The world we live in is dominated by technology and is constantly changing, we receive new information every day which sometimes overwhelms our mind. In a company, the situation is exactly the same; for that reason it is very important to focus onreal data and reliable information to be able to take correct decisions.

However, still many companies and organizations do not collect feedback right after the experience. The truth is that asking the customer right after their shopping experience, the so-called moment of truth (you can learn more about it here!), is a 40% more reliable than asking 24 hours later, as confirmed by recent studies carried out by the consultancy company Gartner.

In this post we analyze the report issued by the market research firm called Ipsos Interactive Services, which explains the reasons why you should collect feedback in real time.

Keep reading if you want to learn more!

First reason: we cannot rely completely on our memory

As time goes by, our memories can be altered by different biases and end up shaping or transforming a past experience. Some of these biases can be:

• Peak: the valuation is produced by a “peak” of the situation, that is, the most intense moment (positive or negative) or the final moment. The clearest example occurs when we rate a movie some time after watching it: what sticks the most to our memory is the end or some specific scenes.
  
  
• Halo effect: the impression or feeling generated by a person or a brand directly influences what we feel towards them. So much so that if our overall impression of a store is good, specific aspects such as the friendliness of the staff or the variety of products will be too, and vice versa.
  
  
• Attention bias: we tend to process some information before other. For this reason, the negative predominates in our mind over the positive.

These biases are examples of what happens to the memory of a client or patient when they are asked days or even months after an experience with a brand or a company. They are forced to go back to their memory in order to assess the experience; obviously that’s not the case when they are asked to express their opinion right after living the experience.


Second reason: many decisions are taken instantly

Events like choosing among different products, impulsive purchases, influence of advertising... provide us insights about customers’ purchase decisions.

It is important to provide them a feedback tool which allows us to know the way they think and what are the drivers of their evaluations. These two factors need to be taken into account:

• Speed: most of buying decisions are taken quickly. 95% of our decisions are taken unconsciously. Therefore, it is important to capture thoughts and emotions in the exact moment customers are affected by them.
  
  
• Emotionality vs. rationality: this kind of decisions are characterized by irrationality and impulsivity. If we had to meditate on each purchase in a rational way, this would be too time-consuming. However, only after the decision is taken, we rationalize to convince ourselves that it is the best possible option. This is a key factor to consider for your customer experience strategy.

Third reason: using photos and videos helps to visualize the experience on site.

A satisfaction surveys where questions are supported by photos give the interviewees more context and helps them to provide a more faithful answer about the experience.

Fourth reason: real time insights allow us to be more competitive

The best thing about collecting feedback in real time is represented by the amount and quality of data that you would not obtain with traditional methods. Such data will provide you insights toimprove processes or products as well as improve the decision-making process and understand the reasons why a purchase was not completed.

As a summary, bear in mind that collecting feedback in real time is essential because:

• Emotions and thoughtsthat are captured a few days or weeks later will no longer be in the mind of the consumer.
  
  
• It createsdirect communication channel between consumers and brands, which makes the customer feel heard and taken care of.