Have you done business with any companies lately? Have you made any purchases where the company was interested in your feedback? It seems more and more companies today are taking an interest in what their customers have to say. Lots of stores and restaurants are now providing feedback surveys on the receipts they give you.

These surveys are a great way for the companies to determine how they are doing. More importantly - how they are doing in comparison to companies similar to themselves. If you have taken the time to answer one of these feedback surveys you would have seen they ask question about your spending habits at other competitive stores.

In the last couple of years I have become involved in several CRM (customer relationship management) projects. Most of the bigger clients I work with have budgets that allow for them to offset slow sales, but the smaller ones are the ones who reap the benefits of the customer reviews.

For a business owner or manager, listening to the voice of your customer is the best advantage you will ever have in the competitive market place. It's a very easy step for anyone to take. By including an e-mail or a website where your customers can leave feedback you create a non-invasive way of allowing them to speak. "How can you help improve you customer service?"

When creating a survey for feedback, some types of question you can include would be asking them how you could improve your store, or their shopping experience. Is the store easy to navigate? You could ask if the store or business is one they would recommend to their friends and family. Learning to listen to the voice of your customer can only have positive results for the success and growth of your business.