Friday, October 30, 2009

Customer Feedback 101

When I moved to Austin with my new job, I began reading customer feedback weekly. I now am a big advocate for customer feedback. Here are some of the items/places I've given feedback to recently:

(1) I asked the cafeteria at work to have Fat Free Ranch dressing. (I've given them a lot of feedback, but I do this anonymously because I don't ever want to be banned from eating there! I take a lot of forks from them even when I bring my lunch, so we're even.) They took it away when they started making their own Ranch to make more $$. The outcome: they now stock Fat Free Ranch packets along with their homemade regular Ranch dressing.


(2) I told Dannon that I loved their Mango yogurt & they should have it for more than "A limited time." The outcome: I got a few coupons in the mail. (This backfired - about 6 months later, I got an email survey. Because I love Dannon Lite yogurt, I didn't mind answering it.)


(3) I had a gross strawberry in my Yoplait yogurt. The outcome: They gave me a $10 check and said in their letter that they hoped I'd still be a General Mills customer. I don't buy Yoplait anymore.


(4) I bought some produce at HEB (TX grocery store) and it was moldy on the inside when it was eaten that day. Outcome: An email of apology. If I can avoid it, I don't go there - and if I do, I only buy non-perishable items.


(5) The nearby Subway ran out of Scrabble game pieces a week before the contest was supposed to end. I suggested they estimate better next time. Outcome: an email in broken-English apologizing, and a coupon for a free 6 inch sub in the mail a few weeks later.


(6) I had a weird, hard black thing in my Special K cereal bar. I'm thinking it was overcooked molasses or something. Outcome: Apologetic email & coupons in the mail


(7) I told my local Sam's Club that they should have Dannon yogurt & not just Yoplait (see 3 & 4 above). I mentioned that I go to other grocery stores to buy yogurt. Outcome: TBD

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