You may not realize how important real (honest, open) customer feedback can be…

Here’s our “wow” for this week: This Wow! goes to — who as a trusted advisor gets our customers to tell us how they really feel about us, about our products and about any part of the process, even if it is under their full control, which might be a roadblock to complete success.

Why is this “wow!”? Seeking truth – from the perspective of the customer – is critical to our success. Being able to do this in an open and conversational way allows the customer to voice all issues.

We usually find that there are some things they just don’t understand yet, and didn’t get from the person(s) we trained. Then we follow up by voicing their stated issue back, along with the solution.

It is the perception and perspective of this leader that will lead to getting referrals, or not. — is able to draw out what our customer is thinking (at the executive level). This is so important to us!

Why is this important? We design and sell software. We do not require our customers to buy training or ongoing support services (you may know that other vendors charge many thousands for training and support, and make this mandatory). A mistake? This is still under consideration, since the cost of training is often quickly forgotten (once paid), while the software is used for a long time.

Today, and as long as we can afford to do so, we provide training to our customer’s trainer, included in our already highly-competitive price. We also provide training guides by user type in hard copy, printable pdf, online manual and video walkthrough’s that provide an overview and screen-by-screen information.

Unfortunately, we can’t control what the trainer does next. And we cannot force the customer’s users to read and take action on the readily available support materials we provide. What we can do is offer excellent support, encourage feedback and provide a ready ear. Our plan is to continue this excellence.

FYI, we are working on ways to train executives, as part of the package, so they know what to expect from their people as our software is used. Seems we cannot expect the trainer to do so. People matter most; Technology is simply an enabler.

Only with this real customer feedback can I make the right decision for our company…

Congrats! Wow, —, for your ability, and motivation, to break through and get this gut-level, executive-level feedback!