Welcome to Success Strategies
What scares you about finding out what your customers really think?
- Negative reviews?
- What questions to ask, and how many?
- How to ask them? By phone? Email? Weblink?
Let’s start with negative reviews. You need to know what your customers are unhappy about in dealing with you. Quirk’s Media’s article, “In B2B environments, no news is not good news“, explains the downside of not getting this information from your customers. Unhappy customers will talk to others if they don’t get a chance to tell you. From our blog library, “I can’t see my customer from my office“; we outline the real impact of word-of-mouth marketing. Seventy-five percent of your unhappy customers will talk about their experience with you to others!
What about the questions to ask, and how many? Entrepreneur’s “How to Ask Survey Questions for Maximum Marketing Benefit” explains the key to survey questions is asking the right indirect questions at the right time. From our blog, “When is a B2B Customer Satisfaction Survey too Long?” we explain that it’s not so much how many questions but the length of time it takes to complete the survey. If it is a transactional survey done by phone, 3-5 minutes to complete is likely tops. If it is an email, design it so it can be completed in 2-3 minutes maximum. Shorter is always better.
In my recent blog, “Choosing the Best Survey Mode for Your B-to-B Company—It Matters,” I address survey mode. There is no one “best” survey mode. It’s a complicated decision, and sometimes a hybrid approach works best.
October is when we hear scary ghost stores. Don’t be afraid to hear from your customers.
Let me know what you think!
Lynn Daniel
President
WHEN IS A B2B CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY TOO LONG?
Are your customers complaining that your surveys are too long or are difficult to answer?Are you getting fewer completed surveys?
Our clients often ask us to help them improve their customer satisfaction surveys, and specifically, how many questions is too many. The answer depends on the customer and the type of survey.
We want to share some of the advice we provide our clients when considering survey length and a few suggestions to make the process easier for your customers. At The Daniel Group, we are strong believers in “the shorter, the better.” READ MORE
I CAN’T SEE MY CUSTOMER FROM MY OFFICE
Over the past few months, several managers have expressed frustration about being unable to get an acceptable view of their end-customers. As one said to me, “we do not know how well our end-users are being served. We have no view on the customer experience. I cannot see my customer!”
These managers work at manufacturers who use distributors to resell their products to end-users.Distributors play an essential role in many business-to-business markets by providing a cost-effective way of moving products and services to customers. READ MORE
