The customer is always right... until you really start listening.
“The customer is happy.” Beautiful.
“The customer would buy again.” Fantastic.
“The customer would recommend us to others.” Top.
Or not?
We see it time and time again: companies that proudly report on their customer satisfaction. A nice Net Promoter Score. A series of satisfaction measurements. Some compliments here and there. And then the conclusion: “We are doing a good job.”
But as soon as we start asking questions, doubt comes.
How do you know that customer is really satisfied?
What does he actually mean by “it was ok”?
Why does he repeat his purchase... but without enthusiasm?
And more importantly: What doesn't he say?
Because that's where the real work starts.
Measuring satisfaction ≠ listening
Being customer focused is hip. Every organization wants to “listen to the customer”.
But honestly? What we often see in practice is not listening.
It is seeking confirmation. It's hoping for a pat on the back. It's a fear of what would come up if you really asked what someone thinks.
Many surveys are designed to flatter the ego.
They're not about learning, they're about affirming.
“Are we doing a good job?”
“Do you like our service?”
“Would you recommend us?”
Good questions... for your marketing.
But no strategic compass.
❝ Real customer insights? You only get that if you dare to ask what you'd rather not hear. ❞
Why 'satisfied' isn't enough
A customer who says they are satisfied can leave tomorrow. And he often does that too. Not because your product is bad. Not because you did something fundamentally wrong. But because something didn't click anywhere.
A slight sense of impersonality. A tone that wasn't quite right. A lack of initiative in the follow-up. An experience that was... meh.
Those kinds of details don't come up when you just look at satisfaction rates. And that's exactly where the value of strategic customer surveys lies: they bring nuance. Friction. The real stories.
Because customers are police. Especially in B2B.
They don't want a hassle. They don't want to “make things difficult”. So they say it was ok. But okay isn't an ambassadorship. Okay isn't what you want.
What you want to hear (but rarely dare to ask)
Imagine your customer telling you this:
- “I've been working with you for years, but honestly? I don't always understand your approach.”
- “I like you people, but I don't always feel really understood.”
- “You say you offer customized solutions, but I don't experience it that way.”
- “The first few weeks after the purchase are great... and then I fall into a black hole.”
Ouch.
And yet: gold.
These are the insights you can use to sharpen your offerings.
- You can adjust your communication.
- You can redesign internal processes.
- You can take a look at your culture.
And no, that feedback does not come spontaneously.
To do that, you have to ask the right questions. At the right time. In the right setting. No pressure. Without sales intent. Without defense.
Strategic customer survey is not a survey. It is a mirror
At Holmes & Watson, we work with customers who dare to look at what they prefer to ignore. We do not supervise surveys as data collections, but as strategic mirrors.
They show:
- Where your message doesn't land, despite good intentions
- Where your customer journey cracks, between sales, onboarding and follow-up
- Which customer segments look at your offer fundamentally differently
- What customers do want to say — but only in a safe setting
- Those who are secretly leaving... or who can just become an ambassador
Customer surveys are not a measuring tool for us. These are strategic diagnostic moments.
They reveal blind spots — not just in your communication or service,
but in your positioning, your culture, your structure, your way of working together.
“We know what our customers think”
Really? Some companies say:
“We have plenty of contact with customers. We'll hear what's going on.”
But daily contact is not the same as strategic listening.
An account manager who calls a customer about an order will rarely ask what that customer really thinks of you. It's not going to expose tensions. He's going to keep the conversation positive.
Unless you create a separate space — literally or figuratively — where customers can express their opinions safely, without commercial ulterior motive, you rarely get the full story.
And that full story makes the difference.
The Power of Confrontation
Strategic inquiries sometimes hurt. They show that you are not always as clear as you think. That your customer has a completely different idea of what you offer. That the bar you set internally is not always felt on the outside.
But they also give you direction. They help you make choices. They make it possible to say goodbye to certain beliefs and develop new, more relevant propositions.
You will learn:
- What really works
- What's shaky
- Which is a nice story... but has no traction
- What customers would delete or reinforce themselves
And that is gold. For marketing, sales, culture and strategy.
Listening is not a “soft skill”. It is strategy.
In a market where everyone says the same thing (“quality”, “personal approach”, “reliability”), your real differentiator often lies in how you deal with feedback. With a doubt. With nuance.
Organizations that make room for this grow faster.
They create sharpness. Relevance. Connexion.
And most importantly:
They don't dwell on the past,
but align their course with the real, current experience of their customers.
Listening is not a final measure. It is the beginning of choices.
Ready to really listen?
At Holmes & Watson, we help you:
- Asking the right questions without a filter
- Strategically unravel the answers
- Translating insights into choices
- And turning feedback into an engine for growth
