Customer satisfaction surveys can be difficult to create because you want to gather as much valuable information as possible without annoying your clientele with too many questions. For this reason, we’ve asked some of our favorite SMB experts about their approaches to creating customer satisfaction surveys.
What can we do better as a brand?
Small and medium sized businesses are always looking for ways to improve, so why not glean some ideas from your consumers? Who better to ask about improvements than the people who are experiencing the brand as you have designed it?
“Asking your customers what you can do better not only gives you a fresh perspective, but it gives them a voice,” says Elliot Schwarcz, CEO of Becca’s Home. “The best way to make your customers feel important is to let them see that their voices matter to you. This doesn’t mean you have to change your business for every suggestion, but show them how their feedback is helping you be better.”
How satisfied are you?
Just because a customer buys a product and doesn’t leave a review doesn’t mean that they’re completely satisfied. As you make changes or navigate a new business model, tracking customer satisfaction is a great way to see the impact that is having on your consumers.
“Many people will only feel the need to leave a review independently if they had a fantastic experience or they’re disappointed or frustrated with your brand,” says Chris Vaughn, CEO of Emjay. “Make sure you learn where everyone stands, not just the people on the extreme ends of the spectrum and learn from everyone.”
What distinctive value do we provide?
Having an effective marketing and branding strategy means that you’re setting yourself apart from the competition by offering a distinctive value. Understanding if that distinctive value is being observed by the consumer can be crucial to success.
“You may think that your brand offers something unique and exciting, but sometimes that aspect is lost in translation to the consumer,” says Michelle Arnau, CEO of Rowan for Dogs. “Understanding that can help you move forward with new ideas or marketing concepts.”
What should we work on?
Learning what your customers think should be done better can change your perspective on the customer experience. You can do your best to put yourself in their shoes, but ultimately you’ll always have a bias as you look at your own brand.
“Maybe you love the flow of your store and the lack of obtrusive signs, but your customers might struggle to find what they’re looking for – especially if it’s their first visit,” says Anne-Marie Faiola, CEO and Founder of Bramble Berry. “The same could go for your website. Sometimes we think the layout is amazing but they have a hard time navigating through the pages.”
Why would you come back to us?
Sometimes, this can be one of the aspects that a SMB forgets about. Sure, you have a unique quality or product that draws people in, but is that enough to keep them coming back?
“Asking what your consumers come back for or why they would come back can show you what they’re really valuing about your brand,” says Sumeer Kaur, CEO of Lashkaraa. “This is often what they’re going to tell other people about too because, to them, this is the best part of your brand.”
Where did you hear about us?
While you can run all of the marketing campaigns you want, not all of them will give you direct feedback into how many responsive actions are taken by people who view them. It’s a great idea to ask people how they found out about your brand or a specific product.
“Social media platforms sometimes track the campaigns, but they’re not 100% accurate and if you have a brick and mortar store, you’re not going to learn that they found your brand initially on social media without asking,” says Georgia Dorfman, CEO of All My Love. “Having this in a survey can be a quick and easy way to figure out what’s working and what isn’t.”
What would you change about your experience?
Even a great experience might leave someone wanting a bit more. Asking people for their opinions about what you could change gives them a voice and allows you to hear from your customers in a survey where they might be more honest about their observations than if they had to tell you in a face-to-face interaction.
“Sometimes we are so wrapped up in the back end of a business plan that we forget that the customer has a completely different view of our brand,” says Leo Livshetz, Founder and CEO of UnHide. “They’re not looking at bottom lines and budgets or campaign goals. They see the brand for what it is to them and sometimes that might not be as perfect as it looks on the back end to the people who can see the whole picture. However, is your brand truly succeeding if the customer experience isn’t at its best?”
What products/services would you like to see?
While most brands pride themselves on their unique products or services that set them apart from the crowd, sometimes people want to see things that don’t exist within your business. Maybe there’s a certain product that they’d rather buy from you or a similar service that you don’t offer that would draw more people in. Learning what your customers would like to see in the future of your brand can allow for greater insight into possibilities.
“Some of the greatest ideas we’ve had have come from our consumers who want to see us be our best. Those loyal customers who keep coming back often have fantastic ideas for things they want to see in our brand,” says Juan Pablo Cappello, Co-Founder and CEO of Nue Life. “That’s because they’re talking to people about us and they’re hearing what others wish we had too. Sometimes the answer to this question can be more revealing than a focus group.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, SMBs should be sending out customer satisfaction surveys for a lot of reasons, but helping their consumers feel valued while building and improving their brand is a big part of it. There are lots of questions that you could ask, but our experts have given us a great list of questions you may want to consider.
Customer surveys for SMBs are fantastic because they allow for a certain level of anonymity when sent via email or text, and it seems like the easier it is to take the survey, the more likely it is that you’ll receive frequent feedback.
If you feel inspired to create a customer satisfaction survey for your small to mid sized business, we hope that you see great success with the results when following the tips above!
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