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Client satisfaction surveys are the ideal way of gaining valuable insight into what your clients think about you, your products, and your services. Below are some do's and don'ts for your next client satisfaction survey that should help you make the most of your surveys.
1. Do Keep it Focused and Brief
It's not ideal to have your clients having to answer a 50 question survey. In most cases, it's better to keep your survey short and ask as few questions as you can. Gathering a small amount of highly-useful data is far better than gathering a big amount of useless data. Your clients will appreciate it and it will encourage more respondents to complete your survey.
2. Don't Survey Your Clients Too Often
Most respondents won't mind taking several minutes out of their day to answer some questions if it's once in a while. But if you're surveying them too often, it can get annoying to them. It's best to figure out an acceptable timeframe for your industry. For most businesses, once a month, quarterly, or even once a year is sufficient. That said, your survey shouldn't just be done once and done. It's a good idea to send out a follow-up survey when you've made clear actions and results to feedback provided in a previous survey.
3. Do Use Technology
Phone and written surveys will make your company appear technology-shy or outdated. Online survey software or a mobile survey app are ideal and widely available. They're also convenient and cost-efficient. Many mobile apps are even free.
4. Don't Make Your Surveys Too Complex
Your survey process, if possible, should be simple and fun. Respondents will more likely engage in your survey if it's an enjoyable experience. Your survey should seem to move quickly and flow logically. More complex surveys don't typically generate great results.
5. Do Speak Your Clients' Language
Don't confuse your clients by using language, terms, and acronyms not familiar to them. Only use the relevant language they can easily understand to show them you value them, understand them, and know-how they contribute. And, be sure to allow for multiple languages, in the event your target audience prefers a native language.
6. Don't Ask Your Clients Double-Barrel Questions
Questions like these typically address more than one problem, but only allow for one answer. Double-barrel questions, which can also be referred to as compound questions, can easily confuse respondents and you'll end up with skewed data since it can be hard to determine which question they're actually answering.
7. Do Allow Your Clients to Provide Open Text Feedback
While multiple-choice and yes/no questions provide valuable data in a survey tool, open-ended questions do too. These types of questions enable you to gather your respondents' open-ended responses. You'll gain more detail about their experiences and you may even uncover new insights you weren't expecting.
After surveying your clients, you'll also want to follow up with them. If your survey software has left a positive impression with your respondent, it will likely leave you with an outstanding recurring reference point to collect future feedback.
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