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Fierce competition forces companies to pay more attention to delivering satisfaction, whether it's to its customers, employees, investors, or shareholders. One of the best ways that companies can focus on delivering satisfaction, along with their products, services, and employee paychecks, is through satisfaction surveys. And with the social media world that we live in today and the fact that customers are open and willing to share their experience with friends and family through their networks, it's easier than ever to get them to share their opinions with a company itself, particularly when asked.
When developed strategically through online survey software, obtaining the all-important voice of either a company's employees or customers through a survey tool is not only an effective way to identify problem areas, but enhance communication. Because effective communication between a company and its employees and its customers is the foundation of many successful businesses, it behooves today's business leader to tap into the benefits of a satisfaction survey.
Besides identifying problem areas and improving communication, a survey aimed at satisfaction helps a company spot new trends in the marketplace. This is important because if a company can hop on a new trend, it not only can focus on developing a competitive edge, but it has a better shot at turning a browsing customer into a paying customer.
The questions used in a satisfaction survey really do matter. When questions are developed through survey software, the in-depth, logically-derived data received gives companies insight on competitors, potential new product lines, and ways to improve both their product offerings and services provided. They can also provide valuable information on whether your product or service price point is on target and what customers think about the quality of your products and services.
From an employee perspective, satisfaction surveys are equally important -- though in different ways. For example, if employees are dissatisfied, morale drops as does productivity in many cases. This transcends to higher costs of production and can impact customer service negatively. Even worse, if employees aren't satisfied with their jobs or the company they work at, they may eventually jump ship.
When talented employees leave to work for a competitor, that hurts in two ways: First, it may give the competitor an edge, but it costs your company money to recruit, hire, and train new workers. Similar to the notion that it's easier to retain an existing customer than it is to bring in a new one, it's better to keep a talented employee happy, satisfied, and on the payroll, than it is to hire a new one.
To be most effective, satisfaction surveys should be done regularly to quickly capitalize on changing needs, perceptions, and perspectives, whether from your employees or customers. To this end, satisfaction surveys are a handy survey tool that help companies develop a competitive advantage, strengthen communication, identify problem areas, and focus on improving products and service offerings. You'll find it is more than worthwhile to implement them -- and more importantly, take action on the feedback received.
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