Love your critics

"Continual improvement can only happen when you are open to negative feedback."

By Catherine Wijnberg

Have you ever stopped to consider how the client who complains is an asset to you? It can feel hurtful when people complain and, often, we are tempted to ignore the value that this negative feedback brings us, but without it how can we know where things are going wrong?

Customer service is the reason many clients stay with (or leave) a brand so a healthy customer feedback loop is critical to an organisation wanting to get to and stay at the top of their game.

To do this there are four things we need to consistently get right, these can be remembered using my easy acronym HEAR:

HEAR what the customer is saying. Really engage and listen to their feedback. Even when it feels hurtful or unfair it’s important to engage sincerely with the feedback as there is always truth within.
Make it EASY for people to give you feedback. Encourage an open communication loop using feedback surveys, open lines and direct email addresses. Remember that it takes courage to complain and for every person that speaks up there are likely ten who feel the same way yet remain silent.
ACKNOWLEDGE responsibility. Own what you have done wrong or could do better. Dig into the complaint to understand where things went wrong and then ensure that you close the loop to remedy the mistake.
RESPECT the person complaining and thank them for their input. Give them a gift of thanks for speaking up. A well-handled critic can become your greatest fan if you take the time to do this.

The next time you receive negative feedback try to remember to hear what they have to say, breathe before responding and dig deep into yourself to recognise where their words are both true, and of value to you.

Then make the necessary changes to improve because continual improvement can only happen if you are open to negative feedback – and the right attitude and approach can turn this into your greatest win.

Have a wonderful, inspiring top-notch week!