Understanding your customers is an important part of building a successful business. There is more than one way to skin a cat and finding out which way to survey your customers and find out more about the products and services that you are offering from the customers perspective, should be undertaken by experts in the field. This way, you can ensure that you have the best team behind you, with the skills and expertise of the voice of the customer. Online surveys could be the perfect fit for your business model, looking at ways in which you can improve all aspects of your business and understanding the perception of your brand from those that matter the most – your customers.
For those companies that have never considered the voice of the customer, and have no intention of doing so, even if things are good right this second, at some point they will stagnate and begin to regress as a company. There is no way that a company can stay fresh and relevant and continue to maintain high standards of customer satisfaction if it has no idea what its customers think. This is why surveys are so important. Customer satisfaction is such a vital aspect of building a successful business, and an online survey could be the perfect way to find out what your customers think about you. What do you ask in an online customer survey though?
The type of online survey that you put together should depend on the type of business you run and the industry that you work in. It should be shaped based on whether you are B2B or B2C and take into consideration the types of products and services that you sell. Who are your customers and how are they likely to respond? Think about what it is you are looking for? This could include questions about how smooth the purchasing journey is for your customers and how happy they are with the buying process, post-care service and delivery and whether they would recommend to others. You can also ask for complete honesty, such as where your customers would like to see specific improvements in your service.
What we would say though, is that an online survey can be a key component of understanding your VoC and where to move next, but it should never be viewed as a silver bullet. Speak to a company with expertise in VoC and they will be able to design and implement a comprehensive approach that includes surveys alongside other tools, to give you a broad picture and a foundation to plan effectively.
Understanding the voice of your customer will help you go a long way to succeeding in speaking to them clearly and building your business over the coming year. When you see awards given to a company for great customer service and customer satisfaction rates, it means something. It drives interest and increases new customer rates. If you can wow your current customers consistently, understand what it is they are looking for from you, and appeal to a new, wider audience, your business will be in a good position to succeed. There are different ways to achieve this, with online surveys an effective part of listening to your customers.
