A universal challenge for business is the ongoing quest for quality feedback from our clients, customers and patients.  So often, almost in desperation, we adopt third party platforms that promise improved response results only to discover that the return on investment falls short of expectations.  

Many of these third party platforms are good.  However, the reality is, each business must take an “active role” in the process if they really want to see movement of the needle on response rates.  It’s not the job of one or two individuals in a business to drive this process but rather the job of every person in the organization.

Lets look at the solution from two perspectives.  One, how to improve the overall process.  Two, how to get everyone engaged.

Improving the process:

There is a sequence of events that we must look at and it begins with getting the respondent to open the email request.  The solution can be as simple as letting the respondent know (verbally or in an advance email) that you will be sending a request for feedback.  It doesn’t hurt to ask for their assistance by saying like “I’d consider it a favor” or “I need your help”. 

The email request and maximizing the chances it is received in the “inbox”-

• Make the “from” something instantly recognizable to instill confidence.
• Use a respected email client to minimize the chances it will be identified as spam and don’t spoof emails.
• Manage the words used in the subject line keeping it as brief and concise as possible.
• Using all caps and phrases like free or win can be flags that result in directing the message to spam.
• Deliver your message in the middle of the week and during the daytime. 
• Consider using SMS text to deliver your requests.
• Always offer an “opt out” of receiving emails from your company.
• If you’ve followed the above steps don’t be shy about sending a follow-up request.

Starting a response and actually completing the response are two different things.  

Starting: Its all about instilling trust and making the respondent believe their feedback has value that can make a difference.

Rewarding for a response is potentially a great way to have a respondent begin the feedback process.  I say this with one caveat and that is when it comes to “reviews”.  Rewarding for reviews can taint the unbiased perspective of the feedback so tread carefully.  However, looking at surveys and testimonials, it is typically very helpful to offer incentives.  Incentives can vary dependent on a business’ budget or the type of business.  A car dealership may offer a free oil change or safety inspection while a smaller business may offer to enter the respondent into a drawing for a gift card, discount or free services.

Another important aspect of getting the respondent to start is to be direct in your request and make it simple to start the process.

Starting and Finishing are two different things.

Getting a respondent to finish a request doesn't have to be complex and the best approach to this is to use the age old principle of “keep it simple”.

Provide instructions that are brief and easy to follow.  The more complex the process the higher the abandonment rate will be.  State clearly what the time commitment is.  Letting the respondent know it is simple and easy, and that it will take just a couple of minutes gives them confidence in knowing it is not a lengthly endeavor.  If you do have a process that is longer, provide a progress meter showing the progressive status of completing the task.  Keeping the respondent informed will go a long way in securing a completion of your request.

The Rapport 24/7 approach:

Our approach offers dramatic differences and some similarities to the aforementioned process of the collection of feedback.  Rapport 24/7 is a complete Video Content Marketing Tool for Creating, Managing/Storing and Sharing video.  Our process emphasizes “in-the-moment” collection of short video (60 seconds or less) of feedback while you are with the client, customer or patient.  Our simple process is controlled by any team member and requires little to no tech skill to use our App.  You’ll be amazed at the high acceptance-completion rate with our simple process that takes less than two minutes.  We specialize in easily taking a business from the text environment into the powerful video communication environment.

The strength of our process is in the control of the messaging content.  Each business has full control at every step so the content collected is truly relevant for you marketing campaign needs.

We’ve got you covered for those instances when you can’t get “in-the-moment” feedback or you want to request feedback from individuals anywhere in the world.  We have a straight forward invitation module which permits web video collection of feedback and it still requires just a two minute commitment.

Steve Santorsola    steve@rapport247.com    www.rapport247.com