Rule #1 is simple. Your clients and customers are going to say what they are going to say. The question is, will it be in a controlled environment or will it be total chaos? You choose.

There are three recommendations to choose from, and I personally recommend a blend of all 3:

1) Create a Blog on your website

2) Create a Forum on your website

3) Encourage your customers to supply honest feedback on your website

Both blog and forum will assist your company in addressing the complaints and recommendations of your customers. Their are advantages and disadvantages to both. The great thing about each is that they take very little time to set up and are very affordable tools.

Most company websites only provide a “contact us” page for customer/client feedback. Unfortunately, an angry or dissatisfied customer may not take the time to fill out something formal that, honestly, looks like it is meant only for new business leads. For most of us, if we’re savvy enough to use Contact pages, we’re probably savvy enough to know that webmasters take forever to respond to concerns or questions, and we don’t like waiting for answers.

As I mentioned before, blogs and discussion forums are excellent places to give your customers a voice. And by doing so, you offer them the dignity they deserve. And when a company shows its customers respect, it’s always a win/win.

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