Collecting feedback is vital to improving business operations. However, the problem with feedback is that everyone has an opinion. With so many views flooding around, sometimes contrasting ideas, which opinion should a business listen to? Therefore, it becomes critical to differentiate between meaningful and bad feedback. Even though one should be open to feedback, companies should only consider the correct type of feedback. Here is a list of five types of feedback that businesses should ignore to grow better.

1. Unasked Feedback From Someone Who Is Not An Expert

When considering feedback, it is crucial to ensure that you are taking feedback from the right people. For instance, McDonald’s floats their McDVoice survey feedback forms among their customers because it is the right set of people. However, taking feedback from a KFC customer who has never tasted a burger is of no use. It is because neither they are the customers of McDonald’s nor are they the right people to comment on the food offered by the restaurant.

Here is another example. A trained cricketer would not take unsolicited advice from someone who has never hit the cricket ground. The same logic applies to your business now. The feedback your business should consider should either be from someone from whom the feedback is sought or someone who is an expert in the niche.

2. Vague Feedback

Sometimes it is common to receive vague feedback even from the right set of customers. What does vague feedback sound like? Here is an example, in the DGCustomerFirst, the customs require to rate their services. If a customer blindly rates all the parameters five, it falls under vague feedback. It is because even though the business is receiving feedback, it is vague feedback.

A slight variation in the feedback rating shows that the feedback is genuine. However, the same parameters rating indicates that the customers have blindly rated. Therefore, vague feedback is not fruitful, throws no light, and businesses should ignore it.

3. When The Feedback Reflect The Opinion Of One Person/Minor Group

As discussed above, everyone has an opinion. As a business, the focus should be on the view of the majority of the people. The primary objective of the company should be to satisfy the majority of the customers and clients. Therefore, the feedback should be analyzed appropriately using reliable software to ensure that you consider most people’s input.

Also, the feedback of one person or a minority group can be affected by factors such as a good mood or a bad day. Companies can eliminate such influencing factors by concerning the feedback of the majority of people.

4. Feedback Without Proper Backing

In feedback, the customers or clients share their opinion. However, more than simply having feedback is required. One should come up with proper reasoning behind the input. Looking at feedback with backing is essential when one feedback is odd. Instead of discarding the feedback immediately, it is crucial to understand the reason behind it.

When dealing with odd feedback, look at the reasoning behind it, the expertise of the customer/client and whether the feedback is positive or negative.

5. Feedback Without Positivity

Feedback can be positive or negative, and the positivity and negativity aspects of the input decide whether the feedback should be accepted or ignored. Irrespective of the motive behind the input, genuine feedback can sometimes be hurtful. Companies should ignore such feedback as it is more harmful than beneficial. Honest feedback, which straights away criticizes the product or service without positive feedback, will not help the business grow. In fact, such feedback can be harmful and toxic.

To sum it up, taking feedback is beneficial to grow the business. However, one should strategically choose the right kinds of feedback instead of giving importance to all the feedback they receive. Sometimes, ignoring feedback is more valuable than considering it. Also, businesses should not give all feedback the same value, which can fail the entire exercise of collecting the feedback. Unfortunately, collecting feedback has become a norm in the corporate world. However, instead of trying this trend with closed eyes, one should be smart enough to differentiate between valuable and vague feedback. Only through intelligent analysis can a company use the feedback they receive to grow the business further.