26
Vent: I spent 3 months ignoring my customer feedback spreadsheet until a client quoted my own survey back at me
I run a small web design shop out of Austin, maybe 10 clients at a time. I set up one of those automated feedback forms after every project (you know, the 1-10 rating type). Got like 40 responses sitting in a spreadsheet for months. I figured I knew what people wanted already. Last Tuesday I'm on a call with a restaurant owner I built a site for, and she says "well your own survey said 60% of your clients want faster load times, but you never fixed mine." I checked the sheet later and she was right. Had data right in front of me the whole time. Who else has ignored their own metrics until a customer rubbed their nose in it?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
alexk601mo ago
lol at least you got a free reality check with your own data.
10
wendysanchez1mo ago
Waking up to reality is never free, you usually pay for it in lost time or bruised pride. Having your own numbers stare back at you is actually the cheapest way to get a real wake up call without losing anything big. Better a bruised ego than an empty wallet, right?
9
daniel_martin1mo ago
Free reality check with your own data"? Come on, it's never that simple. Unless you're tracking every single metric perfectly and your numbers are 100% accurate, your own data can be just as misleading as someone else's hype. I've seen people look at their own sales figures and convince themselves they're doing great when really they're just not accounting for returns or hidden costs. A bruised ego from someone else's critique might actually save you more time than trusting your own cherry-picked stats. You're basically paying for that "reality check" with the risk of building your whole strategy on a flawed dataset.
5