Happy Customers, Happy Business
The aim for every business is to have an abundance of happy customers who continue to come back time and time again, and who recommend you left, right and center.
Of course, having lots of repeat business tells you you’re getting plenty right. And when it comes to understanding your weaknesses and identifying new opportunities to expand your business, your customers are often the best people to support you.
Your customers are a goldmine of helpful information
Your customers are in the unique position of having a completely unbiased opinion about your business. They’re a great source for understanding how your products and services are received, what works and what doesn’t from a user’s perspective and what they want more of.
Surveys are a great tool for connecting with your customers. Not only are they a way to gauge customer satisfaction, but they also allow you to dig a little deeper into the mindset of your customers. A well thought out survey enhances your understanding of your customers’ wants and needs, helps you recognise your weaknesses and identify new opportunities to expand your business.
Things to consider before you survey
Before you launch into surveying your customers, take some time to get clear on what you want to find out. It’s always a good idea to test out your questions in advance as well, to try and avoid misinterpretation or misunderstanding of what you’re asking. Be prepared though to still receive responses or comments that you hadn’t anticipated!
Keep your survey brief and focused to ensure your customers stay engaged. It’s much better to do several short ones for different areas of your business than one long one!
To increase your response rate, think of ways you can reward customers who take part for their time and feedback. Things like a discount voucher/code to be used within a close deadline or a free gift are nice enticing ideas.
The many ways to survey
There are many ways to conduct your survey, including:
- By post (include a postage paid reply envelope)
- Online
- By telephone
- In person
Keep in mind that some customers may be reluctant to give you their real unbiased opinions if you conduct your own survey, so for telephone and in-person consider using a neutral party to carry it out for you. Hire someone that has business experience, because much of the benefit comes from the answers to follow-on questions.
When it comes to telephone surveys, for a better response rate it’s helpful to send a covering letter in advance asking for your customers’ assistance. Provide them with the name of the person who’ll be calling, let them know about the special gift you’d like to give them and provide them with a copy of the survey questions.
For online surveys there are a several popular platforms to choose from. This is the least expensive option and will allow you to survey your customers more frequently, which can only be a good thing.
Once your survey has been completed, it’s important to do something with the information, as a survey creates expectations among your respondents. As a minimum, thank everyone who took part with a letter.
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