Are your store customers loyal? How do you know? In today's retail climate, John Q. Customer has many choices as to where he shops in person and online. Now more than ever, it is crucial to make sure your customers are satisfied with your store and service. Online customer surveys are a great way to gauge consumers' attitude toward your store. Lets look at five ways to ensure you get the most from your customer satisfaction surveys.
1. Getting the Customer to the Survey. There are two quick and easy ways to drive your customer to complete a survey. The first has become quite popular, and that is including the survey code and website at the bottom of the sales receipt. Consider offering an incentive to make sure they complete the survey - perhaps 10% off their next in-store purchase.
The second way is to capture the buyer's email address during the transaction. Ask Mary Customer for her email so you can follow up with a brief survey. Again, offer an incentive, and make that perk known as she gives you her email. Be sure to have a system in place so that once the address is added to your system, the email survey is sent automatically.
2. Make sure the survey process is easy and painless. Stick to less than ten questions that take 30 - 45 seconds to complete. Most importantly, make the online survey easy to access from a mobile phone or tablet.
3. General or focused survey? Decide if you want the survey to be general to reflect the entire shopping experience, or focused on one aspect of the transaction. Perhaps you want to gauge the customer's awareness of your store signs and displays. Ask specific questions about that topic alone.
4. Send a "thank you" email. Once the survey data is collected, do not ignore the responder. Set up your survey system to automatically generate a "thank you" email once the survey is complete. Remember, your customer is taking time respond to your questions. Assure him you are listening and appreciate him.
5. Make sure you use the data to better your service. If you don't plan to use the data to improve service and share it with employees, then don't bother collecting it in the first place. There is nothing more frustrating to consumers than asking for their opinions and the retailer not ultimately addressing them.
Simple online surveys can help you determine what your store is doing right and how you can improve. There are many online survey systems available that can help you easily set up a survey for free or a nominal charge.
Image Source: Charlie Brewer
