You've got something to say and you need a company to listen to your feedback. Would you use a suggestion box? You are a company in search of a fast way to help capture feedback and a structured approach to deal with it. Would you buy a suggestion box?


One of the biggest obstacles in getting anything done is the lack of process. No process also means that there is no transparency as to progress made. Whether you're working inside an organization or in a small company, it is a challenge to be everywhere and do everything that needs to be done. This is especially true when we talk about follow up on feedback. Somehow that is often extra planning.
Enter SuggestionBox, a system that might help you stay the course on customer feedback. Their tagline is "ideas into action," which is the aspiration of the management system. Members can track the progress of their suggestion with transparency - from under review, to being implemented, to has been ruled out. There is also a community rating layer, where other members can vote on the importance of your suggestion.
I looked at the existing boxes on the site. They might be all new suggestions, so far I am seeing a lot of "under review". The one suggestion box with the most implemented I could see is that for Suggestion Box itself.
As I looked at the site, I had a sudden vision of that wooden suggestion box abandoned in a corner of the kitchen at a company I visited. There it sat all alone. Of course, with digital information it's a completely new ball game. If your box sits alone, quasi-abandoned, everyone will surely notice, won't they?
Should the job of manning the suggestion box go to marketing? Many companies are now building ideation teams - would they be the best owners of the feedback and action? In which industries do you think SuggestionBox might be most needed?
One thing is for sure. Once you open the Pandora, ahem, SuggestionBox, there is no going back on what comes into it.

Enter your email address to continue reading

Would You Use SuggestionBox?

Don't worry...it's free!

Already a member? Sign in now.

Sign in with your preferred account, below.

Did you like this article?
Know someone who would enjoy it too? Share with your friends, free of charge, no sign up required! Simply share this link, and they will get instant access…
  • Copy Link

  • Email

  • Twitter

  • Facebook

  • Pinterest

  • Linkedin


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Valeria Maltoni helps businesses understand how customers and communities have changed marketing, public relations, and communications - and how to build value in this new environment. As a communicator she specializes in marketing communications, customer dialogue, and brand management. Valeria has come to define modern business as a long and open conversation. Conversation Agent is recognized among the world's top online marketing blogs. Valeria is a Fast Company expert blogger and a contributor to The Blog Herald. She is a co-author of , a groundbreaking ebook collaboration by 103 of today's top marketing writers. Valeria is a frequent public speaker on brand marketing, customer service, and building successful business teams. She publishes in both English and Italian. Educated at the University of Bologna and Villanova University, Valeria combines New World sensibilities with Italian style. She's an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the American Marketing Association (AMA), the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia (WACA), and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).