How to create a useful and effective satisfaction survey

If there is one thing that is fundamental for a business, it is knowing what consumers think about aspects such as the products or services offered or the customer service received. The best way to obtain this information is to ask those interested directly, which is why a satisfaction survey can be very useful to us.

How to conduct a satisfaction survey

The first thing to be clear about is whether it will be done online or in the physical establishment. In the case of companies that have both a physical store and an online shop, it is most advisable to ask in both cases. The in-person customer will be able to comment better on personal attention, while the online customer will be able to provide useful information on whether they find the website comfortable or not, or whether the reception of deliveries is correct.

When it comes to an online satisfaction questionnaire, it is important to obtain customers' email addresses. A good way to achieve this and make them want to fill out the survey is to offer them something in return, such as participation in a draw.

Another alternative is to digitise satisfaction surveys in physical establishments. For this, touch screens can be used and alternatives sought to attract customers to them: allowing them to place their order directly from the screen if it is a restaurant or a coffee shop, helping them find an item of clothing within the store, etc.

What questions to ask in a satisfaction survey?

Once the method or methods to be used to collect data have been chosen, the questionnaire must be prepared. This phase is fundamental, since if we do not ask the right questions, the effort invested in creating the survey will be useless.

Here it is important to take several things into account:

• Clarity and Simplicity Questions should be phrased clearly and simply, not being too long.
• Easy Rating Method Include a rating method that is easy to understand, such as a 1 to 10 scale.
• Concise Length The survey should be answerable in one or two minutes, so generally not more than five questions.
• Focused Topic Focus the survey on a specific topic you want to analyse, rather than trying to cover everything.

For customer service, questions could include: How would you rate our customer service? To what extent has our staff been able to resolve your queries? How long did it take us to resolve your incident?

The questions to ask depend on the information you want to obtain. In the case of customer service, you can ask things like: How would you rate our customer service? To what extent has our staff been able to resolve your queries? How long did it take us to resolve your incident?

The importance of analysis

There is no point in conducting a satisfaction survey if the data is not then analysed. The information obtained must be examined in detail to find patterns about what is being done well and what should be changed.

Once you know which aspects your customers value least, you can start working to improve them and incorporate these changes into your business plan.

Once you know which aspects your customers value least, you can start working to improve them.

Applying the results of a survey is key to improvement. Incorporate them into your business plan.

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