The Art Of Gathering B2B Customer Satisfaction Feedback

Gathering B2B customer satisfaction feedback is critical for companies that predominantly do business with other organizations. However, obtaining feedback is a bit of an art form. If you're trying to develop data on B2B customer feedback, you will want to embrace these 5 ideas.

Proactive Collection

Customers may not provide feedback for a host of reasons. In the business world, many of them just have other things on their minds. This means many of the steadiest customers don't provide feedback without prompting.

Worse, it means a lot of the feedback comes from customers who have specific reasons to do so, such as being angry about the quality of service. There's nothing wrong with that kind of B2B customer feedback, but it can overwhelm your data collection efforts if it's all there is.

You want to be proactive in your efforts. Even if you just send your customers an annual survey, it can go a long way toward getting their feedback.

Establish a Data-Centric Attitude

In the world of B2B customer satisfaction feedback, data is king. You want to have a robust set of metrics for understanding who each customer is. Likewise, you will want to ask a range of relevant questions so you can address concerns from multiple angles.

Also, you need to have an analysis system in place. The data means nothing if you're not tracking how it changes, developing reports and insights, and flagging potential problems as they appear.

Take an Interest in Quits

The quit rate is one of the stronger tells in B2B customer feedback. If a business stops working with your company or reduces its interest, that's a sign of potential trouble. Bear in mind, though, the problem may not be entirely satisfaction-driven. A business may be in decline.

Get Personal

Data is great, but business is personal. While the data can flag customers with declining satisfaction, you will still want to contact them and learn a bit about their situations. Try to be open to their concerns and receptive to their feedback. The only bad feedback is a non-response.

Practice Constant Improvement

As you analyze the data, talk with customers, and get a sense of where the general satisfaction level is, you'll start to find ways to improve. The B2B customer feedback process, though, is an endless loop. No problem is ever solved. At most, it has moved into a state of satisfaction that could decline if circumstances change. By focusing on constant improvement, you'll be prepared to respond when these situations emerge.

For more information, contact a place that does B2B customer satisfaction feedback in your area.