Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSS) are a great way of soliciting feedback from your customers, and can also be used as a tool to benchmark key areas of your business vs. your competition.  Furthermore if done correctly they can help you to solidify your supply position.  This presupposes that you listen, and act on the feedback given from your customers.

CSS range in complexity and sophistication based on a number of factors including: the number of companies being approached to complete the survey, who compiles the survey, and who will interpret the results.  As such, it is not uncommon for companies to engage a 3rd party to compile the survey, administer the process, and to help interpret the results.

The advantage of using a 3rd party is that the 3rd party is independent, objective, and so customer responses are less likely to be prejudiced/influenced by having your own people ask the question and interpret the results.  It is sometimes difficult for customers to give feedback to a person with whom they have a relationship.

I’m sure that you appreciate the above, but what if you are a smaller company, who perhaps can’t afford to use a specialist company to administer the CSS process, what can you do?

My advice would be to:

1. Start out simple. Do not try to go too deep with your initial questions. Remember that you are introducing a process and not a one-off event. As such, you can modify/ refine questions in subsequent surveys.
2. Keeping the survey short will increase the likelihood that your customer will take the time to respond. 10-15 questions.
3. Make it clear to your customer that their opinions and views are important and will be taken seriously.
4. Ask questions that will help you to identify opportunities for improvement.
5. Ask questions that will give you some indication as to how your customer rates you relative to your competition.
6. Establish your criteria for interpreting the CSS results ahead of issuing the CSS.
7. Follow up on the results of the survey.  This is key to avoiding the suggestion that you don’t listen or care about what your customer tells you, or that you are an arrogant supplier.

Good Luck.

Should you require help to design and execute your Customer Satisfaction Survey, please contact “121″.  We have the experience and we’re there to help you.