Best Buy elicits feedback from more than 10,000 shoppers. Telephone surveys conducted by the Gallup Organization are intended to probe what customers liked about their most recent shopping experience, what they didn't like and what suggestions they might have for improvement. It's no doubt a costly way to stay tuned in to their shoppers' wishes. But Brian Dunn, senior vice president and business group leader, considers it a high-yield investment. We've adjusted any number of policies and procedures based on customer feedback.
Rebates provide a recent case in point.
A dizzying array of small electronics, appliances, software and home office products sold by Best Buy are accompanied by cash rebate offers. Rebates were also a headache from the store perspective. Finding an attractive way to display the rebate forms was nearly impossible, and those charged with dealing with the administrative side of the program described it as a nightmare. This is an area where the feedback was overwhelmingly negative. It became imperative for us to find a way to turn it into a positive.