Customer Satisfaction Surveys - Why They Are Important?

Many organisations are aware that customer satisfaction is the most important asset they have. However, gathering feedback from consumers on a regular basis is not always seen as a priority, sometimes because no one is quite sure how to do it. We take a closer look at how online surveys can help you to understand your customers and improve loyalty…

Customers have ever increasing options of online methods of communication at their fingertips, therefore there is really no excuse for a business not understanding exactly what the user wants. Gathering customer feedback on existing products and services will provide you with the insight to drive future decisions, resulting in a truly customer orientated business.

Are your customers happy?

Information gathered from customer satisfaction surveys provides valuable insight for your organisation to stay relevant and to understand your customer needs and wants. Successful business owners and managers know that it costs more money to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one? It makes sense to retain customers and build a loyal relationship with them so that not only do they return to purchase from you, rather than a competitor, but they become advocates of your brand.

Providing great customer service is the lifeblood of your business. By using online surveys to collect feedback, you can find out what makes your customers happy and what they are dissatisfied with. Information gathered can help in validating decisions and demonstrates to your existing and loyal customer base that you are interested in serving their needs. Customer satisfaction surveys are important tools for improving your business and ensuring your customers remain with you.

Grow your brand with customer satisfaction surveys

Studies demonstrate that satisfied consumers tend to develop brand loyalty, leading to repeat business. They often spread the word by recommending products and services to friends and family as an informal referral process. You can build loyalty and trust by generating branded surveys that will incorporate the look and feel of your organisation into your surveys.

Customer satisfaction surveys gather specific information about positive and negative perceptions that could improve marketing or sales efforts. The continued growth of social media means comments about a brand can be seen by thousands of potential customers almost instantly. By using the opportunity to collect information and act on it shows that you care about your reputation as a customer-friendly brand that truly aims to serve customers.

Connect with your customers

Online surveys give you the opportunity to reach your customers in a multitude of ways especially as state-of-the-art software means all surveys are mobile responsive. By reaching out to customers via web links, emails, social media and SMS, you can reach people pretty much anywhere and at anytime. If for some reason you’re not able to connect to the internet, something that is becoming less and less likely, you can collect data offline and download it when you get back to the office.

According to this article in AdWeek, “there are a multitude of mobile channels, methods of communication and personalization capabilities that can be leveraged to really engage consumers through their mobile devices” and that “83 percent of marketers identify that the ability to make data-guided decisions is one of the most important capabilities”.

Designing your online survey

A customer satisfaction survey should provide you with the statistical data you require for analysing your stated objectives. The first step to building a useful online survey is to establish your overall intended goals and a process for how you will be comparing results.

When you start drafting your survey, make sure it is clear what you are asking for. Consider using a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions with areas for comments, to achieve a mixture of results. It can be helpful at the start of the survey to outline what the research aims to achieve and how respondents can help by completing the questions.

By adding a Net Promoter Score question in your online survey, you can measure how happy customers are with you and whether or not they would recommend you to others.

Benchmark results

By sending the same survey at staggered intervals, you can compare results and establish whether or not the changes you have made are working. Communicating with your customers is an important part of the process, make sure you explain that you are aiming to make improvements and thank those that took part for their feedback. Wouldn’t it be nice to show your boss that customer satisfaction is growing month-on-month and year-on-year?

Use powerful analysis

Customer satisfaction reports can be viewed in real-time, giving you the opportunity to make immediate changes when needed. You can monitor responses and immediately get in touch with customers who have made a complaint or asked for the company to respond to their grievance. Results can be shared easily by sending your colleagues password protected links to view reports.

Keep it personal

Some businesses go further to promote good customer service, by personally contacting customers. Those who have ranked particular products or services as being poor could be offered discounts in an effort to retain their business. If customers make significant comments that have led to clear improvements in the services, the respondent could be informed on the impact they have made and thanked for contributing. This focus on personal feedback demonstrates that you are listening and do care.

Remember that customer satisfaction surveys not only provide you with an advanced tool to record feedback but also offer an avenue of communication that gives you the opportunity to establish a loyal, engaged and hopefully happy customer base. Visit our customer satisfaction survey page for more information on ways to reach and out and engage with your customers.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2016 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.