The idea of the common good is a very old one, and has been an important consideration in political philosophy for thousands of years. Academia aside, it’s been the cornerstone of successful communities for tens of thousands of years. It is that which provides day-to-day cohesion by giving people the foundational support for improving their lives and the lives of those around them.
Simply put, it is mutual service.
For purposes of clarification, here we refer to the common good as that which we all need to flourish: food, shelter, safety, and freedom. In modern societies this is provided and protected by the state through social programs and public services.
But this concept is continually advanced and redefined by civil society. Community groups like charities or government agencies provide many vital services. More to the point, by providing these services they act as the mortar upon which the living ideas of “the common good” are assessed.
This is not about individual interests; it concerns how well those government agencies serve the conditions necessary for human flourishing (as stated above). Because no one has absolute knowledge of the “right” path for society, protecting open discourse to come to a collective understanding of what steps we must take towards protecting the common good requires open dialogue to be effective.
Customer Feedback Is Vital For Approximating The Common Good
In this way, democracy is the best system we have for approximating the common good. It allows for different voices and interests to be heard, deliberated upon and (hopefully) accommodated in a way that respects everyone’s dignity. This is why it is so important that all citizens participate in their democracy by voting, engaging with their representatives and speaking up on issues they care about – even when they don’t agree with other people. The more of us who do this, the better our chances of making decisions that reflect what is truly good for the commons.
Protecting The Common Good Through Customer Feedback
This is where customer feedback comes in. Customer feedback provides you with the information you need to make your product or service flourish for the common good. It allows you to see how well you are serving everyone, not just individuals. And it does this by providing data that can be used to improve products, services and policies so that they better meet the needs of all people. In this way, customer feedback contributes to the active evolution of human flourishing for all in society.
Best Way To Get Feedback
So how do you get customer feedback? There are a number of ways, but one of the most common is public commenting. This can be done on your website or blog, through surveys or by emailing customers directly. It’s important to make sure that you have an easy way for people to provide their feedback – whether it’s through a form on your website or by including a link in your email signature.
SmartComment can help you simplify this process. Our solution vastly improves public commenting for environmentally impactful projects, rule changes, permit applications, and for agencies and organizations that need comprehensive comment support. Our tool ensures transparency and accessibility for citizens and provides agencies with a method for effectively and efficiently responding.
Which leads us to the next point – once you have the feedback, what do you do with it?
Responsiveness, Action, and Transparency
As an institution of any size, one of the most important first reactions to public commenting is to make sure you are responsive to it. Customer feedback should not be ignored or dismissed. If people take the time to provide their feedback, then they deserve a response – even if it’s just to say thank you.
You also need to make sure that you act on the feedback and use it to improve your products and services. This may require changes in how you do things, but it’s essential for ensuring that customer feedback contributes to the common good.
Finally, you need to communicate what you have done with customers so they can see that their feedback has been heard and acted on. This helps build trust between a company and its customers and strengthens the bond between them. Be transparent, especially when it comes to acknowledging the steps you’ve taken to incorporate public discourse into your internal decision making.
Don’t Forget to Track and Analyze
There are several things that you can do with customer feedback, but only if you’re keeping track of everything that’s been said, discussed, and acted on. Don’t forget to track and analyze. When you have a log of the steps flagged and actions taken, you multiply the ways in which you can use that data. Whether sharing with others in your organization, using it to improve your products and services or making changes to policies or procedures, having a record of all steps taken helps you make regular, informed decisions.
Tracking and analyzing customer feedback allows you to see trends over time and identify areas where there might be problems. For example, if you notice that many people are complaining about shipping costs or online ordering process on social media sites like Facebook then this could indicate an issue with your website design or Customer Service team.
Sharing feedback is also important because it allows everyone in the company to be aware of what customers are saying so they can make changes accordingly – whether these changes involve products/services offered by their department (e.g., Customer Service) or policies related to internal operations (e.g., Human Resources). The ability for all employees within an organization to have access means that customer feedback will become part of everyday life at work and help create a collaborative culture which improves the customer experience.
Remember, using customer feedback to improve products and services is one of the most important things that you can do. Feedback should be used as a guide for making changes so that your customers have the best possible experience – after all, they are the lifeblood of any organization!
It’s also important to communicate these changes to customers to show them that their feedback has been heard and acted on. This helps build trust between an institution and the people who utilize that institution’s services, strengthening the bond between them. SmartComment makes all of these steps incredibly easy through powerful comment analysis and response tools.
Thank you for reading and let us know if you have any questions!