Friday, March 1, 2013

How Do You Record Client Feedback-And What Do You Do With It?




At Academic Learning Labs, we have students coming and going throughout the day, working with our tutors on anything from an upcoming Chemistry test, to SAT Prep, to a book report.  As with most small businesses, our center can get pretty hectic, and I’ll admit that there is one question that we sometimes do not stop and ask our students:

Do you enjoy your time here?

This may seem quite odd at first glance.   It’s a little casual, curt, and may even come off as a bit strange to some students who just got through with a tutoring session. Now of course, we talk with parents constantly, making sure that their experience with us is the best they receive in the area.  However, as you might well have guessed, our most treasured feedback about our tutoring comes from our students.  Their success is our priority. 

So, how does all this relate to your business? 

 I have some simple questions that you may want to think about over the weekend:

- Do I actively seek out and record client feedback? 
-How do I record it?
-Do I target a specific group of clients?  Why do I do this? 
-Do I seek this feedback consistently?   If I do not, is there something preventing me from doing so?
-Perhaps most importantly, what do I do with my client feedback?

This last question is critical.  Do you post positive reviews of your products or services on your website?  Do you keep a record of client anecdotes to promote your services via phone, e-mail, or social media to prospective clients?  Do you use the feedback as “data” to drive changes in your offerings, and predict where the market for your product is headed?

This all may seem basic, and the only questions remaining are whether you have the means and drive to improve feedback collection at your business.

Best of Luck!

Jonathan Jones
Assistant Director
Academic Learning Labs Tutoring Center
Academic Learning Labs