THE VALUE OF FEEDBACK, OR NEVER COMPLAIN; NEVER EXPLAIN

 THE VALUE OF FEEDBACK, OR NEVER COMPLAIN; NEVER EXPLAIN

Never complain; never explain. This pithy little maxim was first coined by the British politician and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, and adopted as a motto by many other high-ranking Brits — from members of royalty, to navy admirals, to fellow prime ministers Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill.

Feedback is an interesting thing, most people are shy to give feedback, generally opting for satisfactory 6/10 to 8/10 rather than a shocking 0 or superlative 10. If all your feedback is satisfactory is that good enough? If one person in a hundred suggests a low score or a high score is this more or less important than all the satisfactory scores?

What about second-hand or late feedback, is this more honest because it has the merit of reflection than direct face to face feedback?

When we receive negative feedback to what extent can we use this to remedy the past, apologise or recompense. Or should we simply note it and move forward, taking the lessons and applying them in the future, but in the meantime never complain; never explain.

What about positive feedback, should we use past successes, accolades and praise to herald future performance? Any investment business will tell you that the past is not always a predictor for the future.

WHAT METHODS DO YOU USE FOR FEEDBACK?

There are many ways to get product or service feedback

1. Customer feedback surveys
2. Email and customer contact forms
3. Usability tests
4. Exploratory customer interviews
5. Social media
6. On-site activity (via analytics)
7. Instant feedback from your website

There are also lots of ways to get staff feedback

1. New employee surveys
2. Employee engagement surveys
3. Pulse surveys
4. Stay interviews
5. Review sites
6. Managers
7. Employee suggestion box
8. Exit interviews

PLEASE NOTE IN THE COMMENTS YOUR EXPERIENCE OF FEEDBACK METHODS

Read more on Never complain; never explain.

https://medium.com/lovesex/never-complain-never-explain-601dc20cc864
https://medium.com/@chasewritesmore/never-complain-never-explain-4c4ff9c0e181

Read more on 360 Degree Feedback: See the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/360-degree-feedback-information-1917537
https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-feedback-fallacy
https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/employee/360-feedback-survey-questions/