B2B Surveys: Getting Feedback from Businesses
Running a business isn't easy. Between managing employees, tracking finances, and acquiring customers, things can get overwhelming. But here's a secret: listening to your customers is one of the best ways to grow your B2B.
And by listening, I mean really listening. Not just hearing what you want to hear but setting up two-way conversations to get candid feedback. Increase customer retention by just 5%, and profits can jump 25-95%!
So, how do you start a conversation at scale? Surveys! They're like a virtual suggestion box ideal for busy B2B companies like yours. In this post, we'll explore how and why to use surveys to connect with customers, gather insights, and strengthen your business from the inside out.
Defining B2B surveys
Surveys allow you to ask questions and collect responses from a group of people. However, consumer surveys (B2C) are a far cry from B2B surveys. Instead of targeting individual buyers, you're zeroing in on other businesses.
The audiences are different, too. Rather than connecting with households, you're polling executives, managers, business buyers and other professionals. And because business clients are so valued (and busy!), you often have just a small pool of people to connect with.
With such a targeted audience, your survey response rates likely fall on the lower end of the 10-30% average. The tone might also differ. B2B surveys tend to be more serious and professional. B2C surveys can be more fun and casual.
Still, getting quality feedback from even a handful of customers can have a considerable impact. The insights you gather from these surveys are priceless. Ask away about pain points, preferences, and anything else you'd like to know!
Key objectives of B2B surveys
Speaking of goals, here are some of the most common reasons businesses conduct surveys:
- Identify new customer segments or underserved niches
- Assess current customer loyalty and retention odds
- Evaluate brand reputation amongst purchasers
- Pinpoint areas for better customer service
- Understand broader industry trends and changes
- Test potential partnerships or product innovations.
Designing effective B2B surveys
Now that we know why B2B surveys are so great, let's talk about how to make them. It's a bit like cooking – you need the right ingredients and a good recipe to make something people ant to consume!
Identifying the target audience
First, get clear on who you want to hear from. Trying to gather feedback from every business under the sun won't get you very far. Think niche, not net.
For example, a survey about financial software could target IT managers and developers at accounting firms in London. Detailed targeting means more specific, actionable insights.
You also want to pick a group that represents all your customers.
Crafting relevant and concise questions
You know your audience, so what do you want to ask them? Tailor your questionnaire questions to their roles and concerns.
Polling software users? Inquire about feature preferences or recent support ticket experiences. Conducting market research? Stick to high-level trends and business priorities.
While you're crafting questions, keep it short and sweet too. Busy professionals don't have time for a string of open-ended essay questions. Multiple choice and rating scale questions are your friend here.
Choosing the proper survey format
Next up, you need to decide how you'll give out your survey.
Online surveys are very popular these days. They're easy to do and are cost effective to distribute. Plus, people can complete them whenever they want. SmartSurvey makes it easy to create a survey (and they can be anonymous if you wish!)
Phone surveys are another option. They're more personal, and you might get a good amount of people to answer. However, they take more time and can be expensive.
In-person surveys are ideal for really understanding what people think. You can see their facial expressions and hear their tone of voice. But they're not always practical, especially if your customers are far away.
Think about who you're talking to and what kind of info you want when you're picking your survey type.
Survey distribution methods
Right, you've designed your survey. Now, how do you get it out there? This part is just as important as the survey design. How you share your survey will affect how many people answer and how good the data is. Lets take a look at some popular survey distribution methods.
Email surveys
Email is probably the most popular distribution channel. Simply send a personalised email explaining the survey and linking directly to it, or add it as an attachment. It allows you to easily reach customers and business contacts on your mailing list.
Just be aware that inbox overload means most people ignore over half of the emails they get. As such, use attention-grabbing subject lines and straightforward questions to put all chances on your side.
Web-based surveys
Hosting your survey right on your company website or promoting it via social media opens up more possibilities to get responses.
Tools like SmartSurvey make it a breeze to create web surveys people can access from any device, while letting you watch results roll in in real time.
Mobile surveys
Everyone's glued to their smartphones these days - why not meet survey takers where they already are? Mobile-friendly surveys are a newer, yet promising avenue that allow professionals to share feedback on the go.
Just be mindful that the smaller screen means you need to keep questions extra short and simple.
Leveraging social media & professional networks
Social media and professional networks like LinkedIn are great for surveys, too. Your business customers are probably already hanging out there. The same applies to X (Twitter) and Reddit. You can even target specific groups or job types on these platforms.
Collecting and managing survey data
Once you've sent out your survey and the answers start rolling in, it's time to make sense of all that info. Managing your data well is vital. You want to make sure your data is accurate and secure.
There are many tools available to help you collect and manage your data. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are great for this. As it so happens SmartSurvey integrates well with CRMs!
Analysing survey results
Now comes the fun part – figuring out what all those answers mean. There are two main ways to look at your data, qualitative and quantitative:
- Qualitative analysis: This is for open-ended questions where people write their own answers. You'll have to read through and find common themes.
- Quantitative analysis: This is for number-based questions. It's more about counting and comparing.
You might use some statistical models to understand your data better. Once again, there are programs available to this end. The most important thing is to look for patterns in your answers. Are lots of people saying the same thing? That's probably important!
It can also be helpful to turn your data into visuals like graphs or charts, and better still in a single survey dashboard view.
Actionable insights from B2B surveys
As you can see, B2B surveys are a step-by-step process. And we've now arrived at the last step. It's time to sit down with your leadership team, discuss results, and align on strategies going forward. Then create an action plan to implement changes.
Be sure to set benchmarks so you can measure impact over time. Running follow-up surveys allows you to see if your changes moved the needle.
When done right, all this number crunching turns into better customer experiences, smoother operations, and ultimately - revenue growth!
Overcoming common B2B survey challenges
Don't be fooled into thinking that gathering business intel is always easy. Here are some speed bumps you might encounter:
Dealing with low response rates
Let's face it: busy executives aren't jumping to spend their precious time taking your survey. That's why B2B polls often see single-digit or low double-digit response rates.
You can avoid low response rates and encourage more participation by:
- Offering monetary or high-value non-cash incentives
- Sending personalised surveys instead of generic ones
- Keeping it short and mobile-friendly
Ensuring relevance & engagement
Even if people start your survey, irrelevant questions can quickly tank engagement. Ensure you only invite the right audiences and tailor the content specifically to them. For example, asking a developer about sales projections makes little sense. Hyper-targeted promotion and questions keep interest piqued.
Avoiding survey fatigue
Business pros are busy, and the last thing you want is to annoy them with overly-frequent surveys. Time and frequency matter here.
To avoid survey fatigue, aim to send surveys during slower periods on the company calendar when possible, avoiding especially hectic times like fiscal quarter-ends. Check-in on availability before sending.
You also want to avoid survey overload over time. Consider an annual or quarterly cadence at most, providing easy opt-outs for anyone at risk of fatigue. Variety keeps engagement fresh too - switch up questions and incentives between go-rounds.
Minimising biased or incomplete responses
Getting authentic, thoughtful survey responses is crucial for reliable insights. But survey bias and dishonesty can subtly or unintentionally skew results.
Promote honesty through anonymous participation and a judgement-free tone. Seek candid, constructive criticism rather than just praise. And ask open-ended follow-ups to better contextualise responses. Contrast multiple-choice ratings with "why" explanations.
The key is continual refinement of both survey design and business practices based on feedback.
Wrapping up
B2B surveys are a powerful survey tool for business, helping you to better understand your business customers. They help you make smart decisions and keep your customers happy. Remember, the key is to ask the right questions, to the right people, in the right way.
Key takeaways
Importance of listening to customers: Gathering candid feedback from customers through surveys is crucial for B2B businesses, as it can significantly improve customer retention and drive revenue growth.
Understanding B2B vs. B2C surveys: B2B surveys differ from B2C surveys in audience, tone, and response rates, as they target business professionals rather than individual consumers. This necessitates a more professional approach and tailored questions.
Types and objectives of B2B surveys: B2B surveys can serve various purposes, such as gauging customer satisfaction, conducting market research, and testing product concepts. Each type of survey should align with specific business objectives to be effective.
Effective survey design: Designing a successful B2B survey involves clear audience targeting, crafting concise and relevant questions, and choosing the appropriate survey format. The design should be user-friendly to maximise response rates.
Survey distribution methods: Distribution channels like email, web-based platforms, and social media are key to reaching the target audience. Each method has its pros and cons, and the choice should be based on the audience’s preferences and habits.
Analysing and applying survey data: Collecting and managing survey data accurately is vital. Analysis should focus on identifying patterns and actionable insights, which can then be used to inform business strategies and improvements.
Overcoming common survey challenges: B2B surveys often face issues like low response rates, relevance, and potential survey fatigue. Strategies to mitigate these challenges include offering incentives, ensuring targeted questions, and varying the survey cadence to maintain engagement.
