Creating effective customer satisfaction surveys

It’s common for companies to send out surveys after a project is completed to see how they performed according to the customer. But, are you doing these surveys correctly? Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your customer satisfaction surveys:

1. Define your objective before you create.
   What are you trying to get out of this survey? Are you trying to find out why people hired your company and what they enjoyed about the process? By figuring out what you want from your customers filling out the survey, it will help you to lay out the questions that you are going to ask.
2. Explain the survey.
   No matter who is sending out the survey from your company, it is important to let your customers know ahead of time that you will be sending them a survey. Give them a simple explanation of what you’re looking to gain from the survey and not only will it make them more apt to fill it out, but they won’t be confused or surprised when they receive it.
3. Use different types of questions.
   When it comes to the time you’ll spend putting together a survey, it might seem quicker and easier to make scale or multiple choice type questions. But if you want genuine feedback from your customers, you might want to include some open-ended questions as well. These open-ended questions will help you understand what your company can improve and what you’re already doing correctly throughout a project.
4. Be careful about the length.
   You don’t want to overwhelm your customers with a three page survey, so when you go to create it, be mindful of the length. It’s not always about the number of questions either. Consider how long people will spend trying to answer each question and go from there!
5. React quickly when you see negative responses.
   If a client explains a negative experience that they had with your company, respond immediately. By taking action quickly, you will hopefully be salvaging a relationship with that client and stopping them from taking their complaints elsewhere.
6. Make everyone aware of these surveys.
   Knowing that customers might be filling surveys out after each project might encourage your employees to go above and beyond when it comes to customer satisfaction.
7. Put the feedback into action.
   Don’t just let the feedback you receive sit there. Put it into action, especially if you’ve heard the same feedback multiple times. Your future customers will thank you. And, share the good feedback on your website or social channels for prospective clients to see!

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