7 Tips for Collecting Feedback and Testimonials
Maintaining two-way communication with your customers is essential for any business owner. To effectively collect feedback and testimonials, integrate requests into your customer intake and follow-up processes, set early expectations, and encourage honest feedback, even from high-profile clients. Don’t hesitate to follow up persistently and ask for specific details about what makes your service standout. If necessary, offer to draft testimonials based on informal feedback to ease the process for busy clients. These steps will not only help you assess your performance but also build credibility and attract more clients.
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As a business owner, it’s critical to keep two-way communication going with your customers. Gathering client feedback is essential to assessing how well you’re doing and what you need to change. Collecting and sharing testimonials is key to building your credibility and boosting the confidence of people who are considering working with you.
Even though we all know this, very few business owners do what it takes to regularly collect feedback and testimonials. Whether you fail to do it because you’re too modest or shy, or because you’ve simply dropped the ball, it’s time to make it a priority.
Here are 6 tips for successfully collecting feedback and testimonials:
- Create a system for doing it
Build the process of asking for this information seamlessly into your customer intake and follow-up process. Asking for it should be as automatic as asking for contact information (though obviously with a bit more finesse). - Set the expectation early
Right from the beginning, let your client know you are confident that she will be pleased with your work, and that you’ll be asking for feedback and a testimonial. - Don’t second-guess yourself
Even if you aren’t entirely pleased with the outcome of your work together, ask for honest feedback. Sometimes you will be surprised at the positive response, and sometimes negative feedback is the most constructive and useful. - Get over your fears
There's no reason to be intimidated. New business owners, especially, hesitate to ask for feedback and testimonials from “big name” clients. Get over yourself, and ask. If they didn't think you were good enough, you wouldn't have been hired. The worst that can happen is they will say no. - Be persistent
Often people loved your work, but they haven’t responded yet because they are busy. You don’t have to be a pest, but several gentle reminders spread out over time won’t hurt. - Ask for specifics
You don’t want vague testimonials -- “I loved working with Marley. She’s awesome!” It’s good for your ego, but not much else. (Unless it's a huge celebrity.) Create a short feedback survey that asks for precisely what makes your work so good, and what exact outcome came from it. - Write it for them
Sometimes people are shocked by this suggestion, but it’s done all the time. Ask first if it’s okay for you to craft a testimonial based on casual feedback they've given you. Then write it and send it to them for input. They are usually relieved, because it saves them time, and they couldn't think of what to write anyway.
With clear feedback, you’ll be able to steer your business in the right direction. And with excellent testimonials, you’ll be able to attract even more of the clients you want to work with. Now, go out there and ask for it.