Where would our businesses be if we didn’t listen to our customers? In the graveyard of failed businesses. Customer feedback is important to provide your customers with products and services they actually want to pay for and to ensure you don’t lose the customers you already have.
However, it is difficult to get customers to complete surveys and it is time-consuming to approach them for research interviews.
So how should you collect feedback?
In this post, we’ll look at ways to create a feedback portal that will help you organize customer feedback in one place.
What is a customer feedback portal?
A customer feedback portal is an app, widget or website that allows customers to provide business feedback at any time.
It is very different from a survey, mobile number list a market research session or a focus group as these all take place at a specific time. On the other hand, a feedback portal should be easy for customers to find and use at any time.
Whenever they have an idea or are frustrated about something, they can visit your portal and send a message.
Here is an example of a forum where customers can not only submit ideas, but also see and comment on other customers’ ideas.
What types of companies need a customer feedback portal?
56% of customers say they stay loyal to brands because they “snap them up.” If you’re not actively soliciting feedback, you may not be “getting” your customers as well as you think.
SaaS companies , e-commerce companies , and event organizers can all benefit from using a dedicated portal to proactively collect feedback from customers.
Here is an example from the popular 5 ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment accessory brand Fossil.
If you click on “Feedback” on the right side of the website, you will be directed to the feedback portal where you will be asked if you would like to share any of the following:
- The idea
- room for improvement
- Praise
The advantages of a feedback portal are:
- A place to store feedback
- Get feedback regularly (not just when you send a survey).
- Ask customers clarifying questions and interact with them
- Categorize incoming feedback easily and automatically
While many companies can and should collect feedback in some way, SaaS companies are best equipped to do so with a portal. Why? Your customers are already used to interacting with the brand through the software. On the other hand, ecommerce customers are more likely to respond to an email or survey than to provide feedback through a website portal.
However, since creating a portal is free, you can always try it out and see if your customers use it. Below, we’ll show you how to create one and ask customers to use it.
How to create your own portal to collect customer feedback
Since 65% of a company’s business comes from existing customers, it’s really important to know what your customers want.
You can use a free website feedback tool to agent email list create the portal, or you can create some custom code. Popular free and affordable portals that don’t require custom coding include Frill, Hellonext, and Nolt.
Custom coding is time-consuming and expensive, but it allows you to set up the portal exactly how you want it. Here’s an example of a portal built with Qualtrics on Mailchimp’s website. When you click on “Feedback,” a sidebar of questions opens.
Your customers shouldn’t have to create an account to share an idea.
Here are some ways to easily collect ideas:
- Anonymous – Customers can easily submit an idea or feedback without leaving their name or creating an account.
- With their login on your platform – If you are a SaaS or eCommerce company (or any other company with user accounts), you can use Single Sign-On (SSO). Your customers can provide feedback using their login credentials for your SaaS product or eCommerce website and do not need to log in separately.
Make sure you choose feedback software that is set up with the method you want or allows both options.
Next, it’s time to start collecting feedback.
How to inform customers about the portal
Of course, creating and customizing your customer feedback portal is just the beginning. You also need to make sure your customers know about it.
You should use multiple communication channels to announce your new portal and make it easily accessible to customers at all times.