The most successful small business owners and managers are always looking for new ways to improve customer service. One simple way to provide excellent service is to ask customers directly how their experience can be improved. A suggestion box is a powerful tool for gathering customer feedback. If you’re a manager or owner in the hospitality industry looking for way to improve the customer service offered by your business, consider implementing a suggestion box online.
Disadvantages of Moving Your Suggestion Box Online
You may be concerned that the feedback gathered by a digital suggestion box won’t be as valuable as the statistics and data from traditional surveys. However, many customers are no longer willing to take the time to fill out a multiple-question survey, and are not interested in filling out tedious questions related to their age, gender, and geographical location. The suggestion box offers a personalized avenue where customers can share their thoughts honestly.
It may seem challenging to get customers to go online and actually leave feedback. The fact is, most of your clients spend a huge amount of their lives online already. Social media is woven through our real life relationships and many of us prefer to go online for shopping and research. Today’s digitally savvy consumers expect their favorite restaurants and hotels to have a user-friendly website. If you publicize your online presence and make sure that leaving feedback is easy and intuitive, customers will take the opportunity to connect with you.
Some customer service managers would rather encourage customers toward positive public reviews. Asking for private feedback supports your restaurant’s public image by preventing negative reviews. If a dissatisfied guest brings the problem to you first, you have a chance to meet their needs before they complain on Yelp or Facebook. You may even receive a public review praising your extra effort.
Advantages of a Digital Suggestion Box
Moving your suggestion box online will bring many benefits to your restaurant:
- By responding to the suggestions you receive from guests, you’re completing the feedback loop.
- You will receive immediately actionable data.
- Taking the time to listen to each individual’s voice turns new guests into loyal regulars.
- Small service problems will be brought to your attention, preventing them from becoming recurring issues.
- You will develop trust in your brand. Customers appreciate seeing their feedback implemented.
- Valuing customers’ suggestions will create a guest-first culture among your staff.
- Personal attention to their needs will turn at-risk customers into brand advocates.
These are just a few ways that implementing a suggestion box online will improve customer service. Whenever you devote time to hearing and answering your guests’ needs, your business will thrive.
Tips for Your Online Suggestion Box
So how can you get started with a digital comment box? First, make sure it’s prominently displayed on your website. If your guests struggle to find your suggestion box it can’t serve its purpose. Also, publicize on social media how much you welcome personal messages from clients. Make each guest feel special by responding to messages promptly.
The most intuitive, modern suggestion box online is BlurtBox, a customer experience management software that gets you connected with your guests. With BlurtBox, you can put your comment box right in their hands! This app gives you the power to respond in real time, completing the feedback loop and dramatically improving all the benefits of the digital comment box. BlurtBox’s intuitive, user-friendly interface encourages guests of all ages to give you personal, honest feedback. If you’re looking for the best way to reach your patrons online, get started with a free BlurtBox account today!
