Lip service.
You hate it.
Everyone hates it.
But it still gets paid a lot.
In surveys too.
People being surveyed are often assured of their opinion being valued and then their expressed opinion gets ignored!
Some years ago I met a woman who had stayed for a weekend at a 5 star hotel for a special occasion – a 5th anniversary I believe. With the competing demands of running a business and rearing a young family you can guess that such weekends were few and far between for her.
Unfortunately her stay was very unsatisfactory. So she decided to use the hotel’s feedback form to let them know about her experiences. The form asked for her contact details and she willingly provided them along with her feedback.
And then the black hole happened.
No acknowledgement.
No apology.
No notice of remedial action(s) being taken.
No compensatory gesture.
Nothing!
Her reaction? She told people – not just about the stay but also about its aftermath – this complete lack of feedback from the hotel.
The effect? The hotel needlessly incurred reputational damage.
And what’s more – just imagine if they had actually taken the remedial action and just not bothered to tell her?
So my question for you: What will you do the next time a customer makes a complaint – valid or not?
And by the way, if you’re interested in getting my help with surveying your customers, be damn sure that you’re committed to taking action (where appropriate and where your resources permit) on the results!
