Asking For Customer Feedback - Fleximize

Asking For Customer Feedback

Just how useful are questionnaires and surveys for retaining customers?

By Emma Meakin

Questionnaires and surveys can provide valuable information about how you can improve your business. But only if you do it right and avoid the pitfalls.

First, you need a clear purpose. Understand exactly what information it is that you want to uncover via the survey. It is vital to explain what you want to know. A clear aim will improve response rates and generate better quality data. Define your target customers carefully, for example a survey aimed at last week’s purchasers.

Secondly, do not ask irrelevant questions which serve no purpose. Only ask questions if you’ll genuinely use the data, otherwise it’s a waste of time for all parties. If you want to know about customer satisfaction ask about their satisfaction and experience. If your survey is too long and appears irrelevant your clients will question what it is you want to know and may not complete the survey.

Thank your customers and tell them what you’ll do with their data. This helps to make them feel valued, so it encourages retention right from the start. Follow them up after a few months to see if their answers have changed, that way you’ll know if your approach is working. When you do use feedback to make adjustments and improvements, let your customers know what their responses have led to.