Regardless, if you are looking for feedback on a new product or you are just trying to get an overall feel about your customer relations department, there is no better way to find out than by utilizing a survey. Not only will the right surveys give you valuable input for your customer, but it will also make the customer feel like their thoughts and words make a difference. Thanks to technology there are now a variety of different ways that you can conduct these surveys. You can take the route of mailing them out or you can send a simple e-mail to all those registered with your mailing list. Whatever the situation is, surveys are an extremely valuable tool for businesses. However, if you want to make the most of your survey you need to make sure that you are asking the right questions and applying the appropriate techniques.
Start By Knowing And Defining Your Goals
In order to get your survey off to a successful start and keep it on the right path you are going to have to know what goals you want to accomplish. For instance, are you trying to find out what features you customers like best about your latest products or are you trying to discover what customers think about your response times? Perhaps, you want to find out how helpful your website is. Whatever information you are looking for, you have to know what you want your survey to accomplish before you begin probing your customers with the essential questions.
Consider Using A Survey Tools And Templates
Thanks to the widespread reach of the Internet there are a number of survey tools and templates available right at your fingertips. Survey tools allow you to create your very own customized surveys and e-mail them right out to your customers. Survey templates on the other hand are basically pre-made templates that are based on your specific need. For instance, if you are more concerned about customer service, you can search for customer service templates and they will already have essential question designed to discover how customer feel about your customer service department.
One great thing about these surveys is that you can literally customize them in any manner you want. So, you can rearrange or even change the order of the questions if you so desire.
Always Include Your Branding
Never forget the importance of putting your brand, logo, or company colors on your surveys. You can even put the name of your company in big bold letters right across the top of the survey. Whatever the situation is, you want your customers to clearly know where this survey is coming from.
Choosing Your Questions Carefully
Now you are pretty much ready to consider the question portion of the survey. This will be without a doubt one of the most important, if not the most important part of the survey. Below, you will discover some great tips that will help you devise some excellent questions. Most templates will already have the questions pre-made for your specific needs, but it never hurts to review the questions and make customizations when needed.
One Thing At A Time – You never want to overwhelm your customers. Don’t try to combine several different elements into just one question. You have plenty of space and time to figure out the answers to the questions that you are asking. Ask one simple thing at a time, so that your customers can solely focus on that specific question.
Don’t Sway – Never try to sway your customer towards the results that you want.
Be Very Specific – Don’t ask vague questions and get off topic. For instance, don’t ask how do you feel about our office supplies. Instead, ask how do you feel about our printer cartridges.
