Although as a busy SME we rarely do it, there are so many reasons to ask for customer feedback, we recently decided to get better at it.
One motivator for this was maybe we had become a little complacent; after all we’re pretty experienced and customers seem happy enough. Having more feedback would provide evidence either way, and give us the opportunity to address any points made, or nip problems that we might not be aware of in the bud.
What we hadn’t considered before it started to come in, was the impact positive feedback could have in creating a sense of validation. Validation of the team effort, of us as individuals and the practices we employ when working with customers to deliver projects.
In the short term it’s been morale boosting, motivating and positive working environment enhancing. In the longer term, as we increase the number of customer surveys we send out, the positive feedback we receive will enrich our culture, help us attract talent next time we’re recruiting, and – in contributing to our general wellbeing – make us (even) more innovative and/or creative than we are already!
The lesson learnt for me is to always provide positive feedback if it has been earned. Its effects are manifold and incontrovertibly beneficial.
Written by Sarah Lambie, first published on LinkedIn on 09th August 2023
