Businesses today need to be in touch with their customers more so than in the past. The internet has dawned an entirely new way to shop, with eCommerce exploding in the past decade, and it has created new ways for businesses to obtain customers. Businesses can utilize search and social media platforms, such as LinkedIn lead generation services, to acquire new customers.

But people don't just shop on the internet, they use it to research products and companies before making a decision. This means that fellow customer reviews, opinions and experiences are being read and used more than ever before, with company websites and social media allowing this information to be at the consumers fingertips. Baby boomers, especially, are known for valuing peer opinions when deciding to make a purchase or use a service. This makes collecting customer feedback a more important practice than it has been in the past.

As a business, there are a couple big reasons why collecting customer feedback is crucial. Because customer feedback - in the way of reviews, testimonials, and ratings - is so accessible to consumers via websites and social media, customers increasingly use it in their decision-making process. If you don't have this information available to your customers, you're missing a huge element. But there's also another big reason to collect customer feedback. Asking your customers about their experiences shows that you value their opinions. Your customers will feel important and heard, ultimately helping to build a better relationship with them. Better relationships will lead to customer loyalty, which is usually always the goal in business. And of course, do not forget that the feedback you collect can help you improve your business!

Usually, customer feedback is collected at some point after a purchase or service is used, but at what point is best? If too much time is allowed between point of purchase and feedback, there is less chance a customer will share their opinions and even if they do, their experiences are no longer fresh in their minds. Allowing customers to share their feedback in the moment, or in real time, is now easier than ever before. If your business is in-person, you can use a customer feedback kiosk to capture customer thoughts in real time. Collecting feedback in the moment like this can even help you gleam insights into specific things like the time of day that customers may be the most satisfied.

There are many ways to collect customer feedback, from simple questionnaires to more detailed surveys. You can collect feedback in person with a kiosk, or via email, mail, or directly on your website or social media page. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is to make it easy and quick for customers to share their thoughts (and bonus points if it is fun). So, take advantage of software available to embed customer surveys within email signatures, websites, and support tickets to make it quick and seamless. Or allow customers to send their feedback directly from their cell phone with a simple text message.

Collecting customer feedback, specifically in real time and in a quick manner, will not only help you improve your business, but your customers will appreciate it, too.