Strategies For Making Feedback More Accessible

When something feels off, I like to dig into why. I came across this feedback UX that intrigued me because it seemingly never ended (following a very brief interaction with a customer service rep). So here's a nerdy breakdown of feedback UX flows — what works vs what doesn't. A former colleague once introduced me to the German term "salamitaktik," which roughly translates to asking for a whole salami one slice at a time. I thought about this recently when I came across Backcountry’s feedback UX. It starts off simple: “Rate your experience.” But then it keeps going. No progress indicator, no clear stopping point—just more questions. What makes this feedback UX frustrating? – Disproportionate to the interaction (too much effort for a small ask) – Encourages extreme responses (people with strong opinions stick around, others drop off) – No sense of completion (users don’t know when they’re done) Compare this to Uber’s rating flow: You finish a ride, rate 1-5 stars, and you’re done. A streamlined model—fast, predictable, actionable (the whole salami). So what makes a good feedback flow? – Respect users’ time – Prioritize the most important questions up front – Keep it short—remove anything unnecessary – Let users opt in to provide extra details – Set clear expectations (how many steps, where they are) – Allow users to leave at any time Backcountry’s current flow asks eight separate questions. But really, they just need two: 1. Was the issue resolved? 2. How well did the customer service rep perform? That’s enough to know if they need to follow up and assess service quality—without overwhelming the user. More feedback isn’t always better—better-structured feedback is. Backcountry’s feedback UX runs on Medallia, but this isn’t a tooling issue—it’s a design issue. Good feedback flows focus on signal, not volume. What are the best and worst feedback UXs you’ve seen?

Communication gaps and weak feedback loops hurt business success. [Client Case Study] A large hospital network noticed declining patient satisfaction scores. Even with state-of-the-art facilities and technology, patients reported feeling unheard, frustrated, and confused about their care plans. The executive team assumed the problem was with staff training or outdated workflows. ‼️ Mistake: Relying on high-level reports and not direct frontline feedback. Nurses, doctors, and administrative staff communicate differently based on their backgrounds, generations, and roles. - Senior physicians prefer face-to-face or email communication - Younger nurses and tech staff rely on instant messaging and digital dashboards - Patients (especially elderly ones) need clear verbal explanations, but many received rushed instructions or digital paperwork ‼️ Mistake: Differences weren't acknowledged and crucial patient information was lost, leading to errors, frustration, and decreased trust. Frontline staff experienced communication challenges daily but lacked a way to share them with leadership in a meaningful way. ❌️ Reporting structures were too slow or ineffective. Feedback was either ignored, filtered through multiple levels of management, or only addressed after major complaints. ❌️ Executives made decisions based on outdated assumptions. They focused on training programs instead of fixing communication systems. ❌️ Systemic decline Employee burnout increased as staff struggled with inefficient systems. Patient satisfaction declined, leading to lower hospital ratings and reimbursement penalties. Staff turnover rose, increasing costs for recruitment and training. 💡 The Solution: A Multi-Channel Communication Strategy & Real-Time Feedback Loop ✅ Physicians, nurses, and patients receive information in ways that align with their preferences (e.g., verbal updates for elderly patients, digital dashboards for younger staff). ✅ Digital tool that allows staff to flag communication issues immediately rather than waiting for annual surveys. ✅ Executives hold regular listening sessions with frontline employees to better understand challenges before making changes. The Result - Patient satisfaction scores improved - Employee engagement increased - Operational efficiency improved Failing to adapt communication strategies and strengthen feedback loops affects reputation, retention, and revenue. (The 3Rs of a successful organization.) Frontline operations directly impact customer and employee experiences. This hospital’s struggle isn’t unique. Every industry faces the risk of misalignment between leadership decisions and frontline realities. Weak feedback loops and outdated communication strategies create costly inefficiencies. If your employees don’t feel heard, your customers won’t feel valued. Business suffers. Are you listening to the voices that matter most in your business? If not, it’s time to start.

Generative AI surveys: where your feedback is interactive, valued, and promptly discarded. But hey, at least it’s efficient! Sorry, I know it’s a bit early to be snarky. Seriously though, closing the loop with your customers on their feedback - solicited or unsolicited - is a game changer. Start by integrating customer signals/data into a real-time analytics platform that not only surfaces key themes, but also flags specific issues requiring follow-up. This is no longer advanced tech. From there, create a workflow that assigns ownership for addressing the feedback, tracks resolution progress, and measures outcomes over time. With most tech having APIs for your CRM, also not a huge lift to set up. By linking feedback directly to improvement efforts, which still requires a human in the loop, and closing the loop by notifying customers when changes are made, you transform a simple data collection tool into a continuous improvement engine. Most companies are not taking these critical few steps though. Does it take time, effort, and money? Yes it does. Can it help you drive down costs and drive up revenue? Also, a hard yes. The beauty of actually closing the loop is that the outcomes can be quantified. How have you seen closing the loop - outer, inner, or both - impact your business? #cx #surveys #ceo

Closing the loop on customer feedback is an art — but a crucial one for driving product growth. Here's how to do it: 1. Open the channels Make it seamless for customers to submit feedback through your product, community, and other touchpoints. 2. Analyze and prioritize Identify the highest-impact issues across your feedback sources. Prioritize those areas accordingly. 3. Acknowledge receipt Even a simple, automated response goes a long way in making customers feel heard when they take the time to share thoughts. 4. Provide updates Keep the conversation going. Follow up with customers who submitted feedback to share how you're addressing their issue. 5. Implement and iterate Take action on the prioritized issues. Continuously improve based on renewed feedback. The bottom line: Customers who feel listened to are more invested in your success. Treat their feedback as a dialogue, not a monologue.