Customer Surveys
Each August we look to your company’s market position. Customer perception is one
component of understanding how your products and services fit in the market place. This paper
focuses on the use of customer surveys to gather this information. For additional information
relative to your company’s market position, please see our other August Topics of the Month on
our website, www.cathedralconsulting.com.
Surveys: A Marketing Tool
Before delving into the survey process, it is useful to note that a survey is customer interaction
and customer interactions should be viewed as marketing opportunities. A survey in particular
provides the opportunity to:
1. Affirm your attentiveness to customer needs and concerns.
2. Enhance the overall company brand.
3. Introduce customers to new products and services.
Some people expect surveys to be a “negative feedback” exercise. Even though a survey may
generate this important result, it should still be a positive connection with each customer that will
create stronger ties to the company’s customer base.
The Cathedral Customer Survey Process has four distinct phases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Determine the Survey Goals & Objectives.
Design the Survey.
Test & Distribute Survey.
Analyze and Report Survey Findings.
Determine the Goals and Objectives of the Survey
Before selecting or writing questions for the survey, it is important to think through what you
want to accomplish through the survey. Surveys can be used to measure customer attitudes in
a number of areas including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Customer loyalty.
Customer satisfaction with current products/services.
Customer’s perception of the company’s value proposition.
The need for a new product in development.
Customer awareness of current product/service offerings.
Customer service effectiveness.
To determine what your company’s goals and objectives are for the customer survey, it will be
important to ask yourself the following questions:
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1.
2.
3.
4.
What questions will clarify your value proposition to the customers?
What questions will encourage better knowledge of your products and services?
How will the information gathered enhance decision-making?
How prepared are we to implement change as a result of this survey?
Design the Survey
Once the survey goals and objectives have been determined, we are now ready to design the
survey to collect data from our customers. The following steps are suggested:
1. Determine how the survey will be delivered. Phone surveys, online surveys, and directmail surveys are some of the delivery methods used to survey customers today. When
choosing a delivery method, it is important to understand your target audience and what
method of communication will be easiest to reach them. Some recommend staying away
from phone surveys if your target audience is below the age of 24, since most customers
under the age of 24 do not have a landline or have placed their cell phone number on
the do-not-call list.
Online surveys are currently the most utilized delivery method because it is costeffective and efficient. Another options would be to send a postcard with the link to fill out
the online survey. The recommended online survey tool for small business is Survey
Monkey, as it allows for customized design and distribution as well as an analysis of
survey results.
2. Design survey questions. It will be important to keep in mind that the survey should
include no more than 5-10 questions and be able to be completed in less than 5
minutes. You can vary the question format to include yes or no questions, multiply
choice questions, or questions that allow the customer to rate their answer. Regardless,
it is crucial that each question include a text box for additional comments. Personal or
demographic questions may be included at the end rather than at the beginning of the
survey.
3. Craft a cover note. It is the cover note that gets the customer to open and take the
survey. To encourage response, the note should highlight that:
a. The company is seeking customer’s feedback.
b. The number of questions and length of time survey will take to complete.
c. Appreciation for the customer’s willingness to respond to the survey.
Test & Distribute the Survey
Prior to sending out the survey, forward it to colleagues to test the clarity of the survey
questions, form, and its associated instructions. Utilize their input to make any necessary
enhancements. Cathedral has a full-service customer survey program that has played this role
for our clients.
Note that survey response rates are typically low; between 2% to 5% is average. Sometimes
incentives are used to get respondents to complete the survey. Incentives can include gifts,
coupons, or cash. With the level of e-mail spam surveys and their rewards, Cathedral does not
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recommend providing incentives the first time a survey is sent. The level of survey response
without an incentive indicates the level of customer loyalty to your products or services.
Analyze and Report Survey Findings
Once the survey is complete, a review and analysis of findings is critical. Any trends should be
highlighted in a summary report. This analysis should also be compared to the company’s
perceptions of its value proposition, quality of products, and services. Refinements to improve
the company’s results should also be noted.
When conducting a survey of customers, remember that respondents will tend to be one of two
categories:
1. Unhappy customers: They are important and their feedback is critical. In the analysis,
the demographic information of the responses should be considered. Is the feedback
from first time customers? Is it focused a particular product or service? Are unhappy
customers located in a certain geographical area? Any trends or themes should be
discussed, as some may warrant action.
2. Happy customers: These are our fans. Their feedback is important as they demonstrate
whether the company is meeting its value proposition.
As stated, surveys are a great tool to clarify and maximize your company’s value to your
customers. Market positioning takes place in the mind of customers and surveys are a great tool
to reveal such perspective. This information allows us to better gauge customer satisfaction and
if necessary, reshape our product and service offerings to enhance customer satisfaction.
Articles for Further Reading
1. Constantcontact.com. “Top 12 Survey Best Practices,”
http://img.constantcontact.com/docs/pdf/Top12SurveyBestPractices.pdf
2. Constantcontact.com. “Sample Survey Questions, Answers, and Tips”
http://www.constantcontact.com/aka/docs/pdf/survey_sample_qa_tips.pdf
3. Econsultancy.com. Author: Tim Leighton-Boyce. “Best Practices for e-commerce Consumer
Surveys: Part One,” February 29, 2011.
http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9134-best-practices-for-e-commerce-consumer-surveys
4. Econsultancy.com. Author: Tim Leighton-Boyce. “Best Practices for e-commerce Consumer
Surveys: Part Two,” March 2, 2012.
http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9144-best-practices-for-e-commerce-consumer-surveyspart-two
5. Inc.com. Author: Tim Donnelly “How to Write a Customer Survey,” August 5, 2010.
http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/08/how-to-write-a-customer-survey_pagen_2.html
Andrew Burnett is a former Managing Director in the New York Office. Sharon Nolt is a former
Senior Associate in the New York office, and Elizabeth Christenson is a former Associate in the
New York office.
For more information, please visit Cathedral Consulting Group LLC online at
www.cathedralconsulting.com or contact us at info@cathedralconsulting.com.
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