Many, if not all, industries use customer satisfaction surveys to gather customer feedback. Survey data from customers is used to plan, formulate strategic business strategies and solutions, and make informed business decisions, which improve overall performance. At times, it can be a difficult and laborious task to develop and execute an efficient process of surveying large numbers of customers in a way that produces meaningful results. To get the most use out of your survey research, prior to administering a customer satisfaction survey that targets a sample of customers, take the following factors into consideration:
Provide Incentives
When planning your online survey, keep your customers’ time in mind. Respondents that take time to complete your customer satisfaction survey are utilizing their own free time to provide your business with open and honest answers, comments, and opinions. All of this meaningful survey data they provide is helping you to improve your business. For this invaluable information, you will want to consider rewarding your respondents. After all, these are your loyal customers. Quoted from yesterday’s blog post, 5 Strategies to Expand Your Products and Services:
“Current customers will often be repeat customers. Loyal, ongoing customers are the backbone of every business. In today’s highly competitive environment, current customers cannot be ignored or else they may be won over by your competition.”
There are many reward options. The incentive can be anything from a monetary to a sizable prize drawing; offer a discount; giveaway a gift card; email a coupon; or even link to special reports or white papers. Whatever the incentive, it must benefit respondents. The more the incentive is in-line with the interests of your respondents; the more likely they are to complete your survey. Additionally, sending a personalized email thanking your respondents (customers) by expressing your company’s gratitude for their completion, and to ensure that their feedback is taken into consideration.
Keep it Simple
Your customers are already giving you their time, their business, and hopefully their recommendation, so it is important that you do not waste their time. With today’s hectic lifestyles, their time is money. When developing your online survey, make sure that it is designed with brief, simple, and understandable questions that get straight to the point.
On the survey email invitation, inform the customer as to why they’re being asked to partake in the online survey, and how their responses will be used to develop solutions to benefit future customer experiences. Don’t take customer feedback for granted. Showing your appreciation can make a current customer a continued, longtime loyal customer.
