The one trick I learned about getting honest feedback from customers

I got tired of people nodding along when I asked if a repair estimate was clear. So I started asking them to explain it back to me in their own words before they leave the shop. Has anyone else noticed how many people just say what they think you want to hear?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix15516d ago

Nah, gotta push back on this one. Asking someone to repeat back technical stuff can make them feel stupid and then they just agree faster to get out of there. Had a guy last week explain his transmission fix wrong and I had to spend 15 minutes walking him through it again. People nod along because they trust you, not because they're scared. If you make them repeat everything, you're basically saying you don't trust them to understand regular stuff. Sometimes silence just means they're thinking it through, not that they're clueless.

rowan_butler9317d ago

You know what, that "explain it back" trick is honestly brilliant. I had a customer last March who kept nodding and smiling while I walked them through their car's transmission issue. When I finally asked them to repeat what I said, they just stared at me blankly. It was like they had been on autopilot the whole time. People are SO scared of looking dumb that they'll agree to ANYTHING just to end the conversation. Your method forces them to actually engage with what you're saying, and it saves SO much headache later when they come back claiming you never explained something.