Seeking and receiving feedback from customers is a table-stakes practice in modern business.

Feedback has a lifecycle.

The goal is not just to get feedback, but to improve services and/or revenue. Therefore, feedback that is not processed is not valuable. Feedback that is processed, but does not lead to organizational behavioral change, is not value.

In my personal inbox, I assign the following states to my normal inboxes:

Normal

• Inbox (Unread)
• Inbox (Read)
• Trash (Read or Unread)

Mine

• Inbox (Unread)
• Inbox (red-bang - needs a response)
• Inbox (yellow-star - general reference)
• Inbox (orange-guillemet - placed on an email sent that I'm expecting a response to. If I don't get new emails on these emails in 1-2 weeks, these emails provide a good reminder for me to follow-up; because I haven't received a response
• Inbox (green-checkmark) complete

Organization

• A piece of feedback is received, like a survey response. This is similar to Inbox (Unread)
• Inbox (Read) - read by a staff person
• Response - staff members sends acknowledgement to responder
• Inbox (Read + Assigned)
• Assigned (Assess)
• Assigned (Track Status of, over time)
• Assigned (Decision point created)
• Assigned (Decision point happens; like a vote, or policy/legislation passes)
• Response sent, ticket closed

And ideally, some goals become assertions on a service.

A service should provide FEATURES to USERS in order to provide WHAT VALUES.

For what price?

Time or other burdens?

What are the alternatives?