Customer Satisfaction Surveys Tell You What Needs to Change

The only way to make your business better is to understand which areas can be improved. In order to do that, you have to talk to your customers. Customer satisfaction surveys help you see what your customers think of your products and services, how well you are providing those products and services, and what issues or problems they are facing. They give you a look behind the scenes at what your clients are thinking and feeling.

Why conduct customer satisfaction surveys

Customer retention rates are 30% higher for companies that do regular customer satisfaction surveys compared to those that don't. The reason why is that surveys identify problem areas for customers before they choose to leave you and work with one of your competitors. For most people, if they have a consistent problem with your process, they'll just leave without saying anything. But if you have a third party call and ask if anything is wrong, they will tell them. Once you know what the problem is, you can work immediately on fixing it.

In addition to correcting issues, conducting customer satisfaction surveys also shows your customers that you care about them. You'll impress them by being proactive and proving to them that you are invested in giving them the best possible experience with your business. Most companies don't conduct regular surveys, so if you do, you'll easily gain an edge over your competition.

How customer satisfaction surveys work

Customer satisfaction surveys work best if they are done over the phone instead of email. Phone surveys tend to provide a better sample. At Winsby we can usually reach a customer over the phone on every third call. Plus, once we're talking with the customer, 97% of people agree to take the survey, compared to a normal response rate of less than 2% for email surveys. Phone surveys are also more interactive; the caller can ask follow up questions if any responses are unclear.

It's best to use a third party to conduct the surveys rather than someone from your organization. Customers tend to be more candid with an outside person and more comfortable expressing dissatisfaction and negative experiences.

The process

The first step to starting customer satisfaction surveys is to develop a calling script. Think about what is important in your business and what customers care about, so you can ask them relevant questions that give you useful information. Key areas across most industries are typically timeframes, quality, and customer service.

Once you have your script, it's time to start calling a target number of customers each month. Record all responses and be sure to follow up on any negative responses as quickly as possible. The last step is to inform relevant departments of any issues, so they can get to work fixing them.

What's the benefit for your business?

Customer satisfaction surveys remove obstacles that are preventing growth in your business by helping you understand what your customers are thinking and how you are filling their needs. They allow you to fix problems before they become too big, and they help prevent negative word of mouth about your company. If you can fix the problems quickly, then any unhappy customers usually become some of your most loyal ones moving forward simply because you showed you care.

Contact our team to start improving your retention through customer satisfaction surveys today!