Give the people what they want. It’s a common expression, and in the right setting, it can be a useful one. But here’s a question to consider:
How do you know what they want?
Unfortunately, there is no way to read the minds of your customers. Monitoring your social media posts and your e-commerce store analytics is a good start to learning customer behaviors and get a sense of who they are. However, when you’re looking to give your customers the best possible experience that they could want, there’s only one way to do it: Ask for customer feedback.
Be Proactive With Customer Feedback
Asking for customer feedback is the number one way to know how to make them happy. Don’t wait for the day that you’re fielding complaint emails and social media posts. Take a proactive stance on a regular basis and ask for a review. One good way to do this is to have a survey. Depending on how it’s done, it will give customers the ability to complete on their own time, to gain an incentive like a discount to encourage visits or opt out if desired. Here are a few useful tips for going about gathering customer feedback.
Incentivize
The classic reward method always works. Give people a good reason to take your survey, This starts with the subject line and may also lead to a discount on your site or entrance into a free giveaway. People want to know how their feedback will be used and that their time is valuable to you.
Be Transparent
Give the details upfront and set expectations for them to follow. Tell them how long, or how short the survey will be, and the time it will take to complete. There’s nothing worse than thinking it’s a 2-minute survey only to discover that it seems to be a never-ending experience.
Keep It Short and Sweet
Nothing kills interest faster and makes bounce rate soar than a monotonous 10-page survey. Keep your survey as short as you possibly can. If it’s possible, use a one-question or one-click survey.
Don’t Wait Long
The best way to ensure getting customer feedback is to stay at the top of mind. Be timely. Don’t wait a week after a customer interaction or an online sale to send the survey. Be prompt and send the survey while the experience is still fresh for best results.
Don’t Waste Their Time with Irrelevant Questions
Make sure your questions are clear and relevant to your business and their experience. Confusing or irrelevant questions will guarantee that your survey won’t be completed and your customers will not appreciate having their time wasted. Their future interest in your brand could be negatively affected.
Make It Easy
Multiple choice questions take much less cognitive effort than answering open-ended questions. BUT keep the question and answer options simple and limit how many choices they have to choose from.
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