Putting customer satisfactions surveys online
So how can your business ramp up the satisfaction of your clientele? You can tap into the buying opinions and behaviours of your customers with a handy online tool, the Customer Satisfaction Survey.
This survey is one of the fastest ways to improve the onsite shopping experience for your current and new brand fans. It is a fully customised survey, provided by a third-party organisation, with the questions centred on the needs of your business.
Typically, this survey is offered to customers after they have made a purchase. They have 24-48 hours to return their completed in print or online form, which is made up of 8-10 multiple choice questions based on the following concepts:
- Frequency of visits to your establishment
- Cleanliness of the onsite location
- Merchandise display appeal
- Level of customer service
- Pricing of products and services
- Value
- Product selection
- Quality of products and services
- Timing of service
- Likelihood of returning for additional items
- Likelihood of spreading the word to others
As a thank you for their efforts, participating survey customers either are offered a discount on future purchases or entered in a draw for a chance to win cash, a high value item or complimentary service.
Benefiting business owners
After a predetermined number of surveys have been received, the feedback is carefully analysed by the third-party organisation. A well-designed report is then presented to the business owner.
Results include a broad description of the shopper, his or her experience and the likelihood of returning and recommending your business to friends and family. Improvement ideas are suggested along with an implementation strategy. Eventually, the survey process can be repeated in order to measure the ongoing effectiveness of the new improvements.
Business owners appreciate this type of feedback because it is an objective way to tap into the buying insights and experiences of their demographics. These surveys are also solution-oriented and very affordable for businesses of all shapes and sizes, budgets and industry niches. Hence, the popularity of customer satisfaction surveys has exploded in the last few years.
Using it with other assessment tools
It can be used on its own or in tandem with a mystery-shopping programme. Both offer unique takes on the customer experience. Together, they give a well-rounded view of the business.
A mystery shopper programme is customer experience-based. It involves the hiring of a well-trained shopper who poses as a normal customer. He or she is given an assignment to visit your location and inquire about specific products and services. This specialised shopper will identify organisational glitches, quickly and efficiently, according to a predefined checklist.
To take it a step further, a mystery shopper can be asked to visit your competitors in order to offer direct comparisons on side-by-side benchmarks. An example of this is a mystery shopper reporting on the length of time he had to wait before receiving his order at a fast food restaurant.
In contrast, a customer satisfaction survey is shopper-based. It delivers the "voice of the customer" and is more concerned with expectations and perceptions than the criteria of the mystery shopper program. Since surveys are sent to a large number of clients, they promise a high number of responses. This turns into measurable feedback from the masses. An example of this is survey would be a participant reporting if his wait time was unsatisfying, satisfying or very satisfying.
The best to determine whether your customer service is being met is through a customer service satisfaction survey. Mystery shopper organisations will walk you through the process, from start to finish and help you on your way to providing an outstanding customer experience and increasing your bottom line.
For more information, go to www.therealisegroup.com.au.
