Customer Survey
FIND OUT WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT AND HOW SATISFIED THEY ARE WITH THEIR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Customer surveys are a method of obtaining information from existing or potential customers regarding their expectations, satisfaction, and perception of a company. Customer surveys are a part of customer research and also include customer surveys, customer interviews, customer expectations surveys, and customer satisfaction surveys.
Customer surveys are used to generate data and control information on:
- Customer needs
- Customer satisfaction
- Design of product and service offerings
- Awareness and image of a company
- Differentiating features from the competition
- Pricing
- Other
SURVEY METHODS
The most important survey methods for customer surveys are:
- Written: In this customer survey method, the interviewee (respondent) fills out a prepared paper questionnaire in writing.
- Online: In online surveys, a question form is stored on a website and can be accessed via a special URL. There are open surveys that can be filled out by anyone, even multiple times, and closed surveys that are usually assigned to an individual respondent and can only be filled out once. Choosing the right method is important to prevent misuse or multiple completion.
- Telephone: In the case of a telephone survey by an interviewer, a trained interviewer calls the respective customers and asks the questions as specified. The answers are entered directly into a system by the interviewer. A telephone survey is also possible without a human interviewer. In the case of less complex surveys, the survey can also be conducted by a computerized system.
- Personal: A personal survey is conducted by a trained interviewer who records the answers in writing, on a laptop, or similar. Personal interviews allow for particularly good interaction with the respondent. However, this method involves higher costs than the telephone or online surveys mentioned above.
With regard to the frequency of surveys, a distinction is made:
- Periodic customer survey: Surveying at a certain frequency, usually annually, every two or every few years.
- Continuous customer survey: Here, the survey of customers is spread out over the year.
- Transactional customer survey: The survey is conducted immediately after a customer interaction.
The transaction-related customer survey delivers the best qualitative results because the situation assessed is closely related in time to the survey. The longer an event occurred in the past, the poorer the quality of the survey results, as the customer's assessment is influenced by things experienced in the meantime.
DIFFERENTIATION FROM SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS
- Non-customer survey: Survey of former customers
- Potential customer survey: Survey of customers who currently do not buy from the commissioning company but from the competition
- B2B customer survey: Survey directed at B2B contacts
- Decision-maker survey: Survey that focuses on decision-makers or groups of decision-makers in companies or other organizations, such as associations
- Exit interview: A form of survey in which customers are interviewed as they leave a retail store or shopping center
- Expert interview: Questioning by experts or interviewing of experts
- In-depth interview: Extensive, usually individual, and only partially structured survey that goes into great detail on the topic in question
CONCERTARE'S EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF CUSTOMER SURVEYS
Each year, concertare conducts many thousands of customer surveys nationally and internationally in all industries and with all methods. For many questions, methodologically proven questionnaires and formulations exist, the use of which can provide benchmark data. Benchmark data enables a determination of the relative position of one's own company compared to other market participants.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD A CUSTOMER SURVEY BE CONDUCTED?
A customer survey is a proven method that can be used to find out comparatively quickly how the potential target group views a product or a company. Since the image of a brand can change again and again over time, it makes sense to conduct such customer surveys not just once, but at regular intervals. In order to obtain reliable information, it is essential to ask the "right" questions and to ask the questions in a methodologically correct way. Our experienced staff will help you to set up the survey methodically correctly right from the start so that you can make optimum use of the results of the customer surveys. With customer surveys, you benefit from a practical opportunity to make targeted contact with your respective target group and to better assess their satisfaction and needs.
WHAT AREAS ARE ADDRESSED IN A CUSTOMER SURVEY?
Customer surveys can be designed flexibly, so it is entirely up to you and your objective which questions should be asked. Perhaps you are looking for optimization potential for one of your classic products? Perhaps you would also like to know what features your customers would like to see in a new product? How does your target group rate your pricing? All these questions can be answered excellently with the help of a targeted customer survey.
You should first be clear internally whether your aim is to find out how your brand is perceived or whether you want to focus on specific sub-areas. Of course, a customer survey can also be used to find out how well known a company is in a particular region. The results of such a customer survey provide valuable information for the optimized design of marketing campaigns.
DEFINE AND SET UP A CUSTOMER SURVEY PROJECT
The following aspects in particular must be taken into account
HOW SHOULD A CUSTOMER SURVEY BE CONDUCTED?
Regardless of the type of customer survey you choose, it is especially important to make it as easy as possible for respondents. Questionnaires must be easy to understand and unambiguous in their message. Interviewers for face-to-face surveys must be carefully selected and trained. The length of the interview must be optimized in terms of customer friendliness. Of course, you want to ask for as much information as possible, but this should not take up too much of the customer's time. There are a number of methodological approaches here, for example, the use of classic multiple choice procedures instead of narrative responses, or the possibility of splitting up longer surveys and asking an appropriate representative population per sub-survey.
ON WHAT OCCASIONS SHOULD A CUSTOMER SURVEY BE CONDUCTED?
The optimal frequency of customer surveys depends in particular on your customer structure and the changes in your markets. In any case, it is recommended to conduct customer surveys once a year. But it can also make sense to ask the opinion of your own target group during the year, for example, if:
- a new product has been introduced
- an above-average number of customers cancel a contract
- customer relationships are to be expanded to include another service area
- it is noticed that more and more customers are opting for competitors' products.
In this case, it is also worthwhile to determine the differences in the opinions of new and regular customers in order to be able to address any need for optimization in a targeted manner. In the event of declining sales or falling buyer numbers, it also makes sense to obtain the opinion of "ex-customers". In many cases, this target group will tell you why the products and services on offer no longer seem interesting enough to them. You will rarely receive more helpful feedback! If clear trends emerge here, it is important to track their causes and take countermeasures. In many cases, such surveys can also be used to win back former customers.
Our consultants and experts with many years of experience will be happy to assist you in the conception, execution, and implementation of improvement measures.
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