Closeness creates freshness not just for organisations, but for customers too

At The Customer Closeness Company, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that we constantly ask for feedback.

After every closeness session, we ask respondents one simple question: how did that make you feel about the company we ran the session for?

And the answer, time and again, stops us in our tracks.

Participants consistently tell us how impressed they are that organisations are willing to truly get close to their customers. They feel heard. Respected. Valued. In fact, we regularly see something remarkable happen: a single closeness session can turn even the strongest detractors into genuine advocates.

So why does closeness work so powerfully?

Because Humans Want Conversations — Not Surveys

In a world saturated with satisfaction surveys, most customers feel like data points rather than people. Their opinions are aggregated, anonymised, and sent off into the void. They’re never quite sure if anything meaningful happens next.

Closeness is the complete opposite.

In a closeness session, customers can see the engagement. They sit face-to-face with the client team. They hear the questions their stories provoke. They witness moments where perspectives shift in real time. And they realise something important:

Their experiences have the power to change how people inside a company think — and therefore how that company behaves.

That sense of impact is transformative.

We hear this reflected again and again in the words of those who take part:

“The managers asked thoughtful questions and listened attentively to the answers, leading to valuable discussion. I felt there was genuine communication.”

“It felt like the staff I met were earnestly trying to understand what I thought about the company and thoughtfully interrogated my answers.”

These aren’t just nice quotes. They’re evidence of something deeper: when customers feel genuinely listened to, trust grows — fast.

However, we never rest on our laurels so we also aways ask our respondents what could have made a session better.  Some of the innovations we have put in place because of this feedback are:

• More accessible briefing materials, including video formats for vulnerable customers who may find text difficult to digest

• More time for discussion, because respondents genuinely enjoy being challenged by senior leaders — it reinforces that they are actively helping a company they care about become better

• New tools and props to help customers bring their stories to life

• Even clearer briefings, so participants know exactly what’s expected and can prepare in advance — a clear sign of how seriously they take the opportunity

Closeness creates freshness not just for organisations, but for customers too. It keeps the experience human, dynamic, and meaningful — and it unlocks insights that simply can’t be found in dashboards or spreadsheets.

And of course, we ask our clients the same question: what would make this session even better?  That feedback has sparked just as much innovation……but that’s a story for another blog post.