The customers of today have various avenues available to them so that they can make their voices heard. The social media is one of these popular avenues because of the real time interaction that it allows. Another effective avenue for voicing out one’s opinion as a consumer is through the point of sale system (POS).

These two new tools are what prompted businesses to keep up with the trend in terms of doing their market research. Many companies and businesses are now doing away with the usual focus groups and surveys and are instead using technology to gather feedback from their customers. And they have more freedom these days because of the various marketing strategies that they can use via social media and the POS software they are using for their business operations.

Apparently the question and answer format for getting information is already a thing of the past. With technology, providing customers an open forum where they can freely share their thoughts and views has been made truly possible. Through an open forum, businesses are able to gather the natural reaction of their customers sometimes without even asking them to do so. And the experts can attest that technology indeed allows people to share their opinions right away which provide a true representation of their mindset. What’s great about it is that businesses can get their customers’ raw reactions, good or bad, to the products and services they’re offering. This only means real views from the people themselves and in real time.

While many businesses today have turned to the social media, others have fully utilized their POS system to encourage customer feedback. Through the point of sale software, operators now include a short survey in the processing of their customers’ payment and issuance of receipts. Customers normally don’t mind answering a few questions which can cover their personal details, geographical location and where they heard about the product or service. Some restaurants have also included a short survey to get feedback on their store cleanliness, menu options, food quality and speed of service.

Restaurant owners admit that they’ve gone a long way in the area of gathering customer data. Many are happy over these advanced technologies they’re using right now, which continue to improve through the years and they urge others to do the same to provide better service to their clients.

Eugene is a former marketing assistant who now writes for the internet. He knows how vital market research is for businesses particularly for those involved in the restaurant industry and this includes the POS software.