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Peter Sibanda Business Correspondent
The other day I got into a large retail outlet in Harare and was amazed to see a book written ‘Write Your Suggestions’ in bold. I got interest and decided to just flip a page or two and here was the first suggestion; ‘isai bhiro’ (to mean place a pen). I am sure whoever put the book expected people to bring their pens.

Well, this speaks volumes about the attention we normally give to our customers and why as a result of not monitoring their buying behaviours, we cannot see how we lose them.  If organisations are to be effective in achieving their goals, stakeholder satisfaction separate them from poor performers. Current business realities suggest that the capacity to bind customers whilst simultaneously attracting new ones determines survival and prosperity.

The value placed on internal (employees) and external customers as key stakeholders of an organisation goes a long way in enhancing superior performance. One way of demonstrating this value is to create mechanisms that are effective in getting information about these clients and their perceptions of the organisation.

How much do employees and customer feedback matter to us in business? Employee and customer feedback are very vital. Actually, Brian Tracy argues that feedback is the breakfast of champions.

Because of that, it is crucial that an organisation continuously reviews its tools for gathering feedback from these stakeholders to ensure that their decisions and strategies are spot on. There are many loopholes that can easily weaken the capacity of an organisation to utilise feedback from customers and employees. I attempt, in a cursory manner to explain the most fundamental issues that may need attention to improve the gathering of feedback from customers and employees.

Suggestion Boxes

These are commonly used to tap into the opinions, complaints and suggestions of internal and external customers.
hen I come across suggestion boxes in organisations I am quickly reminded of a heated argument between two guys drinking opaque beer in my rural home that ended when a third party suggested they speak in English. Why should an unhappy customer be directed to the box to formalise and bureaucratise their complaint?

Not that the customer is always the king, but the issue of currency matters in handling a complaint, reasonable or unreasonable. One reason why I believe one may not prescribe a procedure for reporting complaints is because people become afraid to even report them.

They may, if not carefully done, create an in-built bureaucracy that ends up frustrating the very essence of complaining. To some organisations a complaint (from either the employee or customer) is a cost, for example in FMCG, hospitality and other personal service business industries so that they are robust in dealing with them. For others however, complaints don’t mean anything at all, so that suggestion boxes are filled without any consideration.

I suggest that if suggestion boxes are to add value, they should be used in the strictest confidence. A customer may need some assurance that their issue will be handled within the shortest space of time, and expect real feedback that it has been handled.

This is so that clients perceive that the organisation is trying to assess its processes and systems in order to improve them. It gives an impression that the organisation is concerned and is looking for feedback for continuous improvement whilst at the same time an organisation is able to assess individual performance and test its quality of service.

The problem is when a company introduces an instrument such as this and they do not go to employees or customers to tell them about it. So these tools should be understood not as management tools, but also employees’ tools, otherwise they will not buy into them.

Management need to legitimise them, ensuring acceptance etc. by involvement and participation of employees, empowerment and so on so that employees feel in control.

Never Frustrate Rumours

Organisational culture, or the perceptions of the organisation in the eyes of its key stakeholders, matters much in relevant decision making. Actually at times facilitating rumours in reasonable proportions betters judgements in decision-making especially if perceptions matter.

However, many organisations have built-in mechanisms which expose them that there are no shared values hence they put in place rules and regulations for everything.

It is very important to listen to the conversations internal and external customers make about your organisation (both publicly and in private), good and bad, because that provides an opportunity for continuous improvement.

If you frustrate rumours, customers will simply leave quietly, given a chance. Alternatively, we may then be misled by employee impressions.

They may continue coming to work every day and do their normal routines so that we get an impression that they are satisfied, yet it may be because there are opportunities for theft and they are busy building their own ‘crimogenic’ institutions. Studies show that industrial conflicts, strikes, sabotage and other indicators of social strain can be triggered by inadequate feedback taping mechanisms, so that employees may deliberately engage in actions that increase costs to an organisation to fix them for not listening.

Swanepoel et al (2007) pursue an argument that when employees strike, it is for respect. It is not uncommon that organisations wait for deafening warnings before starting to deal with issues, especially internal and external customers.

Take Advantage of Current Technologies

Organisation may also need to take advantage of current technologies to reach out to their customers and get honest opinions about their products, services etc.

Proactive companies do that even though the returns may not be immediately magical. Public media platforms such as ZTV, and various radio channels, where people may be afforded an opportunity to call and speak their minds publicly not only aid in developing performance improvement plans for organisations, but also enhance corporate reputation especially during distressed and turbulent business environments.

You may be surprised that it does not cost you much. But if your organisation does not have the funds for such platforms, suppose they may not be very much affordable, then why not organise a complaints day for example, for external customers. Many people are afraid of transparency, yet this is one of the key levers to business prosperity. The same approach can be used for internal clients: employees.

Try a ‘management by subordinates’ approach and realise the vast meaningful contributions that can come from employees.

These stakeholders have vast alternative explanations that can improve the quality of decisions in organisations.

More importantly, it is a sound way of dealing with their perceptions and impressions, which builds their confidence and trust in your organisation.

Therefore it is vital for leaders to communicate with these stakeholders of the organisation and tap into their opinions.

They can make evidence-based decisions, especially when these clients participate in rating your performance.

Peter is an Academic and Trainer in Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations and Organisational Effectiveness. He writes in his personal capacity. You can contact him on 077290605, 0717129786 or email [email protected]