The comment card has become a relic in the reputation management game. Here are the 12 problems with comment cards, showing why it should be consigned to the elephant graveyard of bad ideas.
If you don’t have time to read through all this – just watch the short video below that highlights what we think are the top 6 reasons to ditch the comment card.
WAY, WAY TOO LATE
Comment cards never reach management on time. This means an unhappy customer posts to social media before you know it has even happened. There is no chance to fix the problem, and no way to salvage the customer. Furthermore, no chance to save your reputation.
Opiniator operates in real-time, enabling immediate recovery so the customer no longer needs to vent.
Low feedback scores mean unhappy customers and impending defection. Comment cards provide too little information, and too late for corrective action. The business is none the wiser, so continues to lose revenue without knowing why.
Opiniator delivers alerts to the right staff in seconds whenever there is an issue, enabling immediate action.
NO SWIFT ACTION POSSIBLE
REALLY INCONVENIENT
Comment cards are often hard to find, with neither a pen or pencil on hand nor a box in which to place them in. And the questions are badly constructed. So why would a customer believe that anything will change quickly if their comment is written on a dog eared relic of the past?
Opiniator is convenient for the customer and immediate for the business. This means improvement will occur.
One of the 12 problems with comment cards is that they cannot track their issues to completion. This means management can never know if the staff has done anything to fix the problem or connect with the customer. Likewise, this lack of closed loop feedback guarantees the business will retain the very issues the comment cards recorded in the first place.
Opiniator delivers on the spot, closed-loop customer feedback via cell phone.
NO FOLLOW UP POSSIBLE
WAY TOO EXPENSIVE
Having comment cards are more expensive than you think. As a matter of fact, all these costs add up. Design, print, distribution, postage, re-print, collection, input, analysis, correcting, communicating and delay.
Opiniator does all this in real time without error and at a much lower unit cost. And yes, you can change the questions at any time.
Comment cards need costly processing and lengthy analysis. This is error-ridden and will cause a delay between feedback and the opportunity to act. Additionally, there is no dashboard, nor systematic analysis so the business is in the dark.
Opiniator offers immediate analysis – error free, so the business does not have to.
NO ANALYSIS OR INSIGHT
NO INTEGRATION OPTIONS
Comment cards are often used as one of just many feedback methods. Consequently, the business has no direct way to combine these methods into a single integrated solution without expensive manual labor.
Opiniator collects feedback in many ways (SMS, Phone, Web, QR, Email) and has one database that receives stores from all sources, 24/7.
Even if a customer wanted to share positive feedback about your business they can’t. Feedback on comment cards is not connected to social media, and that’s a wasted opportunity.
Opiniator invites happy customers (only) to post using social media back to their accounts, thus generating endorsements and interest in the business.
NO LINKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA
BADLY CONSTRUCTED SURVEY
Even if the customer has taken the trouble to fill out your survey, most questions are poorly worded, ambiguous or too open-ended. Under these circumstances, the data provided doesn’t help the business take action.
Opiniator provides both the technology and the expertise to ensure the questions are understandable and the answers are actionable.
Comment cards are printed so the questions are fixed. Want to change questions? Good luck – you will need to reprint. Similarly, they do not allow one answer to determine the next question. All in all, they are a blunt instrument, lacking any flexibility.
Opiniator is paperless, updated in real-time and delivers different questions depending on the previous answer. More flexibility – greater insight.
LACK ANY FLEXIBILITY
EASY STAFF INTERCEPTION
A comment card left on the table or in the comment box will be read by the staff before it gets to management, with only the best being retained. Don’t think it doesn’t happen in your business.
With Opiniator, feedback goes straight to management, in seconds, without any filter.
This is the kryptonite of customer feedback. Anonymity is precious so requesting name, address, dog’s maiden name are pointless to a business and a turn off for customers. In any event, forcing their answer results in low response rates.
Opiniator obtains feedback first and improves the business second. Only if the customer agrees – we enable direct contact.
TOO MUCH PERSONAL INFO
12 problems with comment cards – and this is just the start!
All businesses lose customers through defection. Customer feedback will help, but only if the feedback is convenient for the customer and actionable for the business. Comment cards are neither – falling short in at least a dozen ways, but mobile phone surveys like Opiniator provide a convenient way for customers to give feedback and a powerful way for businesses to stop customer defection. We have the full feature list, and a downloadable product sheet.
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