Do You Have a Suggestion Box?

Do You Have a Suggestion Box?
Do you have a suggestion box for your business? If so, how
sincerely do you consider the recommendations and
complaints you receive? If you haven't yet tapped this
invaluable resource, I encourage you to create one and
actively seek to fill it.

If you yourself have ever tried to offer constructive
suggestions to business owners or customer service
representatives -- only to learn that they had no way to
collect them -- how did it make you feel?

The last three out of five times that I've tried giving
suggestions, I've slammed into a dead end. Since I'm always
bubbling over with ideas about how companies can improve
their customer service, I'm chronically disappointed when I
find they're not waiting with open arms and ears to receive
to them -- even when the issue has caused me considerable
angst as a customer.

This article offers several tips for using the input you
collect to actually strengthen your business and bring in
more revenue.

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Ideas for Mining Your Data
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Your customers deserve no less than the very best of
experiences with every facet of your offerings. Revealing
and remedying annoying hassles can stem the exodus of any
cranky customers and help you begin building a base of
"raving fans."

So, once you have a suggestion box or even technical
support logs that contain customer feedback, you can comb
through them to identify hassles of every type. What's
really been bugging your customers or stopping them from
getting things done? See which kinds of trends you can spot.

For example, are people having trouble installing
something, or wrestling with getting started? Are they
reporting bugs or service problems? Are instructions
incomplete or confusing? Look for the following
possibilities:

- Immediate but basic problems that you can remedy right
away.
- Major malfunctions occurring that should be documented
and fixed.
- Gaps in the internal hand-offs for converting prospects
into customers.
- Customers or prospects needing something that you don't
offer, which could spark ideas for new offerings,
accessories, and promotional campaigns.

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More Ideas for Uncovering Customer Hassles
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Below are additional ways to reveal the sources of your
customers' aggravations.

1. Poll customers using Web, mail, or e-mail surveys, or
support calls.

You might ask what your customers love and don't love about
your products and services, and how they might suggest
improving them. You could even consider expanding routine
customer support calls by asking customers: "Is there
anything you can think of that could enable our products or
services to better assist you?" Customers may find it very
refreshing to finally reveal their pet peeves.

2. Observe your customers using your products at their own
facilities.

It may be a real eye-opener to watch your customers try to
install, set up, learn, and troubleshoot your product
without having someone guide them through every step. If
you had intended your products to be self-explaining and
easy to use, this could reveal several aspects in which
they are not.

3. Prioritize your findings using the 80:20 rule.

Try to determine which 20% of the hassles (the "vital few")
seem to be giving your customers 80% of the grief. Then,
continuously work toward eliminating the heaviest hitters
until you've removed everything down to the noise level.
It's easier said than done, but in the long run, your
customers will really appreciate it!

In conclusion, your suggestion box, customer database, or
other observations may represent an under-exploited source
of new income streams. The information you glean can
eliminate customer headaches, boost customer loyalty, and
lead to new or improved offerings and precisely targeted
marketing campaigns that open revenue doors. Therefore, you
have everything to gain by taking charge of this data and
mining its treasure!

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Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is the author of the award-winning
"Straight Talk on Boosting Business Performance" program.
She helps people "discover and recover" the profits their
businesses may be losing every day through overlooked
performance potential. To sign up for more free tips, visit
her site at http://LearnShareProsper.com