If the consumer voice is so important these days, why are brand feedback, or "contact us," forms so get-out-of-my-face unfriendly?

I dare you to find a feedback form that winks even a quasi-friendly smile. And if you find one that allows consumers to truly communicate in their native voices -- complete with links, photos, audio clips or videos -- I'll eat my just-published book.

When I founded PlanetFeedback.com, we would consistently poll consumers about the type of "person" the typical marketer-feedback form personified. Rather than picking the more service-centric personality, "concierge" (the ideal state), most consumers likened the feedback form to a government "bureaucrat" -- faceless, stiff, cold and uninterested.

And the forms haven't improved much since, even in this age of engagement and social media. While "conversation" is practically becoming a synonym for marketing, when it comes to managing consumer-initiated (vs. marketer-initiated) dialogue, we're hiding behind the couch before the consumer can even say hello.

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