Why Consider a Comment Box for Customer Feedback

There are many ways through which businesses can seek customer opinions. From online surveys to social media comments, people have come to appreciate the many ways they can communicate with the companies they patronize. Whether the service or product was good or bad, they can make themselves feel heard.

There is however still a place for the old fashioned approach of comment boxes. We have all seen them in stores, offices, banks, and so on. They invite visitors to the premises to fill a comment card and drop it into the box. Much like how you use a ballot box during elections. They are a great way of collecting anonymous opinions, which offer several benefits over online options.

Encourages Honesty

The anonymity factor when using a comment box tends to make people free to express their opinion. People are instinctively more defensive when they think something will be traced back to them. Comment boxes allow people to write down comments without having to provide their names or addresses if they do not want to. This is less intimidating and encourages more honest discourse.

Emboldens Employees

Employees can be even more reticent as they feel that a negative opinion may endanger their jobs. Being allowed to give feedback through the anonymity of a comment box makes them feel braver and willing to risk sharing their thoughts. For top management, the opinions of front line staff should be seriously considered as they are the ones interacting with the customers most. They can also provide feedback on their supervisors and how they address their concerns. It is a good way to find out what is happening in the trenches.

Accessible to Everyone

Customer feedback that is collected online tends to be often be skewed. This is because certain demographics are frequently excluded. Seniors are usually a part of this as they do not use online resources to the same extent as younger generations. This is despite them making up a considerable portion of the client base thanks to their purchasing power. Offering them comment boxes within stores they frequent would provide them just as easy an opportunity to give their feedback.

Can Invite Communication

Although comment boxes encourage anonymity, those that use them can still provide contact details, if they want. This is often done where a customer would like to have a particular issue addressed and given feedback themselves. Those that do provide contact information will have opened up a channel of communication that businesses can use to fix whatever problem and redeem their reputation in the eyes of the client.