This means many people are motivated to maximise the percentage of Promoters, those scoring 9 or 10 in response to how likely they would be to recommend the service. Scores from customers can be linked to performance management, bonuses and employee incentives. Net Promoter Score is a very popular method that many companies use to measure their service quality. But increasingly, this tone used in many serious feedback requests. I first heard this on a podcast and it was positioned as a joke: ‘Please leave us a 5 star rating or don’t rate us! LOL’. That’s led to a trend for companies to explicitly ask you to rate them as 10 out of 10. We know customers use the reviews of other customers to decide where to spend their money. Companies use social proof in the form of positive ratings to sell their service.

That was years ago and since then, feedback requests have only increased along with customers being encouraged to leave positive reviews. Should I say everything was excellent next time so they let me leave? Instructions for feedback As a customer, I ended up feeling guilty that I potentially upset someone via feedback and maybe I should have ignored the form in the first place. But sometimes, you just can’t or simply prefer to get the thing done so you can go about your day. Most places want you to tell them if there’s a problem so they can resolve it before a review or feedback stage. But why didn’t you say that? Uh well, I thought I had? Anyway this is my opinion, as requested! Therein lies a challenge. Because the pressure was a bit off and I didn’t always find it comfortable. Why did I only give a 3 out of 5? Uh well, I wrote it on the form. As I was leaving, the therapist stopped me to ask about my ratings (awkward). I once got a massage in a hotel and was given a paper feedback form to complete after. And I wonder if we’re always getting reliable data. But I also notice that the way some feedback surveys are implemented can inadvertently have negative impacts for both customers and employees. I will always believe in listening to customers and I’m glad their views are sought. I’ve spent a lot of my career working with user-centred methods and user research. Overall, it’s great to see companies embrace customer feedback. But is it genuinely feedback they want or is it a positive review? ‘We would appreciate your feedback’, they say. ‘Your opinion is important to us’, they say. Just this week, I’ve had emails asking for feedback from a health insurer, a storage company and a restaurant. Nearly every shop, company, service and experience asks that you give your feedback.

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