When a customer survey is done well, it can provide great insight into the minds of your customers, and it has great potential to help your business. When it's not designed and executed well, though, it may be nothing more than a waste of time and money. Here are some do's and don'ts to help you prepare, conduct and review a great customer survey.
\r\nIf your customer has made it to your survey, don't be afraid to be frank and honest with them. Tell them the truth; that the survey was created to gain insight and to ultimately improve the product they use. They'll appreciate your honesty!
\r\nLeading questions are one of the easiest and most common ways to skew survey results. You should stand behind your product or business, but when creating questions, stay as neutral as possible.
\r\n\"What do you think of the amazing new app we just rolled out?\" is a leading question. Instead, ask \"What do you think of our new app?\"
\r\nIt's tempting to want praise from your customers, but you will often learn more from criticisms. Design a question or two that encourages negative feedback. For example, \"What could we most improve?\" \"What, if anything, did you not enjoy about our product?\"
\r\nIf a customer likes your product or service, they aren't likely to say anything bad about it without prompting. Knowing what they don't like, as well as what they do like, helps you deliver the best customer experience.
\r\nYou'll see more responses if there's something in it for your customers. Think about offering a guaranteed benefit rather than just a \"chance to win.\" Consider offering a free trial to your service or a discount, say 30%, off your product just for taking part in the survey.
\r\nWondering how lowering or increasing prices would affect your profit margin? There are a few simple ways to ask about pricing.
\r\nThe first is the direct pricing method. \"How likely would you be to purchase [product] at [specific price]?\" You would then use a rating scale that starts at extremely likely and moves to not at all likely.
\r\nThe second method is to ask at which price point the customer would most likely purchase the product.
\r\nIf you are considering upgrading your product, you may want to ask about value for the price. \"Would you purchase [product] at [increased price] if the quality or overall value of the product was increased?\"
\r\nEven with incentives, your customer's time is important to them, so don't risk losing their attention with long-winded questions. According to SurveyMonkey, participants are more likely to quit if the survey takes longer than seven minutes.
\r\nTo reduce the time respondents spend filling out the survey, use multiple-choice questions, rating scales and yes/no answers. While free text answers are good, they can be time-consuming to complete and normally require a human to read and interpret the results.
\r\nConsistency throughout the survey will improve response rates. Try to structure questions in a similar way, through language and design. Both are going to help participants to move through the questions quickly and without confusion.
\r\nKnowing what to ask can be tricky, but try to resist the temptation to copy other surveys. Think about what your customers can specifically tell you to help your business do better. Do they have an opinion on your latest pricing plans? Do they need more support from your team?
\r\nConsider your questions carefully. Keep them as specific as possible and ask what you really need to know. It helps to focus on aspects that you can change if things aren't working out.
\r\nFor example, if you're manufacturing a product and changing the color of the product would be extremely difficult, asking customers if they would prefer a different color provides little benefit.
\r\nFor most online businesses, an online survey can suffice, but if you often engage with customers face to face or on the phone, you might want to think about conducting your survey in the same fashion. Of course, this may change the way you collate and analyze the responses, but you're likely to get better results.
\r\nNot only are yes/no questions the easiest to answer, but they're also the easiest to collate and analyze. Customers can breeze through yes/no questions so they are less likely to quit out of frustration.
\r\nWhen we asked our customers what they loved most about our software, we gave them some multiple-choice questions and a free text entry. To our surprise, almost every respondent used the free text entry to expand on the multiple-choice answers we'd suggested, giving us a ton of insight into what our customers really valued.
\r\nA survey is only as good as the usable data you receive from it. You may want to look for differences in responses between demographics or locations to give you extra insight into what specific subsets of customers think. You may notice certain trends across the majority of your customers.
\r\nOnce you've analyzed the survey responses, it's time to put them to use. This means giving customers more of the things they like, and changing or minimizing the things they don't.
\r\nThis is the real goal of the survey. It lets you know where you are excelling and what areas need improvement. Making changes based on survey results will also make your customers feel appreciated and heard.
\r\nFeeling inspired to create your next customer survey?
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_40a655691f7f2044e1573f4d84a5561c","lastModified":"2020-04-01T19:00:00.000Z","published":"2014-12-11T16:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"When a customer survey is done well, it can provide great insight into the minds of your customers. To make your survey a success, follow these tips.","template":"v1","title":"Do's and Don'ts for a Successful Customer Survey","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"The purpose of our community is to connect small business owners with experienced industry experts who can address their questions, offer direction, and share best practices.","name":"business.com editorial staff","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-com-/","twitter":"https://twitter.com/businessdotcom","website":"https://www.business.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"Old BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/b14a2c1fa0158a2f46854597139a2067ee8ef.jpg","profile":{"company":"","jobTitle":"","website":"https://www.business.com/"}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Marketing","slug":"marketing"},"sub":{"name":"Customers","slug":"customers"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"When a customer survey is done well, it can be a great insight into the minds of your customers. To make yours a success, follow these tips.","title":"Do's and Don'ts for a Successful Customer Survey - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"do-share-your-motives","title":"Do: Share your motives"},{"id":"do-keep-your-opinions-to-yourself","title":"Do: Keep your opinions to yourself"},{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-ask-for-negative-feedback","title":"Don't: Be afraid to ask for negative feedback"},{"id":"do-incentivize-customers-to-participate-in-your-survey","title":"Do: Incentivize customers to participate in your survey"},{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-ask-about-pricing","title":"Don't: Be afraid to ask about pricing"},{"id":"do-make-it-quick-and-keep-it-simple","title":"Do: Make it quick and keep it simple"},{"id":"dont-be-inconsistent","title":"Don't: Be inconsistent"},{"id":"do-ask-the-right-questions","title":"Do: Ask the right questions"},{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-take-it-offline","title":"Don't: Be afraid to take it offline"},{"id":"dont-be-afraid-of-yes-and-no-questions","title":"Don't: Be afraid of yes and no questions"},{"id":"do-allow-for-extra-feedback","title":"Do: Allow for extra feedback"},{"id":"do-analyze-the-survey-results","title":"Do: Analyze the survey results"},{"id":"dont-hesitate-to-use-the-results","title":"Don't: Hesitate to use the results"}],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["When a customer survey is done well, it can provide great insight into the minds of your customers, and it has great potential to help your business. When it's not designed and executed well, though, it may be nothing more than a waste of time and money. Here are some do's and don'ts to help you prepare, conduct and review a great customer survey."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-share-your-motives"},"children":["Do: Share your motives"]},{"component":"p","children":["If your customer has made it to your survey, don't be afraid to be frank and honest with them. Tell them the truth; that the survey was created to gain insight and to ultimately improve the product they use. They'll appreciate your honesty!"]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-keep-your-opinions-to-yourself"},"children":["Do: Keep your opinions to yourself"]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.helpscout.com/blog/customer-survey/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["Leading questions"]}," are one of the easiest and most common ways to skew survey results. You should stand behind your product or business, but when creating questions, stay as neutral as possible."]},{"component":"p","children":["\"What do you think of the amazing new app we just rolled out?\" is a leading question. Instead, ask \"What do you think of our new app?\""]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-ask-for-negative-feedback"},"children":["Don't: Be afraid to ask for negative feedback"]},{"component":"p","children":["It's tempting to want praise from your customers, but you will often learn more from criticisms. Design a question or two that encourages negative feedback. For example, \"What could we most improve?\" \"What, if anything, did you not enjoy about our product?\""]},{"component":"p","children":["If a customer likes your product or service, they aren't likely to say anything bad about it without prompting. Knowing what they don't like, as well as what they do like, helps you deliver the best customer experience."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-incentivize-customers-to-participate-in-your-survey"},"children":["Do: Incentivize customers to participate in your survey"]},{"component":"p","children":["You'll see more responses if there's something in it for your customers. Think about offering a guaranteed benefit rather than just a \"chance to win.\" Consider offering a free trial to your service or a discount, say 30%, off your product just for taking part in the survey."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-ask-about-pricing"},"children":["Don't: Be afraid to ask about pricing"]},{"component":"p","children":["Wondering how lowering or increasing prices would affect your profit margin? There are a few simple ways to ask about pricing."]},{"component":"p","children":["The first is the direct pricing method. \"How likely would you be to purchase [product] at [specific price]?\" You would then use a rating scale that starts at extremely likely and moves to not at all likely."]},{"component":"p","children":["The second method is to ask at which price point the customer would most likely purchase the product."]},{"component":"p","children":["If you are considering upgrading your product, you may want to ask about value for the price. \"Would you purchase [product] at [increased price] if the quality or overall value of the product was increased?\""]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-make-it-quick-and-keep-it-simple"},"children":["Do: Make it quick and keep it simple"]},{"component":"p","children":["Even with incentives, your customer's time is important to them, so don't risk losing their attention with long-winded questions. ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.surveymonkey.com/blog/en/blog/2011/02/14/survey_completion_times/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["According to SurveyMonkey"]},", participants are more likely to quit if the survey takes longer than seven minutes."]},{"component":"p","children":["To reduce the time respondents spend filling out the survey, use multiple-choice questions, rating scales and yes/no answers. While free text answers are good, they can be time-consuming to complete and normally require a human to read and interpret the results."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-be-inconsistent"},"children":["Don't: Be inconsistent"]},{"component":"p","children":["Consistency throughout the survey will improve response rates. Try to structure questions in a similar way, through language and design. Both are going to help participants to move through the questions quickly and without confusion."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-ask-the-right-questions"},"children":["Do: Ask the right questions"]},{"component":"p","children":["Knowing what to ask can be tricky, but try to resist the temptation to copy other surveys. Think about what your customers can specifically tell you to help your business do better. Do they have an opinion on your latest pricing plans? Do they need more support from your team?"]},{"component":"p","children":["Consider your questions carefully. Keep them as specific as possible and ask what you really need to know. It helps to focus on aspects that you can change if things aren't working out."]},{"component":"p","children":["For example, if you're manufacturing a product and changing the color of the product would be extremely difficult, asking customers if they would prefer a different color provides little benefit."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-be-afraid-to-take-it-offline"},"children":["Don't: Be afraid to take it offline"]},{"component":"p","children":["For most online businesses, an online survey can suffice, but if you often engage with customers face to face or on the phone, you might want to think about conducting your survey in the same fashion. Of course, this may change the way you collate and analyze the responses, but you're likely to get better results."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-be-afraid-of-yes-and-no-questions"},"children":["Don't: Be afraid of yes and no questions"]},{"component":"p","children":["Not only are yes/no questions the easiest to answer, but they're also the easiest to collate and analyze. Customers can breeze through yes/no questions so they are less likely to quit out of frustration",{"component":"i","children":["."]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-allow-for-extra-feedback"},"children":["Do: Allow for extra feedback"]},{"component":"p","children":["When we asked our customers what they loved most about our software, we gave them some multiple-choice questions and a free text entry. To our surprise, almost every respondent used the free text entry to expand on the multiple-choice answers we'd suggested, giving us a ton of insight into what our customers really valued."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"do-analyze-the-survey-results"},"children":["Do: Analyze the survey results"]},{"component":"p","children":["A survey is only as good as the usable data you receive from it. You may want to look for differences in responses between demographics or locations to give you extra insight into what specific subsets of customers think. You may notice certain trends across the majority of your customers."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"dont-hesitate-to-use-the-results"},"children":["Don't: Hesitate to use the results"]},{"component":"p","children":["Once you've analyzed the survey responses, it's time to put them to use. This means giving customers more of the things they like, and changing or minimizing the things they don't."]},{"component":"p","children":["This is the real goal of the survey. It lets you know where you are excelling and what areas need improvement. Making changes based on survey results will also make your customers feel appreciated and heard."]},{"component":"p","children":["Feeling inspired to create your next customer survey?"]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":{"sponsorType":"","name":null,"thumbnail":null,"bio":null,"slug":null,"status":null,"social":{"website":null,"linkedin":null,"twitter":null,"facebook":null}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5e8/4e5d37b437496768b4568/1500-0-","caption":"Chainarong_Prasertthai / Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"Do's and Don'ts for a Successful Customer Survey","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/dos-and-donts-for-a-successful-customer-survey/","slug":"dos-and-donts-for-a-successful-customer-survey","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e8/4e5d37b437496768b4568/1500-0-","dek":"When a customer survey is done well, it can provide great insight into the minds of your customers. To make your survey a success, follow these tips.","lastModified":"2020-04-01T19:00:00Z","published":"2014-12-11T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Your Guide to Creating a Small Business Marketing Plan","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/sample-marketing-plan-outline-and-template/","slug":"sample-marketing-plan-outline-and-template","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f3/3e1765a215eb62d8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Follow these templates and guidelines to get started on creating your business's marketing plan.","lastModified":"2020-08-12T12:28:00Z","published":"2018-03-02T13:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Marketing Fail: 5 Customers That Want to Destroy Your Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/5-customers-that-want-to-destroy-your-business/","slug":"5-customers-that-want-to-destroy-your-business","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/marketing.jpg","dek":"How do you attract loyal customers who are a pleasure to do business with, while repelling customers that want to destroy your business?","lastModified":"2014-12-16T16:00:00Z","published":"2014-12-16T16:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Like PB&J: Customer Service as a Marketing Strategy","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/customer-service-as-a-marketing-strategy/","slug":"customer-service-as-a-marketing-strategy","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d0/cff135a215e314a8b456e/1500-0-","dek":"Customer service is the new marketing. As seen with Amazon and Zappos, providing ultimate satisfaction to your customers sells itself.","lastModified":"2015-03-26T12:00:00Z","published":"2015-03-26T12:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Marketing Fail: 5 Customers That Want to Destroy Your Business","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/5-customers-that-want-to-destroy-your-business/","slug":"5-customers-that-want-to-destroy-your-business","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/549/06bad2f87b1f7468b45d1/1500-0-","dek":"How do you attract loyal customers who are a pleasure to do business with, while repelling customers that want to destroy your business?","lastModified":"2019-07-31T20:58:05Z","published":"2014-12-16T16:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Like PB&J: Customer Service as a Marketing Strategy","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/customer-service-as-a-marketing-strategy/","slug":"customer-service-as-a-marketing-strategy","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/551/396033287b117328b4593/1500-0-","dek":"Customer service is the new marketing. As seen with Amazon and Zappos, providing ultimate satisfaction to your customers sells itself.","lastModified":"2019-07-31T20:57:53Z","published":"2015-03-26T12:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Why Customers Say No to Upsells (And How to Fix It)","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/why-customers-say-no-to-upsells-and-how-to-fix-it/","slug":"why-customers-say-no-to-upsells-and-how-to-fix-it","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/marketing.jpg","dek":"Here's some advice on how to improve your upselling strategy and ultimately turn your customer's \"no\" to a \"yes.\"","lastModified":"2015-01-07T14:00:00Z","published":"2015-01-07T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Why Customers Say No to Upsells (And How to Fix It)","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/why-customers-say-no-to-upsells-and-how-to-fix-it/","slug":"why-customers-say-no-to-upsells-and-how-to-fix-it","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/54a/cdc693287b166728b4671/1500-0-","dek":"Here's some advice on how to improve your upselling strategy and ultimately turn your customer's \"no\" to a \"yes.\"","lastModified":"2017-02-22T23:59:03Z","published":"2015-01-07T14:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Online Marketing Resolutions You Should Make in 2015","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/online-marketing-resolutions-you-should-make-for-2015/","slug":"online-marketing-resolutions-you-should-make-for-2015","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/marketing.jpg","dek":"It's time for new year's resolutions, but we're not talking about gym memberships. It's time to make your online marketing dreams come true.","lastModified":"2014-12-31T14:00:00Z","published":"2014-12-31T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Online Marketing Resolutions You Should Make in 2015","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/online-marketing-resolutions-you-should-make-for-2015/","slug":"online-marketing-resolutions-you-should-make-for-2015","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/54a/37a2b2f87b1025a8b46a2/1500-0-","dek":"It's time for new year's resolutions, but we're not talking about gym memberships. It's time to make your online marketing dreams come true.","lastModified":"2017-02-22T23:57:44Z","published":"2014-12-31T14:00:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Uncovering New Revenue Streams Through Data, Predictive Analytics and Personalization","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/uncovering-new-revenue-channels-through-data-predictive-analytics-and-personalization/","slug":"uncovering-new-revenue-channels-through-data-predictive-analytics-and-personalization","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/550/b0aff3187b192308b4641/1500-0-","dek":"Complacency is the one of the leading causes for failed businesses. Stay hungry, push into new territories and uncover new revenue streams.","lastModified":"2019-07-31T20:57:53Z","published":"2015-03-19T17:44:00Z","sponsored":null},{"title":"Uncovering New Revenue Streams Through Data, Predictive Analytics and Personalization","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/uncovering-new-revenue-channels-through-data-predictive-analytics-and-personalization/","slug":"uncovering-new-revenue-channels-through-data-predictive-analytics-and-personalization","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/channel/technology.jpg","dek":"Complacency is the one of the leading causes for failed businesses. Stay hungry, push into new territories and uncover new revenue streams.","lastModified":"2015-03-19T17:44:00Z","published":"2015-03-19T17:44:00Z","sponsored":false}],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5b99633151ee47a8528b4582/Call_center_bbernard.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/call-center-services/","title":"The Best Call Center Services for 2021","dek":"Our team has compared the best call center services for 2021. See up-to-date reviews for the top-rated answering services.","slug":"call-center-services","lastModified":"2021-02-26T14:22:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df7b1b69c658a61728b4567/Answering_Service_scyther5_Getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-answering-services/","title":"The Best Answering Services of 2021","dek":"Our teams have compared the best answering services for 2020. See up-to-date reviews and prices for these top-rated services.","slug":"best-answering-services","lastModified":"2021-02-26T14:18:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5d4c65367b43741a258b4572/Laptop_Sfio_Cracho.png","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/crm-software/","title":"The Best CRM Software of 2021","dek":"Looking for the best CRM software? We have easy-to-read, expert unbiased reviews and feature comparisons of the best and cheapest programs.","slug":"crm-software","lastModified":"2021-02-24T14:09:00Z"}],"relatedSponsoredArticles":null}},"pageContext":{"displayModified":"2020-04-01T19:00:00.000Z","template":"v1","title":"Do's and Don'ts for a Successful Customer Survey","meta":{"robots":"index, follow"},"docType":"articles","slug":"dos-and-donts-for-a-successful-customer-survey","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/dos-and-donts-for-a-successful-customer-survey/","skipTOC":false}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}