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As noted in a previous article, the current global economy presents a huge opportunity for business-to-business sales organizations to actively listen to their customers. But there are some common traps that organizations fall into when gathering customer feedback. Don’t let your best intentions send the wrong message; avoid the following
Seven “Deadly” Sins of a Voice of the Customer Program:

#1: Pride – Not making customer feedback a priority
I have yet to meet anyone that makes customers unhappy or dissatisfied on purpose. But there are moments for all of us when the customer feels like they aren’t the primary focus. These moments can have a huge impact on your customers’ opinions about you in the present and the future. But you might be too wrapped up in other things to even notice their frustration.

Avoid it by having disciplined, consistent approach to listening to your customers. Let them vent and you’ll probably hear things you were in the dark about.

#2: Gluttony – Wasting your customer’s time
The vast majority of your customers will be open and candid when providing feedback. But their openness and patience will run out quickly if one of three things happens:

1. They feel like you’re asking them for information you should already know
2. They feel like you’re not really listening
3. They feel like you’re not serious about taking action to help them

Notice that all three of these pitfalls are things your customer can feel. So you need to go out of your way to make them NOT feel this way. This comes through good question design, active listening, and communication of how you plan to make their life better based on their input.

#3: Lust – Selling instead of listening
For business-to-business sales people Read More

For some time, it’s been popular to simplify the customer feedback reporting process to three colors: Red, Yellow and Green. If it works for traffic signals, why wouldn’t it work for customer feedback?

Green is great. Green means no worries, no improvement needed, a customer you can count on. Unless you are gathering inaccurate information, asking the wrong questions to the wrong people – the people who are your friends instead of your foes, your allies instead of your adversaries, the people you already know instead of the people you want to know. Maybe things are fine, or maybe not.

Yellow represents caution and opportunity. Yellow means potential storm clouds are brewing, problems exist. Yellow means make the correct improvements completely and immediately. Yellow says fix this account before things get worse. Yellow means save this customer; allocate your scarce resources effectively; fix the problem now, or the color will turn to….

Red. An at-risk customer who is probably moving down the path of finding an alternative supplier or likely has already found one – but has not yet told you about their decision. Red accounts usually land on the senior executive’s desk. Red accounts demand immediate decisive action. Red accounts cause sleepless nights, missed forecasts, indigestion. Red is trouble.

Here is the question: If you are using a customer feedback system that reports customer status using colors, are you getting the precise, detailed and actionable information you need to make effective improvements now before yellow customers become red?

Gary Gerds, Managing Partner
E.G. Insight