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O P I N I O N
Client feedback
W e’ve all become accustomed to, and maybe a little weary of, giving and receiving feedback these days. You can’t get a ride from Uber or go out to dinner without being asked to do it. You can’t even buy a $6 battery from Amazon without being asked to rate, assign stars, or write lengthy comments about the experience! It’s not always flattering, but hearing from those you work for and with, and acting on it, is key to improving your products and services.
Melissa Swann CONTINUING ED
But we can’t let a fad, a fad that perhaps has run amuck, excuse us from not just offering feedback, but from receiving it from clients. Learning about our performance from the customer’s point of view is of the utmost importance for every AEC firm and, for that matter, any business that exists to satisfy the needs of others. A professional services firm is a personal services firm. We start as human beings whose sincere purpose is to serve other human beings. It’s our obligation to accept their candid feedback on how we did. This means making it easy for clients to provide constructive criticism. And once we hear it, we must act decisively on what was learned. As simple and obvious as this sounds, it is remarkable how often we fall short, both in seeking out feedback and our response to it. Inevitably, we pay the price of our shortcomings with less repeat business and a damaged
reputation. When this happens, sadly, we miss valuable opportunities to improve and grow. “Learning about our performance from the customer’s point of view is of the utmost importance for every AEC firm and, for that matter, any business that exists to satisfy the needs of others.” The great paradox in the science of customer service is that those who have had a problem with a product or service – and when the firm responds quickly and effectively to address the problem – oftentimes are more satisfied than if they’d never had a problem in the first place!
See MELISSA SWANN, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER October 29, 2018, ISSUE 1270
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