Harness the Power of Customer Feedback

Summer is upon us, which means that most performing arts organizations are just a few short months away from opening their new seasons.  Certainly, everyone is monitoring subscription sales.  Are you on target?  Concerned that you might fall short?  Or maybe sense that you could be doing even better?   “Knowledge is power,” and if you want more information to help guide your decisions, there’s a group of people who can tell you everything you need to know: your customers.

A great example of this, if you have not seen it yet, is WolfBrown’s Audience Outlook Monitor (www.audienceoutlookmonitor.com), a longitudinal study on the readiness of patrons to return to performances.  At DCM, we have tracked WolfBrown’s monthly updates as indicators of the subscription sales climate and used them as a guide for our scripting and sales approaches.  Our anecdotal findings from direct customer interactions corroborate the study’s conclusions. In addition, we have gathered valuable patron feedback specific to our clients that they have put to good use adapting to customer needs.

Whether you participate in organized studies like the Audience Outlook Monitor, conduct your own audience research, or plan to ask a few targeted questions of your customers, patron feedback can and will give you vital clues to their intentions and potential buying patterns. 

Capturing customer feedback is easier than you think.  Consider asking a few simple starter questions.  While the answers provide valuable information, perhaps more importantly, they help relax your customer and spark a conversation. (We want to hear from YOU, not give you a sales pitch).  Simple questions like the ones below help get the conversation going:

·       Do we have your contact information correct?

·       Are you receiving our direct mail and email?

·       Have you been able to find the information you need on our website?

After these icebreaker questions, you can proceed and probe further depending on your specific situation and goals.

When you want answers, go to the source.  Gathering customer feedback will help you understand your patrons better, adapt to the uncertainty of the moment, increase customer satisfaction, and boost loyalty.