As a founder in the Canopy Community network, you will know first hand how important feedback can be, especially in the early startup stages… after all, most new ventures fail because founders make products the the public doesn’t want to buy. However, just because you get the importance of feedback, it doesn’t mean that you find the process of receiving it comfortable. In fact, in my experience, I have found that from a very early age, most us have been conditioned to see negative feedback as a kind of criticism to be avoided, perhaps even as much as we want to avoid failure. The irony being that one easy way to try to avoid failure is to embrace critical feedback.
I have spent the last 16 years analysing and working with feedback, both from a customer satisfaction point of view, as well as through the lens of the employee experience. Starting with my own discomfort with criticism (I happen to be naturally wired for that toxic combination of perfectionism and people-pleasing that makes the slightest of critical comments hurt like a katana being shoved straight into my heart), through to teaching hundreds of colleagues about the power of embracing feedback, and analysing and actioning more customer complaints that I can remember, and the good news is that I found that over time, dealing with negative feedback does get easier!… The key to this I hear you ask? Practice.
Practice, practice, practice. And while I wish I could tell you that there is a secret shortcut, I am afraid that this is one of the few things in life I’ve found to be truly unhackable.
That being said, there are ways to make the process a little more palatable, and with time you might even find, like I have, that it becomes enjoyable, kind of like a challenge. To get us started on the right foot, this week I’m going to share with you my top five tips for dealing with customer feedback.
Do not, under any circumstances, take it personally. I know, your startup is your baby, and you have poured countless hours on bringing your product to life, but you are not your product. Separating what people have to say about your work, from what people have to say about you, will enable you to focus on the actionable, rather than letting the feedback cloud your emotions.
Think of feedback as a gift. Sounds crazy right? How could criticism be a gift? It turns out that regardless of what the intent behind the feedback was (and I hate to tell you, sometimes it really is all about bringing you down) every piece of criticism is an opportunity to improve your product and think differently about what you are offering.
Dust off your analytical cap, and get to work collating actionable data. In general I wouldn’t recommend implementing big changes off the back of a single piece of feedback, but if you find that customers are consistently asking for change, then I’d urge you to listen and try to understand what the outcome of the requested change would mean for your product and your company.
Don’t delay the awkward conversations. Every customer complaint is an opportunity to make a loyal fan, and the sooner you respond and get in touch, the easier it will be to influence emotions. I appreciate most people don’t like having to apologise, but the longer you lave it, the more the negative feelings will fester, and before you know it, it will be too late to change anyone’s mind. It might even help to have dedicated time in the week, so you can manage your energy and emotions. My personal favourite is Friday afternoon, I tend to find that everyone is a little less frustrated, and if it’s a really tough conversation, I know I’m about to start the weekend, and no one can take that away from me
Accept that you are not a golden nugget. Of course we’d all like to think that there is a way for us to please everyone, but this is an impossible task. Your product is unique, and therefore will have features that really work for some, and elements that irk others, and that’s ok… after all, there is a reason they say that the quickest way to upset everyone is to try to please everybody
Can you think of any other tips or tricks you’d like to share with other founders? Or do you have any feedback for me? Get in touch 👇🏼 below
Photo by Antony Trivet in Scopio
Love this article Ori. Great perspective. I wonder if you saw the click episode on BBC this week. It was about android earthquake alerts and there was a specific interview with that product manager that was really interesting 🤔. He was so detached from the world of the user. He felt he'd done his thing but had no curiosity for the real experience. Gotta be watched. For me it just highlighted how important curiosity is. No matter how tired you are or what it took to get to here. Curiosity is key 🗝️