If you’re a Forrester client (many readers here are) I’m encouraging you to exercise your right as a customer.
If you’ve read the Groundswell, then you’re familiar with the term Embracing, in which employees and customers work together to build next generation products and services.
For each report (one of our products) we’ve a rating system, and the ability for customers to leave comments. Quite frankly, I only see a few, and I’d like to get more feedback. Why? I want to improve and make sure that I’m doing everything I can to help our customers answer questions about my coverage area in social computing.
So, if you’re a client, and have read my reports, I’d love your feedback: rate and/or leave a comment on the report of what you liked and what could be improved. I promise to read and respond to any questions to the best of my ability.
We’ve made a two-way channel for you to respond, I’m listening. Here’s a list of my reports on the Forrester site.
I’m a Forrester client and I’m more than able and willing to exercise my right as a customer. But I don’t like to be invited to exercise that right. After all, and again, I’m more than able an willing to exercise that right at my own convenience.
Social media and such is fine, but this seems a tad too much soliciting favorable ratings. No wisdom of crowds to be found here.
Please don’t confuse your role of a Forrester analyst and a blogger in future postings. It doesn’t become you.
Marc, I’m not sure where in the world you see Jeremiah asking for only favorable ratings. And why in the world do you not want to be asked to help improve the quality of the products you purchase?
God I only wish more folks would be so humble as to ask for straight feedback. Jeremiah, don’t let one voice turn you away from continuing to ask for how you can learn and improve your work. Trust me, that does become you more than you know.
Agree with Chris. I’m NOT a Forrester client, but saw Jeremiah’s Online Communities Best Practices presentation and it was so good and valuable that I’d love to rate it. I have already sent it to a bunch of people. I look forward to my business being big enough to hire Forrester.
Marc –
I’d have to agree with Chris & Robin & Jeremiah. Asking for feedback is different than asking for references. Why would you not like to be invited to give public feedback? It’s not like you couldn’t:
A) Decline to submit feedback for a variety of reasons.
B) Submit feedback that was accurate but not glowing. If you felt you got what you paid for and nothing more, it helps everyone (yourself included) if you make that known. In fact, non-favorable feedback is going to be more beneficial to an organization that is open to change (as I’m guessing Forrester & Jeremiah are) than favorable feedback would be.
I fail to understand how in any way Jeremiah is soliciting favorable feedback.
Marc, As a former large Forrester client who use to rate research, I appreciate Jeremiah’s inviting clients to rate his research. Frankly, this feature is one of the best kept secrets on Forrester’s website with very few clients using it. I only wish that Forrester itself systematically educated and encouraged its clients to avail themselves of this feature on the website. One way to do this would be to have all analysts have a a note in their email signature block letting clients know about this feature.
I even blogged about the feature back in March in order to encourage SageCircle readers to start rating analyst content. You can find it at:
“Did you know that you can comment on Forrester™s research on its website?” http://sagecircle.wordpress.com/2008/03/11/did-you-know-that-you-can-comment-on-forresters-research-on-its-website/
Marc
You’re right! You’re certainly entitled to your opinion as a client, when you want to express it and when you don’t. Thank you for being so forth coming.
When the time is right, I’ll be here awaiting your feedback.
Thank you for being a client, if you need help with online communities, feel free to jump on an inquiry call with me, I’ll be more than happy to help you!
sincerely.
I like what you do, but to be honest i was disappointed recently when i bought work of yours for something like 200 dollars when two weeks later Groundswell arrived with nearly the same info and a lot more for a lot less.
Erwin
Sounds like you weren’t fully satisfied, you can get a full refund on the site. So you know, there’s a theme throughout all our social computing docs around the POST methodology.