Customer Surveys
Customer perception is one component of understanding how your products and services fit in the market place. This resource focuses on the use of customer surveys to gather this information. For additional information relative to your company’s market position, please see our other resources.
Surveys: A Marketing Tool
Before delving into the survey process, it is useful to note that a survey is customer interaction and customer interactions should be viewed as marketing opportunities. A survey in particular provides the opportunity to:
- Affirm your attentiveness to customer needs and concerns.
- Enhance the overall company brand.
- Introduce customers to new products and services.
Some people expect surveys to be a “negative feedback” exercise. Even though a survey may generate this important result, it should still be a positive connection with each customer that will create stronger ties to the company’s customer base.
The Giersch Group Customer Survey Process has four distinct phases:
- Determine the Survey Goals & Objectives.
- Design the Survey.
- Test & Distribute Survey.
- Analyze and Report Survey Findings.
Determine the Goals and Objectives of the Survey
Before selecting or writing questions for the survey, it is important to think through what you want to accomplish through the survey. Surveys can be used to measure customer attitudes in a number of areas including:
- Customer loyalty.
- Customer satisfaction with current products/services.
- Customer’s perception of the company’s value proposition.
- The need for a new product in development.
- Customer awareness of current product/service offerings.
- Customer service effectiveness.
To determine what your company’s goals and objectives are for the customer survey, it will be important to ask yourself the following questions:
- What questions will clarify your value proposition to the customers?
- What questions will encourage better knowledge of your products and services?
- How will the information gathered enhance decision-making?
- How prepared are we to implement change as a result of this survey?
Design the Survey
Once the survey goals and objectives have been determined, we are now ready to design the survey to collect data from our customers. The following steps are suggested:
-
Determine how the survey will be delivered. Phone surveys, online surveys, and direct-mail surveys are some of the delivery methods used to survey customers today. When choosing a delivery method, it is important to understand your target audience and what method of communication will be easiest to reach them. Some recommend staying away from phone surveys if your target audience is below the age of 24, since most customers under the age of 24 do not have a landline or have placed their cell phone number on the do-not-call list.
Online surveys are currently the most utilized delivery method because it is cost-effective and efficient. Another option would be to send a postcard with the link to fill out the online survey. The recommended online survey tool for small business is Survey Monkey, as it allows for customized design and distribution as well as an analysis of survey results.
- Design survey questions. It will be important to keep in mind that the survey should include no more than 5-10 questions and be able to be completed in less than 5 minutes. You can vary the question format to include yes or no questions, multiply choice questions, or questions that allow the customer to rate their answer. Regardless, it is crucial that each question include a text box for additional comments. Personal or demographic questions may be included at the end rather than at the beginning of the survey.
- Craft a cover note. It is the cover note that gets the customer to open and take the survey. To encourage response, the note should highlight that:
- The company is seeking customer’s feedback.
- The number of questions and length of time survey will take to complete.
- Appreciation for the customer’s willingness to respond to the survey.
Test & Distribute the Survey
Prior to sending out the survey, forward it to colleagues to test the clarity of the survey questions, form, and its associated instructions. Utilize their input to make any necessary enhancements. The Giersch Group has a full-service customer survey program that has played this role for our clients.
Note that survey response rates are typically low; between 2% to 5% is average. Sometimes incentives are used to get respondents to complete the survey. Incentives can include gifts, coupons, or cash. With the level of e-mail spam surveys and their rewards, the Giersch Group does not recommend providing incentives the first time a survey is sent. The level of survey response without an incentive indicates the level of customer loyalty to your products or services.
Analyze and Report Survey Findings
Once the survey is complete, a review and analysis of findings is critical. Any trends should be highlighted in a summary report. This analysis should also be compared to the company’s perceptions of its value proposition, quality of products, and services. Refinements to improve the company’s results should also be noted.
When conducting a survey of customers, remember that respondents will tend to be one of two categories:
- Unhappy customers: They are important and their feedback is critical. In the analysis, the demographic information of the responses should be considered. Is the feedback from first time customers? Is it focused a particular product or service? Are unhappy customers located in a certain geographical area? Any trends or themes should be discussed, as some may warrant action.
- Happy customers: These are our fans. Their feedback is important as they demonstrate whether the company is meeting its value proposition.
As stated, surveys are a great tool to clarify and maximize your company’s value to your customers. Market positioning takes place in the mind of customers and surveys are a great tool to reveal such perspective. This information allows us to better gauge customer satisfaction and if necessary, reshape our product and service offerings to enhance customer satisfaction.
Articles for Further Reading
- Constantcontact.com. “Top 12 Survey Best Practices,” http://img.constantcontact.com/docs/pdf/Top12SurveyBestPractices.pdf
- “Sample Survey Questions, Answers, and Tips” http://www.constantcontact.com/aka/docs/pdf/survey_sample_qa_tips.pdf
- Tim Leighton-Boyce. “Best Practices for e-commerce Consumer Surveys: Part One,” February 29, 2011. http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9134-best-practices-for-e-commerce-consumer-surveys
- Tim Leighton-Boyce. “Best Practices for e-commerce Consumer Surveys: Part Two,” March 2, 2012. http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9144-best-practices-for-e-commerce-consumer-surveys-part-two
- Tim Donnelly “How to Write a Customer Survey,” August 5, 2010. http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/08/how-to-write-a-customer-survey_pagen_2.html
