6 Reasons Why Client Feedback Is Important To Your Business

Even the most experienced freelancers become nervous when they are about to receive feedback from a client. Will they enjoy what you’ve done? Is it going to live up to their expectations? You’re unlikely to get it right every time, no matter how talented you are or how precisely you follow a client’s requirement.

That is why it’s said, “Feedback is more than a necessity in the workplace; it’s an art form.“, and it’s something that everyone should learn about.

Hence, that is why it’s needed to get client feedback. Dealing with client comments and change requests might be aggravating, but you can take advantage of the situation.

Here are some pointers to help you deal with client comments more effectively and develop excellent client relationships.

Table of Contents

What Is Client Feedback?

Client feedback is verbal or written communication from your clients expressing their feelings about your behaviour, working style, products, and/or service.

Client feedback is a valuable asset for freelancers, agencies and even companies of all sizes and types; software companies can use it to fix bugs and build new features, retailers can use it to audit their shipping practices or inventory stock, freelancers can use it to earn more money next time, and restaurants can use it to inform changes to their menus or restaurants experience.

Questions To Ask When Seeking Client Feedback

Regardless of what you do, whether it’s writing, graphics designing, web programming, or photography, you’ll be able to ask your clients a variety of questions to gain feedback. Start with asking a few questions that are suitable and will help you gain valuable insight.

Here are some fundamental questions to ponder:

What factors influenced your decision to work with us?
How would you rank the service you received on a scale of 1 to 10?
Which of your expectations did we meet or exceed?
What areas do you think should be improved?
Would you tell others about us?

The last question carries a high potential to lead to a referral request. Even if you can’t receive direct referrals to new prospects, it’s worthwhile to ask these types of inquiries to your existing clients. As that is how you will receive more work, a client suggests another person about how good your work is.

Check out the 7 client questions you should ask before starting work.

What Is The Significance Of Client Feedback?

You can’t only rely on how you see yourself to paint a whole picture of your brand. Inquiring about your clients’ opinions is an important aspect of determining who you are and what you want to become as a professional.

5 reasons why customer input is critical are described below. The first is self-evident, but it is also the most crucial.

Improves products and services by boosting sales

Before introducing a product or service, brainstorm why the client would desire it and what features would be most useful to them.

When you collect client feedback, you can utilize it to figure out what’s working and what needs to be altered to capitalize on lost chances.

Value to customers

Nothing indicates that you care about your customers’ opinions like asking them what they think about your personal brand and making changes to the areas where they’re having problems. When you ask for their feedback, customers feel appreciated and as if they have a say in how the brand develops in the future.

The customer/brand connection thrives when customers feel heard. It often leads to developing loyalty. Also, if people truly believe they are valued, they may go online and submit great evaluations for your company. Moreover, you can also use product feedback software for client and customer feedback analytics.

Recurring customers

Any company can sell a product to a single consumer, but this does not guarantee that the customer will return. You have control over the product’s quality, an acceptable pricing range, and the marketing campaign that goes with it, but there are some elements that only the customer can point out.

The same holds true for freelancers.

The advantages you offer, such as extra relevant services or great after work support, may be reflected in the feedback. You should provide additional assistance and incentives in addition to a fantastic product to give value to the customer and persuade them to return. Ensure that your emails are sent and that your consumers have access to a variety of communication options.

Improving client experiences

Marketing nowadays is mainly reliant on the customer’s experience with your brand. As an example, consider Apple. People don’t buy Apple products because they work, they purchase them to demonstrate their devotion to the brand (and sometimes to flex).

This is why companies pay close attention to customer input in the field of consumer services field.

Collecting feedback is the first step toward perfecting your customer service skills. You can even use customer success software to streamline the feedback collection process, analyze trends, and implement improvements, ultimately enhancing your overall customer service performance.

Acquisition of new customers

When we’re researching a product, one of the first things we do is check online reviews. As these reviews come from people who have used the product or service before, they are just as valuable as recommendations from friends and relatives. As a business owner, you can choose to showcase these reviews on your website with the help of a Google review widget.

Check out what your customers are saying about your brand online to keep your finger on the pulse. Taking their feedback seriously and assisting them in resolving any concerns can have a significant impact on your brand’s performance. You can also embed Google reviews on website to boost your business.

Happy customers > positive reviews > referral customers > listening to feedback

If your clients have a complaint about your product or service, always listen to them. It’s preferable to address their concerns before they become irritated and publish a nasty internet review.

Recommended Reads: Top Invoicing Software For Consultants

Tips For Utilizing Client Feedback

Take Charge of Your Feedback

It’s critical not to be alarmed when you receive feedback. Keep in mind that you are in command. You can now take as much time as you need to digest the input and suggest changes if needed accordingly. Moreover, if you believe that input is contradictory explain why.

This is when referencing back to the original brief might help; you can clarify that your decisions were made based on the information provided by the client. If you still disagree, you now have more information to work with and can try to come up with a solution that you’re both happy with.

Take Feedback in different stages

If the length of the client’s feedback overwhelms you, break it down into stages. Work your way through it step by step, concentrating on each change separately. This will provide you with a sense of accomplishment. You can sort out 20 sentences or sections if you can improve one. It’s only a question of time.

Make the customer happy

It’s good to push yourself, but not at the expense of your output or mental health. Learn your limitations and only accept a job that fits your personality and ability. This will help you gain confidence and lessen the amount of criticism you encounter in the long run.

Be upbeat

Constructive client feedback allows you to enhance your skills. Therefore, instead of viewing feedback negatively, keep the following three points in mind to help you frame it in a more positive light:

The criticism is directed at your work, not at you. The client is simply looking for a way to better the work, and you are a part of it.
The client feedback is bringing you closer to the day when you will be paid for your labour. It’s wonderful news since it’s a step forward.
If you spend enough time with the problem, you’ll find a solution, no matter how frustrating the client’s expectations appear at first.

Conclusion

The basis of growth is client feedback. If you want additional clients to value your work, you must demonstrate that you have the support of major clients, fellow freelancers, and industry thought leaders. The more positive comments you receive about yourself and your work, the better your internet reputation will become.

Moreover, don’t be defensive when you get negative client feedback. Try to take that feedback as a learning opportunity and grow from that experience. Additionally, if you are getting repetitive client feedback then its a signal to change your working strategy.

As then only you’ll actually grow because you’ll obtain different objective client feedback on your work and from that, you will learn how to improve your skillset.

Therefore, its said client feedback is an important component of the process.