Getting your customers to tell it like it is can give you valuable insights into their attitudes and buying behavior.

But unless you ask, you never really know what a customer thinks about your products or services. Very few are likely to offer you that information.

That’s why is crucial to implement a customer feedback program.

First, here are some key reasons to get your customers to talk:

• Their feedback allows you to promptly fix any issues they may have had.
• They will appreciate your interest in their experience, which in turn will encourage repeat business.
• It gives you an opportunity to offer other products and services they may not be aware of.
• A feedback tool increases top of mind awareness (TOMA).
• Engaging with your customers from start to finish creates a tighter purchasing relationship.
• With accurate feedback, you’ll be able to make well-informed decisions for the future.
• The information you gather will help you tailor your marketing efforts and create personalized, relevant promotions.

When it comes to the questions you ask, first decide how many you’re going to use. Between 10 and 20 questions is a good number, depending on the length and type of question. You don’t want to use too many—you’ll risk exasperating your client. But if you use too few, your results won’t be very meaningful.

It’s best to ask specific questions like, “How satisfied were you with the communication process throughout the project?” A question like this points to a specific area that you can act to improve. As a rule of thumb, ask yourself what you would do following a positive or negative response to each question. If you can’t come up with anything, then it’s probably not a good question.

Breaking your questions up into categories (with subheadings) is also a good idea, as it will focus your client and, again, help make your results more meaningful.

And always leave space for extra comments, context for answers given, etc. Whether or not it gets used, respondents will appreciate the opportunity to speak outside of your boundaries.

It’s important to note that once you have a customer feedback program in place, you’ll want to be sure you get the timing right. Always ask customers about their experience as soon as possible, while details are still fresh in their minds. And be prepared to respond in a timely manner—you don’t want to get negative feedback, sit on it for three months, and then respond. You’ll have likely lost that customer to a competitor.

The great thing is, you can easily create a survey/feedback form on your website. You simply need to create a page, add a form and modify the e-mail confirmation message. See the step-by-step instructions by watching a video in the Online Learning section of your Springboard—just search for “Customer Survey Video.”