Do you formerly survey your customers, and consistently?
Like anything else marketing-related, if you aren’t doing it, and doing it in a timely manner, and following up on it, there’s little ROI. Fortunately, even with all the “ands,” electronic or online surveys squash all the “buts” of why you don’t do regular surveying of your customers.
The first rule of thumb is to make it easy, which starts with a short survey. The recipient gets an automated email that briefly explains the purpose of the survey and that it takes a minute or two to complete. They simply click on the link and away they go. We ask three scaled questions (1 = poor/5 = excellent) and leave the fourth question optional – and open. The client has the opportunity to punch in a few subjective comments on their most recent digital package printing project with us. They also get a reminder within a week if they didn’t reply the first time. We only ask the top three questions: overall satisfaction level, overall customer service level, and value level.
Other keys are to be persistent but not pesky, and to follow up appropriately after the survey is completed. We systematically send surveys to the same individual a maximum of twice a year. We also give them the opportunity, as all email marketing should, to opt-out or unsubscribe. I also personally contact clients that indicate any kind of problem, take every opportunity to comment back when complimented, or pass on the kudos to specific team members if mentioned.
We’ve been surveying in some way, shape, or form since 1995 – and doing online surveys for at least five years with a 19% return rate.
Of course, again like most things marketing, there’s an upfront cost. But what’s the value of finding out there was an undisclosed problem with a recent project, or a big customer was really unhappy with a specific issue? Or from an internal marketing perspective, giving an employee a simple pat on the back?
The (collective) answer is: it’s priceless.
