Did you know that customer feedback loops can help build long-term customer loyalty?
Whether your company is a product or service company, there is an organization that produces new products. In high technology, this department is Engineering. Every engineer should spend 1 day/week working in the customer service department listening to real live customers. The people who make the products should listen directly to the people who use the products. If Engineering gets feedback from the customer service department, they are likely to discount it. This is especially true if it is highly critical. Send a few promising engineers or folks who create your products to customer service training and "embed" them in the customer service department 1 day/week for a month. They will gain valuable insights to share with fellow engineers. World class companies know the value of “embedding” engineers on a rotating basis in customer service. Their creditability within their own team will increase and you will have an advocate to help spread the truth about what customers really think about your company’s products.
Here is a great White Paper on Customer Service Best Practices-What Features and Functions to look for in Customer Service Software.