Picture the scene, you have just purchased what you think will quickly become your favourite item of clothing, it was a little pricey but you absolutely need it and have justified the purchase with a wonderful shopping experience. The staff were helpful and kind, they bent over backwards so that you could purchase your new prized possession.  You then leave the shop and wander aimlessly into another, thinking nothing more about this experience.

Now picture this, you walk into a shop and not even a nod of acknowledgment passes in your direction. It’s almost like your presence is completely invisible to the snobby shop assistant who has yet to realise she works in the shop in which you are shopping and therefore has not a thing to be high and mighty about.  You can’t quite see the item you are after, when you finally pin down an assistant it is like you are talking another language,  you battle through this minefield for a good 20 minutes ; offering solution after solution which are all just rejected with ‘No sorry we can’t do that’. You then storm out of the shop fuming with rage, what would you do first? Tweet about it? Facebook about it? Email the store? It is most likely that you will voice your opinion in some capacity.

So, you’ve made the effort to give feedback on your poor service because you don’t expect to be treated that way right? But you didn’t feedback on your excellent service, because you expected it? Because it didn’t leave you with strong enough emotions?

I myself have been found guilty of not giving feedback, which is terrible considering I was that shop assistant bowing down to customers in the hope that a glorious story about how I battled all the odds to provide the customer with just the product they were after, would reach my managers ears. (Alas despite all my efforts I am not sure such a story ever did, thank you kind shoppers of Manchester). So why are we so terrible at providing feedback?  

Well in my experience I forgot! There was some mention of a feedback website address on the bottom of my receipt, you know the ones, printed in font size 6, and completely random! So it made me think, if I had left the store what would have made me give feedback there and then? A person with a clipboard, probably not I never have time to stop (Shocking isn’t it, one rule for one, one for another). A paper survey, this would definitely end up in the bottom of my bag covered in make-up. What about a push survey, now this I would consider. I could do it whilst walking to the next shop, it is instant and more than that it’s real time, the experience has just happened and I have just got the survey. Be it good or bad, I believe that this would be more beneficial to me, it’s quick and I don’t have to cling to my receipt till I get home, it’s also done on my phone (and you know how much us young ones love our phones).  With an increasing number of stores now having access to free Wi-Fi perhaps this is the way to go, an online instant survey. For those who are too lazy to even type in a web address, rejoice! Push surveys are growing in prominence, for those less technologically savvy, a push survey is an instant message or alert sent to your phone when you pass a store or exit a store. How do they know where I am I hear you ask, well this information is provided by ibeacons or GPS tracking of Apps , which track smart phones. With the ibeacon set to change the face of the high street, I have no doubt that it won’t just be used to push discounts and offers but will change the face of customer experience measurement.

Could this move in technology do more than help our customer experience? Could it help praise be given where praise is due?  Could it benefit and motivate staff to continue good service?

 

To further dicuss customer feedback you can reach Liz on her twitter @MustardLiz