“How was everything?”

How often do we hear that? It’s a question often asked as we check out of a hotel, finish dinner at a restaurant, or shop at a store. What answer do you typically give when asked?

If you’re like most people (including myself), you answer with a simple “fine”.

Recently I checked out of a hotel and was asked this same question: “how was everything?” This time I said “almost everything was great but the Internet access at the hotel was terrible. It was slow and unreliable.” After I expressed this, the woman behind the counter looked a bit startled and muttered something to the effect of “I’m sorry about that” without any further discussion. No offer to submit further feedback, no offer to apply a credit to my bill, nothing.

I often wonder… if customer service representatives don’t want to hear honest feedback, why ask the question?

As consumers, we need to speak up more often and hold service providers accountable. By responding with “fine” we contribute to the (sometimes) status quo of mediocrity. If no one ever complains about the Internet access at the hotel, what incentive is there to fix it?

By the same token, businesses need to be ready to listen to customer feedback and act on it. If your customer service representatives are trained to ask for feedback, they need to also be equipped with a mechanism for capturing that feedback and placing it in the proper channels to create change.

Are you giving honest feedback every time? Are you listening when you receive that feedback?