MARKETINGPROFS: DO YOUR CUSTOMER SURVEYS MEASURE UP?
MarketingProfs‘ David Jackson suggests ways you can ensure more accurate results in your client satisfaction surveys. For instance, use short surveys often so the event in question is front of mind.
MarketingProfs Excerpt:
Do the following statements describe your company’s approach to gathering customer data?
We ask customers to comment only on what they have experienced firsthand because we need reliable data, not guesses.
We collect customers’ views shortly after they have interacted with the company, while the event or activity is fresh in their minds, because people forget and we need to address service issues promptly.
The teams that do the work receive data about their performance because they comprise the people who need to understand and improve the way service is delivered to customers.
We report customer data alongside financial data because we know that customer loyalty improves financial performance.
If you answered yes to all of the above, you are a very rare breed.
Our experience suggests that most companies use a crude approach to gathering vital customer data: Periodic, often annual, surveys that are disconnected in time from the events they are purporting to measure are the norm.
We call them the Annual ”Do You Love Us?” Survey, and it has many pitfalls.