I could have titled this article “Box of Donuts Research,” but you would have no idea what that means. I’ll explain in a moment.
There are many ways to gather feedback. You can ask customers over the phone, through email, in focus groups, and more. You can receive both objective and subjective feedback. Tools like Net Promoter Score and Customer Effort Score can be helpful. I could keep listing the various methods to assess your customer’s feedback. My close friend and speech coach, Patricia Fripp—the leading speaking coach for professional speakers and executives—shared a great story about how one company got creative in finding out what their customers thought of them.
Along with being an excellent speech coach, Patricia is also an engaging keynote speaker. A few years back, she gave a keynote speech at a conference at a luxury resort in Hawaii. After the event, while riding in a private car to the airport, she struck up a chat with her driver. She remarked, “I bet all the guests at these upscale resorts share their true thoughts with you since they know you don’t work for them.”
He responded, “Oh yes! In fact, once a month, the general manager of the property where you stayed comes down to the depot and has coffee with the drivers. He always brings a big box of donuts. While we eat the donuts, we tell him everything we hear about his property and everything we hear about his competitors.”
What a great way to do research and get feedback! For a little time and the cost of a box of donuts, that manager got the most up-to-date and immediate feedback on what guests thought of his hotel. He also picked up invaluable information on his competition.
Think about who your customers talk to outside of your own employees. Do you have access to them? If so, have you ever talked to them about what they hear about you and your organization? It’s one thing to ask your customers for feedback. It’s totally different when it comes from a third party who has no reason not to tell you the truth. Sweeten it with some donuts or something else they might enjoy and you’ll hear all kinds of interesting, relevant and useful information.
Here is Patricia Fripp’s challenge: Who talks to your customers whom you could also talk to? Find that person—or those people—and you’ll get feedback that’s worth a lot more than the cost of a few donuts!