While many companies have spent millions of dollars on “customer relationship management software” aka CRM, the investments have not yet proven to be worthwhile due to the kinds of data being collected on a day to day . Most of the data obtained by CRM systems is extremely number heavy and contains details of transactions including what proportion, total cost, price, etc. the info that is missing that is MOST DESIRED is what the experts call “attitudinal data”.
This type of knowledge contains what your customers think and feel during a transaction. Was your store dirty? Why did they buy the black suitcase and not the blue? Is there something wrong with a blue suitcase? Etc. Simple questions within the sort of a Transactional Survey sent out right after purchase or at rock bottom of a receipt are often extremely effective in filling in a number of the holes that your current customer satisfaction survey system (or lack thereof) may need .
How to Administer Your Customer Survey
The best means of administering a survey depends on whether it is a transactional or relationship survey. A transactional survey is conducted at the purpose of customer contact. counting on the nature of the customer contact, an in person, telephone, or online survey could also be appropriate. Relationship surveys, on the opposite hand, are most cost effectively conducted online.
In addition to this sort of transactional customer survey, you can also issue periodic customer surveys perhaps every year or even twice a year… the less often the better. These surveys would ideally capture and show a trend over the future . Maybe you’re a hotel chain and your satisfaction scores were low in 2005. You surveyed your customers, and what overwhelmingly became apparent is that they would like wireless internet in all the rooms. So you set it in. In 2006, you issue the same survey back to them and show huge increases in satisfaction. this is often another nice thanks to survey your customers.
However you plan on conducting customer satisfaction surveys, always keep your customer’s time and loyalty at the top of your mind. Too many surveys, emails, phone calls are only getting to annoy them. Keep them on your side by showing them exactly what you’re getting to do with their feedback, and show them the results when it’s done.
Online data collection offers significant advantages over other modes of interviewing customers, and you should use it whenever possible. the benefits include:
Speed the web offers instantaneous distribution of survey and real time accumulation and tabulation of results. This enables for immediate data analysis, even while the survey is still ongoing . Because customer satisfaction results are wont to identify problems and fix them, the faster responses arrive, the faster they will be addressed. In contrast, mail surveys suffer from long lag times and low response rates, as low as 5%. Telephone surveys take longer due to declining response rates. Refusal rates for phone interviews have reached 60% (AC Nielsen). With the convenience of answering online surveys, they can be completed faster and a broader segment of the customer base are often reached. counting on a variety of variables, the relationship with the survey recipients, the length of the survey, whether a reminder is sent, and whether an incentive is offered, response rates for online surveys are often upward of 35%. Even for online surveys during which there’s no prior relationship with recipients, response rates are often 23% to 31% (Quirk’s market research Review).
Candor People are more honest when their answers aren’t filtered through someone on the phone. this is often essential for research on sensitive material where studies indicate people are more likely to answer questions on the online than they’re on the phone or in personal interviews. (Quirk’s market research Review). The removal of interviewer bias and therefore the elimination of the wait time for an interviewer to record results also yields more candid and complete responses to open ended questions. this is often particularly important when customers volunteer additional information to elucidate their satisfaction ratings. Such responses provide insight into what a corporation is doing well and regularly provide warning signs about the health of the account.
Cost the web eliminates many of the prices related to traditional market research . Online surveys avoid postage and telephone costs also as basic materials like paper, staples, envelopes, and printing. Because it’s self directed, there’s no interviewer cost. Finally, it’s more convenient therefore the cost of offering incentives are often reduced.
Online and offline methods of knowledge collection also can be combined. If offline methods are necessary for a part of the customer base, the info for patrons who are often reached only via mail, in person, or by telephone are often input to a web survey tool. That way all survey results are often captured, reviewed, and analyzed together.
