Everything you need to know about gathering customer feedback

As many home improvement professionals know, Builder Funnel is an award-winning inbound marketing agency and HubSpot Gold Partner, dedicated to helping home builders and design-build remodelers tackle their biggest marketing challenges. Every week or so, Spencer Powell invites industry experts in sales and marketing to join his podcast called Builder Funnel Radio. This month, our very own Vice President of Member Experience, Laura Summerlin, joins Spencer to discuss how to leverage customer feedback to grow your business.

Laura has been with GuildQuality for almost 12 years, and during this time she has developed a strong understanding of how customer feedback impacts the success or failure of an organization. In her new role as Vice President of Member Experience, Laura oversees multiple teams including customer support, customer success, and customer experience. Her extensive background has allowed her to cultivate a unique perspective regarding client feedback and contracting businesses, which is why she is the perfect guest for the latest Builder Funnel Radio episode. Here is a quick overview of the key takeaways from Laura’s interview.

Why customer feedback matters

• Studies have shown that stronger customer relationships equal a stronger business.
• A recommendation rate of 95% or better equals a 2% chance of your company going out of business.
• A recommendation rate below 80% equals a 20% chance of your company going out of business.
• The longevity and health of any company are dependant on believing in customer satisfaction and supporting all endeavors that create raving fans. 

How to get feedback

• Hire an independent, unbiased third-party.
• Create an internal team and put a process in place. 
• The key is to just do something to listen to your customers.
• Whatever it is, being receptive to the feedback is vital.

How to receive and deal with negative feedback

• Even though it’s painful, receiving negative feedback is extremely valuable. 
• You need to be able to discern where your customers are experiencing pain points and where there is friction. 
• Respond to any negative reviews by sharing a balanced and kind representation of what happened in the situation.
• Over time, the feedback will help you improve and you will see a decrease in unhappy customers. 

How to apply feedback to your business

• Analyze every piece of feedback you receive. 
• Share that feedback with every member of your team.
• Respond to any customer who voices a concern immediately, even if it can’t be resolved right away. 
• Take all feedback seriously and give it the attention it deserves. 
• Become results-oriented and strive towards doing better the next time.

Common feedback in the building industry

• Communication, scheduling, job site cleanliness and safety, professionalism, and construction quality are the most common areas of dissatisfaction.
• Business struggling in these categories are not creating clients for life. 
• Issues regarding professionalism, job site cleanliness, and communication are the most difficult for customers to discuss. 

How to get started

• Be open to better understanding the needs of your customers and what causes friction for your customers during their interactions with your team members.
• Talk about why customer satisfaction is vital for your business.
• Look into using an unbiased, third-party to collect authentic feedback for you.

If you would like to speak with Laura or a member of our team, we can be reached toll-free at (888) 355-9223.