Question: Are “you spoke, we listened” campaigns effective?
Recently I was reviewing a set of customer survey responses from a web site I manage and grouping the comments into like categories. One of the take-aways was an action list of things to fix. As I was documenting the items that needed resolution I thought about communications related to “you spoke, we listened”. Most often you see these type of announcements as a one-off publication through email, blog, forum post, web link, or mailing. The intention is to show the changes made to the product/service based on the input of the customer.
Other advantages to this type of communication include:
- It makes your brand, company, product line seem more real.
- It strengthens relationships with customers.
- It shows customers that their voice matters.
- It tells why you made changes to your product/service.
- It tells the customer what the changes to the product/service are.
- It allows marketers and program managers to use surveys and customer forums for more than a report card. They can drive meaningful change with the input.
I have not previously used this type of communication alongside product releases. My initial thought was that it would be better served as a permanent page on a customer facing web site. It would serve as a rolling list of enhancements to a product/service over time so that customers could see a continued progression.
What are your thoughts and/or experiences?
- Have you used this type of communication with your customers?
- Does it make you, as a customer, more likely to use a product/service if you see this type of information posted?
- Does it create a better sense of trust between the customer and brand?
- Is the idea of a page listing all of the customer driven enhancements relevant if you have an open forum area where customers can interact with each other and see what is being resolved?