Like most things in life, form follows function, so when designing a good survey, you should be asking yourself what the purpose of the survey is, how often you will send out a survey, and to whom is your survey being sent.
As we discussed last week, we are just talking about simple one or two minute surveys for your clients and prospects…anything longer or more intense should definitely be handled by a professional research firm. Try to keep the survey to 4 or 5 simple questions. You should always leave room for comments to be written in by your clients, though.
Try having your answer options like this:
- Very satisfied or very likely
- Satisfied or likely
- Neutral
- Dissatisfied or unlikely
- Very dissatisfied or very unlikely
Questions should be geared to help you decide something like:
- Should I offer a new product or service?
- How satisfied are my clients and are they likely to recommend me to friends?
- How do I stack up against my competition?
- Can I generate referrals?
- How will my revenue stream change in the future?
- Are my customers aware of all of the products and services I currently offer?
Try questions like these:
- How satisfied are you with the quality of the finished product?
- How satisfied are you with our service?
- How likely are you to recommend us to colleagues and friends?
- What could we do to improve your experience next time?
- Apart from the products/services you already buy from us, what other products/services do you have a need for but do not currently buy from us? (give a list of your other products/services)
- What percent of your purchasing do you do with us?
- How much will you be buying next year?
There are hundreds of possibilities that can all be geared toward your customers and prospects. Emailed surveys can be easily personalized. You can mine tons of useful, even crucial, information.
Next week, we’ll discuss what to do with the information you get from your informal surveys.
Paula Smith / Paula@curryprint.com / Office: 410.685.2679
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