With the economy forcing many businesses and individuals to cut back, now is a great time to look for ways to improve. Every business has areas that need improvement, but what stops a good company from becoming a great company is that the latter identifies those areas and moves to improve them. This is essential for healthy growth.

The best way to recognize problem areas? Go directly to your customer.

Surveys are a great resource and can be conducted inexpensively. It's best to identify a specific issue you want feedback on, so you can determine your audience for the survey.

Possible customer categories:

1. Customers who have done business with you recently. Ask about different aspects of their experience--customer focus, pricing and product quality, for example.

2. Customers who have not done business with you in the past six months. Did they find another source? Are there services you could add to your business profile that would help bring them back? Are your prices driving them away?

3. Customers who only used your service once. Find out the reason they did not return. Was it a one-time need? Was it the level of service they received?

There are a variety of ways to conduct a survey. Try different approaches to see what works best for your customer base. No matter what method you choose, explain to your customers upfront why their feedback is critical to the success of your business and your commitment to meeting their expectations. Here are a few ways to gather the information:

1. E-mail a survey to customers whose e-mail addresses you've captured. Using a service such as SurveyMonkey.com, you can obtain up to 100 responses free. Customers can answer a series of questions you've designed, and responses can be anonymous, so they can feel comfortable being candid.

2. Phone interviews can be beneficial. These give you an opportunity to ask follow-up questions. If done incorrectly, however, a customer may feel uncomfortable answering honestly. Use an outside source so the interviewee is an impartial party. You can hire a telemarketing firm or use a virtual assistant to conduct phone surveys.

3. If customers visit your location, you can place surveys out for them to take and mail back.

4. If you send out your products, include a survey with the order and ask customers to mail it back.

5. Send the surveys with invoices.

Whatever method you use, your customers will benefit from the process, as long as you follow through and use their feedback to make improvements. You are also sending a message that you run a company that cares about its customers.

When it comes down to a comparison with other companies, if all else is equal, customers most likely will choose the company that puts its customers first. And in this economy, that can make all the difference.