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"The 7 Biggest Internet Marketing Mistakes"
To get your FREE copy of the Special Report:
"The 7 Biggest Internet Marketing Mistakes"
Using online surveys is nothing new, but it is being employed a lot more now than in times past, and more smaller organizations are starting to see the advantages of this inexpensive tool.
Common sense dictates that getting input from our customers is the best way to understand where our products and services rate, as well as how we can improve them. It is also good to know the things customers appreciate about our products and services.
Increasing the response rates to surveys is something SEO experts always stress. The higher the percentage of response, the quicker you can ascertain important pieces of information. Here are some things to keep in mind when asking for survey participation:
When to Survey
You might have a survey as part of the order process, a follow up after a customer makes a purchase, following a support or customer service call, or as a cold call to someone who has provided their email address. Each of these has some merit, so let's look at them objectively.
1. During an Order
Information to request during an order is usually how the customer heard about you and how they feel about the pricing. Other information may include selected demographics without getting too personal.
The survey still must be an optional part of the process and this should be made clear; you don't want to lose a sale or a customer because they do not want to answer questions. At the time of making a purchase for something they want, the customer is usually in a positive mood and willing to take part in the survey.
2. Follow Up on an Order
Given time to use the product or service, a customer can have a great deal more information to offer, which can be very helpful. The survey should have direct questions, but also leave space for comments the customer feels are relevant.
3. Following a Support Call
Many companies have a brief survey on the phone after a support call to gather information, but customers are less likely to want to participate because they have already spent what they consider to be enough time on the phone.
Better responses come with a survey emailed soon after the call. The information gathered from this has to do with product satisfaction and how well your company responded in support.
4. Cold Call
Requesting someone to complete your survey out of the blue generally means you have to offer something in return. This is an excellent time to offer a deep discount on products or services for answers to your questions, or you may prefer to give the survey taker a chance to win a prize. Someone is more apt to complete the survey if they are offered something in return for their time.
Additionally, you must make it a point to identify the company, what the purpose of the survey is, and how long it will realistically take to complete.
Keep the email and the survey short so that the recipient will be more obliged to participate. Be sure to include a Privacy Policy statement that makes the assurance that you will only use the information for specified purposes.
Lastly, understand that not all news will be good news, but of course that is the purpose of the exercise anyway. In order to improve your product or service, you have to listen to what the surveys say, both good and bad. The information must then be evaluated to determine its validity, and steps taken based on the findings.