Did you ever have customers who seemed happy but suddenly stopped doing business with you? Did you ever wonder why? Obviously, something displeased them – your customer service, your product or your attitude, perhaps? A majority of unsatisfied customers (almost 95%) never complain. It takes effort on the part of the customer to draft a letter of complaint or to phone in to voice displeasure. The easiest and most effortless option is to move on and never do business with your company again.

So, how can you know if your customers are happy or not and use that information to make improvements? The one easy way to do it is by seeking customer feedback. Even customers who are reluctant to make complaints will fill in forms anonymously.

Send out a feedback survey asking customers questions that could reflect both positively and negatively on your company. You should always include an open-ended question at the end, asking them if they have any additional comments or suggestions to make. This will give them a chance to voice any displeasure or come forward with truly constructive suggestions that could help your business.

Here are some typical questions that you can ask on a feedback form:

 How would you rate our customer service?
Excellent - Good - Satisfactory - Average - Poor
 Was your product delivered on time?
Excellent - Good - Satisfactory - Average - Poor
 How would you rate us against our competitors?
Excellent - Good - Satisfactory - Average - Poor
 Are you satisfied with the product you have purchased?
Excellent - Good - Satisfactory - Average - Poor
 Would you consider purchasing from us again?
Yes - No
If not, please tell us why:
 Please gives us your suggestions on how we can improve our services:

You could also ask them to rate you on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being outstanding and 1 being very poor. If all that seems like too much hard work, dispense with the questionnaire. Simply include a note on your website stating that you welcome any comments or feedback, along with an email address where they can send it.

Once you have asked these questions and received the answers, be prepared to take action. Use the feedback forms to improve your business. The customers are the only reason why you are in business, so satisfying them will ultimately make your business more profitable.

Most important: send a response to every person who has given you his or her feedback, acknowledging their views. If you are able to take action based on customer feedback, let the concerned people know about it. The worst thing to do is to ask for feedback and let it go at that. You can be sure that the customer won’t waste his or her time next time around.