The web is a perfect way to get customers to provide feedback and suggestions for improvements. We have mentioned before that customers are bursting with comments, criticisms and ideas, and just waiting for an opportunity to share them. Creating a dialogue between a service provider and customers in this way is a sure way to build trust and loyalty, (and incidentally, a way to reveal your true brand colours – good or bad). Â
Its not surprising then, that a good number of start-ups have been developing platforms to help companies organise, structure and understand this input. Two competing companies in this field are UserVoice (link) and Get satisfaction (link). At first, they seem similar, but scratch under the surface and two very different business models appear. User voice offer a platform for companies to incorporate into their  own site (or to create a new one) and charge a subscription for this, even offering  a free version. Get satisfaction have a centralised solution, offering a one-stop shop for customer support, and charging companies to participate in the dialogue that they initiate and host.
This seems, on the face of it to be fine. Two different models, with two different revenue streams. However, it seems that Get satisfaction have been a little too keen to create a presence on the web, and have created a site that might be taken to be official and sanctioned by the service provider (which often is not the case). This has created a row on the blogosphere between 37 signals, who outed this borderline activity of Get Satisfaction. The hot debate can be read here and was followed up here.Â
There are lots of interesting aspects to discuss about this. Firstly, its just fantastic that such sites exist, and that companies are seriously creating a dialogue with their customers. Secondly, its interesting how a similar offering can be perceived differently, based upon the business model that lies behind it. Lets face it, customer input (good or bad) is an emotive area, particularly when it is aired in public. It is therefore important that sites that facilitate dialogue be perceived as being authentic, more so because we are talking emotions, trust and loyalty. This was clearly shown in the number of comments to the 37 signals blog post, and their voracity. Finally, I think that dialogue through different touch-points (such as User Voice) will gradually infuse into organisations, and become a standardised part of their offering. The quicker companies see that this is a quick way to innovation and embrace this the better.
Final point – User Voice will be presenting at this Autumns Service Design Conference that we are hosting (link) in November. Looking forward to that!