Today I went into a retail outlet for a mobile service provider to inquire about new service. While I was waiting for my turn to be helped, I noticed the below sign encouraging customers to give feedback…via Yelp.
This sign definitely gave me pause. Feedback goes both ways, both good and bad. While I understand that positive customer feedback is coveted – especially feedback in public channels – I wondered why this mobile service provider would direct their customers to a public forum should they have negative feedback to share.
While I was pondering this, I overheard the woman who was currently being helped express frustration that replacing her broken iPhone would cost $700 because her contract was not yet up for renewal. Given her reaction, I’m fairly certain she would welcome the opportunity to openly share her thoughts on that!
On the mobile carrier’s website, the only opportunity to leave feedback is a survey regarding website performance. There is no apparent place to leave feedback for non-website related issues.
The advantage of implementing a structured feedback program such as those supplied by Feedback Ferret is that it allows an organization to have some measure of control over their customers’ feedback. Positive commentary can be learned from and leveraged. Negative feedback can be handled via service recovery programs that attempt to resolve customer issues, repair customer relationships, and that hopefully avoid having all dirty laundry aired for the world to see.
Will I switch service to this mobile provider? I’m not sure. I’ll see what Yelp has to say.
by Kate Handley, VP, Client Services, Feedback Ferret Ltd