How good is your customer feedback program? From the time a customer dines with you, or makes a purchase, how long does it take to get them a feedback survey? Is it done by invitation at the bottom of the receipt – if so, is this point out to the customer as they are leaving? – or via email?
Timing can vastly improve the data from customer feedback surveys, which is why many companies are turning to real time feedback in the form of text surveys, mobile apps, and customer engagement consoles.
People are busy, and details can get lost easily when it comes to their experiences, unless of course it is extremely positive or negative. If customers are not getting a survey until the day (or more) after the experience, are you sure they will provide the most accurate details? It’s not often I will remember an employee’s name later that day, or the next day, so it will be difficult to recall that information if a company asks when seeking feedback. I also may not remember if my wait in line was longer or shorter than I anticipated, or if the employee suggested opening a store credit card.
In addition to making sure you’re asking the right questions, ensuring that the time between the experience and the survey is a short as possible will provide the most accurate data. One great example I’ve seen recently is from Diamond Candles – they have incorporated customer feedback into the signature line of their support staff.
When a customer sends an email or web inquiry to the company, and a response is provided, this is what customers clearly see at the end of the email:
Simply click on your opinion of the response, and you will be taken to a response specific survey that is designed based on the response you chose. It allows customers to provide additional comments and send off their thoughts. This not only makes it easy for the customer, but the timing is immediate, and as a company, it’s easy to look for trends across those that were satisfied, neutral, or dissatisfied because there are three separate data streams coming in. I’ve seen similar types of feedback requests in live chats as well – the survey link is provided at the very end of the conversation, and one click gets the customer to the survey right away.
If you’re looking for ways to be efficient in your customer feedback programs, just send us a quick email and we’ll be happy to give you some options!
