If you want to truly transform your VoC program — collect feedback while the customer is still in the experience.
In-moment feedback changes everything!
Why? Because waiting even a few hours (let alone days) after an experience to ask for feedback adds friction, memory loss, and apathy. But catch customers while they are still engaged — while the emotion is fresh — and magic happens.
Response rates skyrocket. Honesty increases. And, most importantly, you can do something about the feedback before the customer walks out your door…or posts about their bad experience online.
This Isn’t New. But AI Is Taking It to a Whole New Level
Restaurants, hotels, car rental agencies — they’ve been experimenting with in-moment feedback for years. The classic example is handing a diner an iPad with their check to leave feedback before they leave the table.
But AI is making this better — and more scalable — than ever before.
Think about it:
→ A customer gives low feedback in-the-moment.
→ AI instantly classifies the issue (e.g., long wait time, cold food, rude service).
→ An alert fires to the right person with context and suggested next steps.
→ The issue gets addressed before the customer leaves.
That’s not customer experience. That’s customer rescue.
The Future? Seamless, Conversational, AI-Powered In-Moment Feedback
This is where things are headed:
- A text message survey while you’re still at the hotel pool.
- A QR code at your table that triggers an AI agent asking, "How's everything going so far?"
- A field service tech completing a job and handing you a phone to provide feedback — with AI asking smart follow-ups.
It’s fast. It’s real. And done right, it can turn a bad experience into loyalty on the spot.
Checklist for Getting In-Moment Feedback Right
- Start with your customer journey. Where are the moments when the experience could go wrong? Where are customers waiting (physically or mentally)?
- Make feedback frictionless — QR codes, text links, in-app prompts, iPads — whatever meets the customer where they are.
- Combine in-moment feedback with automated alerts and a tight closed-loop process.
- Use AI to classify open-ends fast and route them to the right person.
- Don’t forget - in-moment feedback isn’t just for problems — it’s a great time to capture recognition too.
Your Turn
Are you collecting in-moment feedback? If so, how? Is AI playing a role yet? What’s working — and what’s getting in the way?
Let me know — I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about this.
