Problems with customer feedback management software

Understanding your customer is a central part of running a successful business, which means collecting their feedback should be too. However, there are a few pitfalls to watch out for when implementing a customer feedback strategy, especially when it comes to using feedback management software. That’s why we’ve put together a list of all the things to avoid when evaluating feedback so that you can get the most out of the responses.

If you want your business to thrive, you need to know exactly what works and what doesn’t so that you can optimise your customer's experience. By using good customer feedback software, you can collect, track and analyse customer feedback effectively, but here are all the common problems you’ll need to avoid along the way.  

Inefficiency and neglect

Unfortunately, feedback management is one of those business processes that is easily forgotten about in the busy work environment. When companies are overrun with urgent tasks and have inefficient processes, it’s common for other tasks to be lost in the chaos, even though they’re often just as critical to business success. 

If a business is so busy that its customer feedback strategy is forgotten, a significant amount of useful information is wasted and ignored. This puts a communication gap between customers and the brand, which often leads to a drop in loyalty. If no one is monitoring the feedback management software, the company is likely to miss important information and waste an opportunity to improve, which never bodes well for customer retention. 

Fortunately, with technology evolving, there are many customer feedback platforms designed to make the process as simple and automated as possible. That means, that even when companies are busy, they’re able to keep their feedback strategy going and process the data with ease. If you’re looking for customer feedback management (CFM) software, be sure to look for an automated version so that you don’t have to rely solely on employee availability.    

Managing technology overload

Technology does give companies a huge advantage, but it can be difficult to keep track of all the different applications, software and devices they’ve accumulated. What that can mean is that companies are hesitant to invest time and resources into yet another platform, knowing it might be forgotten amongst the clutter. 

That’s why it’s crucial to find a CFM platform that is compatible with the existing tools your company is using, especially your CRM. By integrating your existing tools, information can be streamlined and accessible all in one place, rather than scattered across multiple platforms. The convenience of this dramatically improves buy-in from employees which means it’s less likely to sit idle or be forgotten. 

So, if your business is looking for a CFM software solution, check first that it has built-in integrations with your CRM, and other frequently used business tools. 

New software clashes with existing CRMs 

Another reason to have compatible software is to avoid repeated information across multiple sources. Using incompatible software can cause a variety of complications, including duplicate and outdated data. A key concern is when information on one platform is updated, but the other remains unchanged. In these cases, the outdated information is often left uncorrected for a long time and leads to unnecessary information going out to customers. It can be incredibly frustrating for customers to receive these double-ups as it tends to feel like spam, which often leads them to switch to other brands entirely. 

Fortunately, most CFM platforms have a list of integrations on their website to make this step easy, so all you need to do is find the one that works best with your existing CRM. Remember, customer feedback tools should be a helpful addition to your business, not a mountain of extra work. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel so keep it as seamless as possible to have the best chance of keeping on top of it.   

Fixating on scores rather than customers

Businesses can benefit greatly from tracking quantitative data, but it can be problematic when it takes priority over customer satisfaction. For high-level management, patterns in data are an easy way to measure progress or performance, but it’s common for them to fixate on these numbers, without really considering the customers behind them. 

If your business is tracking statistics, it’s important to also analyse what they mean in reality. We recommend using customer satisfaction surveys (CSAT) and customer effort scores (CES) to measure your customer’s experience so that you can dig into the meaning behind the scores, as well as track the quantifiable trends. 

Using software that integrates with your CRM can also make workflows far easier, meaning the information is more likely to be acted on. If your survey responses are recorded, analysed and then translated into actionable steps, your customers will feel valued, and less like a statistic. That’s why it’s so important to choose software that is user-friendly and integrated, as well as implement a proactive feedback strategy.  

Failure to act on customer suggestions 

When companies use feedback purely as a statistical tool, it’s common for complaints to go unanswered and problems unresolved. When their input is ignored, customers feel abandoned and unheard, which often leads them to take their business elsewhere. 

If your customer feedback is getting lost in a sea of unanswered concerns, your business needs to step up its strategy. Management software has traditionally focused on tracking generic statistics like Net Promoter Scores (NPS) rather than creating actionable insights, but fortunately, that’s changing. As CSAT and CES metrics have increased in popularity, the range of scoring options has increased. Most CFM software is capable of extracting useful insights from responses so that you can turn them into tangible improvements, using the scoring metric that best suits your business. 

Managing customer feedback is extremely important, especially when customers expect an increasingly high standard of service from brands. But you need to be careful when choosing your CFM software to ensure your data is translated to real positive change. The main thing to look out for when choosing CFM management software is that it is integrated and seamless. This way you can track data in one place, share insights across the company and identify practical steps for growth.

Later this year, Review Tui is launching a new customer feedback management platform to streamline the feedback management process. It has seamless integration with Hubspot, real-time alerts, insightful reporting and an easy-to-use survey builder making it easy to get the best value out of your customer feedback. 

To get access when it launches, and more helpful information on customer feedback management, join the waiting list today. You’ll be the first to know any updates and get valuable advice for optimising your feedback strategy.  If you want to begin developing your customer feedback strategy while you wait then why not begin by downloading our free guide to help you get started.