Why Are Surveys Used to Collect Customer Feedback?
Any entrepreneur worth their salt would give their right hand to be able to predict customer behavior. And although we can’t predict the future, we can learn from the past. That’s where the importance of collecting customer feedback comes in. Knowing how a customer feels about various aspects of your product or service can be invaluable. It helps you chart the future of your business and align it with customer needs. Surveys are an effective tool to help you do just that.
A customer feedback survey is just a list of questions designed to investigate the experience of your customers. The answers from the survey are then used for customer experience management. Remember, a survey needs to be well-crafted to be useful.
Surveys generally have these main attributes-
- An effective survey takes time to make. It provides the necessary data for your customer experience analysis.
- Customer feedback analysis can be a complicated or simple process depending on the questions asked. Using well-articulated questions can make this exceedingly rewarding.
- You can use a survey to collect data from a wide cross-section of your consumer base.
- A well-developed customer feedback survey is infinitely scalable as well as reusable.
- Surveys are cheap to produce, both in terms of time and money, especially if you use a survey to collect feedback from a large number of customers.
Advantages of Using Surveys
1. Surveys are Cost-Effective
A single survey can be the source of your entire customer experience analysis. The DNA of a survey is the questions you ask, and there is no monetary cost involved in asking the right questions. The incremental cost of surveys can also be kept very low, depending on your survey-making techniques.
2. Surveys can be Widely Utilized
You can use the same survey for the customer feedback analysis of every customer. You can also use a survey to get insights into landing potential customers. Once a survey-taking mechanism is in place answers can be collected from a diverse range of individuals, allowing you to draw general trends. These answers can subsequently be used to shape your products or services.
3. Surveys can be Used in a Number of Different Ways
You can use the internet to get in touch with individuals using e-mail or social media or your mobile app. You can also do it face-to-face by having someone who takes surveys at your physical outlet or branch. Surveys are also flexible because you can change the questions at any time.
4. The Answers Which You Get in a Survey are Mostly Accurate
This is especially true when you ensure the respondent that their answers are anonymous. Further, customers want their opinions to be heard and will answer truthfully to let you know how they feel. This makes surveys an excellent first step in customer feedback management.
5. Surveys are a Way for You to Engage With Your Customers
The simple act of taking a customer’s feedback makes the customer feel appreciated. It’s also a way for you to know if there is something wrong with your product or service. If many customers are complaining about an issue, you know it’s time to take proactive steps.
6. You can Use a Survey as a Marketing Tool
If you ask questions about a feature in your product you are simultaneously informing customers that your product has such a feature.
Disadvantages of Surveys
- Customers can feel that being asked to take a survey is a waste of their time. In order to mitigate this, make sure your surveys are short and concise.
- It’s easy to make an effective survey. You may be biased in the way you are asking questions, and you might miss asking a pertinent question as well. You should invest an appropriate amount of time in designing your survey. Remember, customer experience management is a crucial step towards customer satisfaction.
- Your surveys might not reach your entire target audience. Even the internet has a limited reach. Conduct surveys through varied mediums and try to get feedback from your entire target demographic.
How Can Tatvam Help?
Tatvam is a one-stop destination for your customer feedback management and analysis needs. By using Tatvam you can gather and review all the data collected from your surveys in one place. You can process your survey responses together with online reviews and comments.
Tatvam also helps you analyze the data and develop a way to improve your business based on the survey. This leads to higher customer satisfaction, better customer retention, as well as growth in revenue and adoption.