Hi,
First, yes, I have missed a couple of days. I apologise. Tuesday was my birthday – 16 December.
Yea, it’s not much of an excuse, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 😉
And, no, I”m not telling how old I am. I’m still single – telling my age might hurt my chances for getting a date some day!
Anyway – what do you do with customer feedback?
Answer: READ THE COMMENTS FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS!
And if that looks like a shout – it is. If you were standing next to me your ears would be ringing.
(Side comment: look at all the short paragraphs. Doesn’t it just build urgency and reading speed? Might be a good copy technique – what do you think?)
The whole reason I’m shouting is Gary C. just sent me an e-mail saying thank you for the time I took to read and reply to his comments. He is impressed because he believes most internet marketers don’t bother reading or replying.
Okay, let’s look at that and develop a system for handling the customer feedback we will get in the future.
Right now, I get about 30 to 35 e-mails each day from people commenting on this blog, the tele-workshop series, or asking a question. Let’s look at how I handle each type of comment, and what my plans are for the future.
Blog comments – I say thank you. Always say thank you because it’s good manners. Then I ask the writer to post the comment on the blog. Some do, some don’t – everyone feels a little nervous about exposing themselves by posting to a blog. Believe me, I know the feeling.
Still, go ahead and post your comments here. They are all moderated so you’ll never get any nasty stuff around here.
Tele-Workshop comments – these are the most important because they deal with a product. Always listen when people talk to you about your products.
Same thing – start with saying thank you for the comments. Then think about how the comment can be put to use and write a reply. Let the reader know where their ideas fits in – either as part of the product, or even as an idea for a new product. Who knows, they might offer to work with you to develop the new product and you could find a great project partner.
Questions from Customers – yep, start with thank you. And remember that ignoring a question is rude. There’s nothing that says you have to give a detailed answer for every question – in fact, it can be in your best interest to give only a partial answer.
The most important part is showing the customer that you read their question and that they can get an answer. Send them to a resource, give them an answer, or tell them when the answer is coming. For example, some of the questions I get about the tele-workshop series are answered by saying that the answer will come during call number whatever with such-and-such an expert.
The Future Response Model – You can see how handling 30 – 35 e-mails a day takes a bit of time, but is manageable. It isn’t going to be long before I won’t be able to handle it by myself.
That’s where a Virtual Assistant (VA) comes in handy. Carol Cunliffe is my VA, and a pretty smart lady. What you do is ask your VA to screen e-mails for you. It’s a learning process for both of you, so be prepared for it.
Start by answering the questions for your VA, and letting him/her look at answers you have written to other questions. As they get to know some of the answers, you let them start answering e-mails. All you have to do is read their reply before it goes out. Make any changes you want, and your VA reads them to continue learning.
You can see how your VA will learn more and more answers. That takes the burden off your shoulders, and reduces the number of e-mails you have to handle personally. Eventually, your VA will be picking out e-mails that need your attention.
Let’s take this one step further. Eventually, your VA might get to the point where she/he is spending too much time on e-mail. So keep your eyes open.
Be on the lookout for a second assistant, and be ready to repeat the learning process for them.
Okay. That’s it for today.
Conrad