Google Docs seem to be sweeping small business.  Why not?   Most of the functionality of the more pricey Microsoft Office without platform or network issues seems a no-brainer for many.  We use it with any willing client and end up with lots of collaboration that might otherwise require the awful “Would you please resend that spreadsheet [Word file, PowerPoint]?  We don’t have that version yet” request.

Since the customer service revolution in the early 1980s, companies have automated feedback requests.  And they still ask for feedback while perhaps not implementing a lot of favorites. But credit where it’s due:   Google asks for feedback everywhere it possibly can.    Yes, you have to build a better mousetrap, but you better know what’s going on with your customers and users, and no one can ever fault Google for that.

So if you use Google Docs, head over to their site today and share your feedback on Google documents, spreadsheets and more, especially the forms. And if you happen to swipe some of the feedback mechanisms to find out what your own customers are thinking, there are a lot worse ways a small business can spend time.    Yes, you should have a good market researcher do your polling, but as a small business leader, one of the things you had better be constantly asking is if you’re meeting expectations. The time to find that out is proactively, not reactively.