

Websites can provide a variety of ways to obtain customer feedback. There are options for website feedback buttons, pop-up forms, slide-in bars, chat box using a live chat software, and even a session recording. And, last but not least, analytics. You can also ask your customers about and several stages of their journey you can schedule your feedback collection strategies for.

Let’s get into more detail about some of them.

The Feedback Button

The simplest option is placing a feedback button on your website. You can put it on any page or every page.

Its advantages are:

It can be placed anywhere on the page.
Easy to set up and use long-term for customer feedback collection
Provides users a fast and direct way to share feedback
Shows users you encourage feedback and comments as part of your company policies.

Pop-Up Forms

Pop-up notifications are designed to grab attention. They are a more proactive way to collect customer feedback on your website and very widely used for customer satisfaction surveys.

They are easily adaptable to every step in the buyer’s journey and can also target leads.

For instance, you can use pop-up forms right from the beginning. Ask visitors what they are looking for if you offer services for two very different audiences, like a website with real estate ads. Visitors can enter and choose whether they want to buy or rent a property. You can use this feedback to understand what services your website visitors are more likely to search for.

You can add pop-up surveys on your website right after a customer made a purchase, asking them to rate their experience. Or, as they are preparing to exit. Find out why they are leaving your website and what you could do to retain them as customers. Check out this guide for more ideas on website survey questions to ask.

You can even use pop-ups to encourage your website visitors to rate you on popular review sites like Yelp or social media.

Live Chat

Live chat is a popular way of engaging with your customers and getting their feedback because it’s interactive and versatile. Behind the screen, you can have your customer support team or use chatbots for customer satisfaction.

With live chat, you can take your customer feedback collection to another level. You can go into more detail with them and find out more about their level of satisfaction and needs. With these insights, you can build better short and long-term strategies for growing your business.

Website Analytics

Your website itself can function as a feedback collection tool. Plus, it doesn’t even require direct interaction with your customers.

Website analytics is a great way to determine which of your website’s pages perform better and what your customers react to and engage with more. You can track where they spend more time and create heat maps to track movements and clicks.

Taking this information, you can understand which pages underperform and adopt the strategies of performing pages to improve them.

Email Surveys

Email ranks very high in most frequently used methods for marketing nowadays. So, it’s not a surprise that it’s also widely used for obtaining contactless customer feedback.

Typically, email feedback is collected from customers once they have finalized an order, received a purchase, or contacted customer support. Indeed, you’ve also received such an email after your last online shopping spree.

The response rates of email surveys are tricky. They are only as good as the content, and if they are not well planned, they have all the chances of getting lost in a sea of unread or deleted emails. To obtain as much feedback as possible using this method, you will need to invest time and energy into coming up with a fun and engaging way to ask for your customers’ opinions.

Email marketing platforms are widely available, and they have the primary benefit of requiring very little of your attention. Simply choose what you need them to do, who to collect the information from, and stand by waiting for the results. They work well to help gather feedback directly or on review sites or your social media.

Social Media

Speaking of social media, since everyone is on it, so should you. If your business does not have a social media presence, you are losing essential chances to obtain contactless customer feedback. It’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up.

Social media is so appreciated because it gives you a cost-efficient platform where you can engage with customers and potential customers on a whole other level. And that is precisely what people now expect from every brand. Communication through social media is more direct, more engaged, and more familiar. It gives you the chance to find out more from your customers. You can get more opinions and details about what they like, what aspects they feel you could improve, what new products they’d buy.

You can follow trends, collect feedback through customized surveys or from comments, and targeted campaigns. Social media opens up a lot of doors for collecting valuable information.

Conclusion

Customer feedback is essential for the growth of a business. But, you have to be ready to work to obtain it and to accept it consistently.

Not all feedback will have the same value, and not all input will be useful. Contactless customer feedback collection campaigns need to be set up with clear goals in mind and clear paths to achieving them.

Start by asking yourself if what you are looking for is to understand the overall customer satisfaction level. Or if there are any specific issues you want to address. Perhaps you know some aspects of your operations that are not performing well, and you need more information on how to change that. Or, you just launched a new order processing procedure, and you want to know if it works well.

There are countless issues you can collect customer feedback on. Focus on what matters most to your business and use the information you gain to build better strategies.

On that note, don’t expect all feedback to be positive. We would all love it if no one ever spoke an ill word about us. On the other hand, that’s where valuable information is.

Positive feedback won’t trigger many changes. It will only make you happy for the short term. Negative feedback is bound to make some points you either didn’t see yourself or preferred not to. Look closely at what weak points your customers identify and see what you can do to turn them in your favor.

Once you have your data, you need to accept it and transform it into concrete actions. Be open to understanding your customers’ perspective and investing in making the necessary changes. That’s how you can achieve success.