Dominos was named America’s favorite pizza brand, according to statistics from the 2015 Brand Keys customer engagement index . When asked what they attributed this recognition to they responded with “by listening to our customers”. Customer feedback has driven Dominos to revamp their almost 50-year-old recipe, expand their menu and implement technological innovations like their mobile loyalty app and the beloved online pizza tracker – don’t lie, we’ve all found joy in watching the cartoon pizza chef prepare a faux order for us while we waited for the real deal.

Anyways, Dominos is a perfect example of a company that successfully utilised customer feedback to create brand loyalty. The Trezoro team excels in mobile loyalty apps so the Dominos case got us thinking. The following are tips that can help businesses improve their customer feedback systems and follow in the footsteps of the much-loved pizza giant.

1. Acknowledge Feedback: First of all, if a customer takes the time to provide your business with feedback, good or bad, it’s important you get back to them. Take this recent statistic from a UK customer engagement survey for example: 43% of consumers surveyed said that they don’t complain/leave feedback because they don’t think the business cares. However, 81% of these consumers said they would be willing to give feedback if they knew they would get a faster response. By acknowledging customer feedback in a timely manner businesses can generate more of it, as customers will see the value in taking the time to submit.
2. Put Feedback to Use: We get it; sometimes the feedback we receive from customers isn’t what we’d like to hear. However, its important to remember that happy customers are profitable customers and profitable customers keep businesses afloat. Whiny patrons seem like a pain at the time, but they’re actually doing your business a favor. They’re probably saying what a lot of others are thinking, so it’s important to treat feedback seriously and take action when appropriate.
3. Identify Best Customers: Customer feedback allows businesses to classify their best customers and to turn them into company advocates. Word of mouth is a hidden promotional gem, as it is both credible and free of cost to a business. Customer advocates with no financial stake in a business serve as a more trusted source of promotion than efforts coming directly from the company. Businesses should therefore identify these ‘best customers’ and continue to keep them happy.
4. Social Media Listening: Asking for customer feedback directly can often result in sugarcoated responses. Monitoring what people say about your business on social media, however, gives companies the opportunity to see what customers are – for lack of a better phrase – saying behind their back. Today’s digital society allows customer to post whatever they want about a business on social media and reach masses of people instantly. This serves as both a blessing and a curse for businesses so it’s crucial that they oversee it carefully.

Picture courtesy of Dominos website