The Different Techniques of Customer Insight

The word insight is, according to several dictionaries, gaining perception into another person’s mind. It is the ability to understand what others are thinking. When it comes to business, customer insight becomes one of the most important tools any entrepreneur or businessman can have.

If there is one important thing that you should consider, it is to know what your customer wants in order for you to be able to revise your rules and regulations and provide better service. In this article, we have listed down four of the most commonly used customer insight techniques to help you take hold of your customers so they don’t stay away from your business!

Real-time restrictions 

Surveys are, undeniably, one of the most reliable tools ever created to gain perspective on what people want. It has been used in so many institutions such as schools, workplaces, and of course, businesses. What’s even more amazing is that Google has come up with a free survey platform!

Ironic as it may seem, the beautiful thing about surveys is its restrictions. You are limited to those options unless of course, you have placed other options wherein the customers can write down whatever answer they please. The response is quick and the results are instantaneous. It is basically tallying the results and making the process more seamless and reliable.

Mobile surveys

What is that single object thieves always on the lookout for? What is that one thing they know will always have a decent resale value, no matter what model? If you are thinking about your cellular phone, then you are correct. Remember that relatively everyone these days has a mobile phone.  From the CEO of a global company to the street sweeper, almost everyone is connected wirelessly. With that in mind, utilize this connection. People have their devices practically attached to their hands or bodies, and technology is meant to be useful for everyone.

If you are still a little hesitant about using mobile surveys, remember this: this platform has a high and quick response rate which equates to real-time feedback. You can use it for a continuous, moving progress. You will be able to reach out to those who hardly have any time to sit down and spend some fifteen minutes to answer a survey. With mobile surveys, they will be able to answer it on-the-go whether it be while eating lunch or commuting to work.

Online communities

Have you ever heard of the website Reddit? This site targets the masses, asking different people from all walks of life about their opinions on a large variety of topics.  Online communities like this are helpful in gathering feedback from a wide range of users.

With this customer insight technique, everything is narrowed down to a specific group of consumers who are willing to join market research activities. The advantage of having a limited group of people is it comes in at a minimal figure, making it a worthy expense.

Social media analytics

Look around you. Look at the advertisements and different establishments surrounding you.  Have you noticed anything common about them? Do you see something that was not there some 10, 15 years ago? If you say yes, then you might have deduced what we are talking about. It is the newest way to connect one person to another: social media. Everywhere, companies are utilizing these powerful platforms to boost their sales and visibility—in other words, social media analytics.

Social media analytics is not limited to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but to other internet platforms as well. These include blogs, forums and even news websites. Social media analytics can be tailored for your needs. For example, if you’re running a restaurant business, apart from Facebook you may use Zomato, a website that considers the rankings and reviews of the users. Numerous customers rely on this website to know where they will eat next. Through social media analytics, you will also be able to discover the latest trends about the nature of your business, as well as what makes your customers tick.

Of course, there are other customer research techniques out there, but we do hope these four will give you an idea on what you can do the next time you need valuable customer insight. Good luck!