Customer feedback analysis: understanding the hidden truth
Customer feedback seems to reflect preferences, but deeper analysis reveals a different reality. While tools like surveys and focus groups provide structured insights, they frequently fail to capture real customer behaviour. Social desirability, hypothetical scenarios, and the gap between reported preferences and actual decisions create a misleading picture of customer needs and expectations.
Take the case of an electronics company testing new colours for CD players in a focus group. Participants enthusiastically selected vibrant colours. But when they could take a CD player home, every participant chose the standard black or grey version.
This example shows that what customers claim to want and what they actually choose, can be two different things. That is why the analysis of customer feedback needs to go beyond just listening to what people say.
Another example of customer feedback is Net Promoter Score. NPS is a widely used tool in customer feedback analysis, measuring satisfaction and loyalty. We strongly believe in the value of NPS, but only if customers share their scores voluntarily and without pressure.
Sadly, many businesses aggressively push for high scores, sometimes even pressuring participants to rate them a 9 or 10, suggesting bonuses, commissions, and company targets depend on a great rating. This manipulation distorts the results and reduces the reliability of NPS. The real value of NPS lies in the follow-up question: Why did you give a certain score? A 3/10 rating without an explanation offers little actionable insight.
Additionally, relying solely on NPS scores without any context can be misleading. A high score might indicate satisfaction, but does it correlate with repeat purchases or customer engagement? Similarly, a low score without behavioural context might not mean you’re losing customers. To get a clearer picture, effective customer feedback analysis should integrate multiple data sources.
SINGLE-SOURCE FEEDBACK
One of the most common mistakes in customer feedback analysis is relying on a single data source. Many companies base their insights exclusively on survey responses without integrating other crucial data points such as:
- Customer service interactions
- Purchase history and brand engagement
- Website and app behaviour
- Social media engagement
For example, consider survey participants who gave feedback but have not interacted with your brand in over a year. How valuable is their input? Without cross-referencing different sources, it is quite challenging to:
- Determine which research method is most appropriate for a specific question
- Integrate multiple insights into a coherent strategy
- Take meaningful action based on the feedback
- Prioritise which feedback is truly valuable
A thorough customer feedback analysis ensures that brands don’t make decisions based on isolated responses but instead consider real behavioural patterns and trends.
SIMPLE
Traditional surveys often make respondents overthink their answers, leading to biased results. A smarter approach is to use implicit A/B testing or pairwise comparison to gather more reliable insights. For example: instead of asking customers to evaluate multiple options at once, you can present them two choices at a time (pairwise comparison). This makes decision-making easier and more instinctive while reducing the pressure of finding the ‘right’ answer.
NOT ENOUGH INSIGHT
The rise of new tools and methodologies, like eye tracking, behavioural data, feedback forms, and focus groups, has led to an overwhelming amount of data. However, more data does not automatically translate to better insights. Without structured customer feedback analysis, businesses often find themselves drowning in numbers without clear direction on how to act.
The paradox is that in challenging times, the thirst for knowledge increases. Businesses collect more data in search of clarity, but all too often, they end up with noise instead of answers. That’s why it’s essential to refocus on the core of the brand and its true customer experience.
How can June2O help you?
At June20, we believe customer feedback can be a great source to drive growth. We like to focus on methodology and insight rather than just tools. The key to unlocking valuable feedback isn’t the tool you use, it’s in how you frame the question, interpret responses, and integrate findings into a broader strategy. Our approach ensures that:
- The right methodologies are applied to gather meaningful insights
- Data sources are integrated logically to form a complete picture
- Insights are transformed into clear, actionable recommendations with maximum impact
Rather than getting lost in data overload, we help brands cut through the noise and make informed, strategic decisions.
Want useful customer feedback?
Let’s talk
Biography
Hans Palmers
Hans began his professional journey as a Web Developer and Mentor. After three years, he joined TBWA, where he led a team in digital solutions for a decade. Following this, he shared his digital expertise at KUL, EHSAL and Thomas More for over ten years, as one of the founding partners. Embarking on a new venture, Hans founded Mundo Digitalis, specialised in digital solutions, and successfully led the agency for over 11 years. Over all these years, Hans did pioneering work in e-commerce and online banking. Recently Mundo Digitalis has integrated with June20, where Hans holds the position of Managing Partner & E-Commerce Strategist.
