You can obtain customer feedback simply from having a conversation with your customers and asking them if they enjoyed the tour or stay. More formal ways of collecting feedback include:

• Encouraging guests to fill in a guest comments book
• Discussions with your booking agents
• Reviewing articles written about you by journalists
• Formal customer feedback programs

Benefits of seeking customer feedback include:

• It is the most effective way of learning what improvements you need to make to ensure long term success
• You can use it to measure the effectiveness of your marketing, and if your marketing is attracting those guests most suited to your product
• You can use it as an indication of your staff training needs
• You can use it as a tool to boost your staff’s morale
• You have an opportunity to address any customer concerns and ensure all customers leave happy
• You can use testimonials in your future marketing

The most reliable, cost effective and comprehensive technique is asking each customer to fill in a feedback form rating the level of service and product quality, as well as offering them the chance to make comments about their experience of your product.

Feedback forms also provide an opportunity to collect key marketing statistics. Some of the marketing data you may be interested in asking for includes; age group, place of residence, how they heard about you, who they booked through, relationship to travelling companions, was this their first visit etc.

Please click below to download a sample template which you may wish to modify to suit your own requirements (delete those questions which do not relate to your business).

• Feedback form for accommodation providers and campgrounds
• Feedback form for tour operators and tour guides

Collecting feedback is only the first step towards continuous improvement. You must also collate the results, review the results, and take action where necessary to improve the results. Some sample tracking forms are provided here to help you record and track the ratings your customers give you:

• Feedback tracking for accommodation providers and campgrounds
• Feedback tracking for tour operators and tour guides

Business Victoria provides detailed information about collecting feedback on their website.