By Laura Benjamin, Colorado Communication Coach and Career Coach

I just got back from purchasing 540 two-cent stamps from the Post Office. Yes, you guessed it! I didn't get my Quarterly Content article mailing out before the postal rates went up and had to go back for more to further fund the USPS bottom line! Speaking of lines, I wasn't alone - I'm obviously not the only one who needed a bunch of two-cent stamps.

There is an ice cream store adjacent to the Post Office and they have a sign directly over a trash bin that you pass on your way out the door. The sign says, “Customer Comment Cards”. I stood there looking at the sign for a few minutes (some days I get “it” faster than others) and then realized it was a humorous message of their opinion of their customers' opinions!

Now, I know as much as the next person that the customer comment cards (customer feedback cards, customer service surveys) you find in restaurants, on business reception desks, etc. are not the most effective method of soliciting customer feedback. First, you're lucky if anyone takes the time to fill them out. Second, you're probably going to hear the absolute very best experiences, the very worst experiences, or give a group of frisky teenagers a convenient way to pull your chain.

What struck me about this sign, however, was the subtle message that they don't really care what their customer's think. Perhaps I'm digging here, but it struck me as somewhat humorous, but also somewhat disrespectful. I mean, really…isn't it important to know what your customer's think?

Most businesses know that it is crucial to find out what customer's think. A client who owns an auto repair shop hires someone part time to call his customer's immediately following each time they bring their car in for service. He wants to communicate that he cares about their experience. He also wants to know whether they were pleased with the service, or if they felt it was substandard. If so, he wants to learn how to make improvements so that next time, they will have a better result. I give him credit. He's been doing this for over a year now consistently.

So I ask you - perhaps you don't have a sign directly over the trash bin indicating that's where you place the customer comment cards, but do you subtly discourage customer feedback (or employee feedback for that matter)? Do you have a variety of methods to solicit feedback, or do you assume that everyone will seize the one method that you've deemed most convenient? Here are a few ways you can get customer feedback - choose the ones that make the most sense for your business:

- the universal Customer Comment Card. If you must use these, please make the card, the typeface, and the spaces between the lines big enough so people can really give you feedback that is worth something.

- the option to take a telephone survey when customers call to place an order, have a billing question, or have a complaint. Yes, you also want to hear the complaints! I know people are busy, but bribe ‘em if you must by saying they'll get a coupon in the mail to use towards their next order, or a free report, etc.

- the option to take an online survey. Restaurants are doing a lot of this by the way. When you pay your bill, they give you a receipt with a phone number and code so you can log on, complete the online survey, and get $5.00 off your next meal. By the way, did you know that Mystery Shoppers are now being hired to peruse websites and provide feedback on how easy they were to navigate.

- a real live person whom you hire part time to make customer follow up calls just like my client, the auto repair shop does. This is a great “work from home” type of job. Make sure the person you hire represents you well, with good voice tone, interpersonal skills, etc. You don't want to alienate a customer by choosing the wrong representative!

- snail mail follow up cards/letters. These could be personal handwritten notes that you do in front of the TV set every so often, or mass produced and then you take the time to sign your name to each one individually. There's no greater way to make a good impression than by sending a (no, not necessarily a Hallmark card) personal handwritten note. Rarely anyone in business is doing it these days. We opt for expediency rather than the personal touch.

The information on this web site is copyright © 2001-2008 by Laura Benjamin and Pinehurst Press Ltd. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. Permission to reprint with attribution please and a live link to http://www.LauraBenjamin.com. Please contact me to complete any "Permission to Use Copyrighted Material" documentation. Thank you in advance!

Laura Benjamin is a Colorado Communication, Career and Marketing Coach, professional speaker, strategic planning facilitator and writer. She is also the Author of The C.A.R.L.A. Concept™: How to Raise an Issue, Prove Your Point and Communicate with Confidence & Clarity. To interview Laura or access her free educational and entertaining audio podcasts, blog posts and articles, please visit www.LauraBenjamin.com.