Customer Satisfaction Surveys and Your Business

A business can tell customers anything it wants. “We value your business.” “We want to do whatever is necessary to keep you happy.” But, talk is cheap. In the end, customers will only believe in your commitment to customer service based on your performance.

So, how is your customer service performing? How do you know?

Beyond simply listening and responding to a customer complaint, it is imperative that you ask customers what their expectations are for an acceptable level of service. Without this critical information, you will not be effectively prepared to resolve customer issues.

When the number of customer complaints relative to your product or services is significant, you need to employ action plans to identify and correct these issues. A vital element of business success is gathering and analyzing customer assessments of your services. That data is essential to continuous customer service improvement, and it can be gathered effectively with a good customer satisfaction survey.

The method of gathering accurate and actionable customer expectations is both an art and a science. Competently worded surveys can provide reliable indicators and feedback from customers about your company.

Customer Survey Objectives

The primary aims of customer surveys are to:

• Determine whether a business is providing a satisfactory service to its customers.
• Confirm that the requirements of the customer have not changed.
• Provide your business with an objective evaluation of customer satisfaction and/or dissatisfaction, and identify areas for improvement.

It must be apparent to the customer that the outcome of the survey will be of benefit to them. “What do you think of our service now? What do we need to improve?” It also must be clear that their feedback is essential for better customer service – that by completing the survey and returning it to you, they win too.

Customer Survey Benefits

Customer surveys build a strong relationship with customers. They help businesses define customer expectations of quality, service, and performance requirements. Customer surveys enable a business to receive positive and negative feedback on their products or services and implement the appropriate corrective actions for improvement.

Ultimately, customer surveys establish the perception with your customers that, if required, you have the capability and willingness to change and improve your service.