By definition, entrepreneurs go into business to provide a product or service desired by the market, based on their view. It is very important to understand your customers’ buying habits and changing desires. Without this information there is a possibility that the products and services you develop do not perfectly align with the market’s needs.
There are multiple types of survey formats, depending on the survey goals. At a minimum, every business should be involved in conducting:
·Transaction Survey – survey the customer’s experience regarding a recent service provided or purchased. Common questions include overall satisfaction, willingness to recommend, satisfaction with eight to ten aspects of the sale process, ideas to improve the product or service.
·Contact Survey – survey the customer’s experience when they called your Customer Service department recently. Common questions include wait time, were your question(s) resolved, satisfaction with eight to ten aspects of the customer service process, ideas to improve the service.
At the end of both surveys, respondents should be given the opportunity to provide their personal information and request a call back. This requires results to be reviewed when received, and personal calls made to the respondents in a timely manner, if that is what was requested.
The data collected should be analyzed and monitored, to identify product or service change recommendations. The information should also be used to set satisfaction levels today, allowing you to gauge improvements or to quickly identify problems, over time. Survey results and comments can be added to your
Businesses that are unsuccessful at this strategy run the
For more information, see www.cfotips.com.