How to Measure Customer Satisfaction Like a Pro

When it comes to your customer satisfaction, wouldn’t it be great to have competences and opportunities to measure how happy your customers are and to transform that information into action? 

In the business world, measuring satisfaction is easier than you may realize. Get started with the following moves. 

Start by Getting Inside Your Target’s Head (like a ninja)

Ninjas would never set out on a mission without some serious reconnaissance. They have a clear idea of what to expect and a concept of all the possible scenarios.

The same idea applies when it comes to measuring customer satisfaction. You need to take time upfront to figure out what your customers are thinking and feeling, and to really understand their needs and desires.

Get to know their habits and how they interact with different survey formats. This insight will enable you to design an effective survey and collect data in the most appropriate way.

Let’s say you’re surveying customers who are over 50 years old. In this case, many of them likely don’t use smartphones – so delivering your survey via mobile would be ineffective. Or if your target customers are busy moms, sending an email survey invitation at dinner time on a weeknight may mean that it goes unnoticed. Getting inside your target’s head can help your customer satisfaction survey efforts be more effective and successful.

Act with Stealth Speed

When it comes to customer satisfaction, you want to act with as much speed as possible.

Real-time surveys help your enterprise gain actionable insight. In order to collect this data, you need to include event-driven feedback as part of the customer experience.

Don’t underestimate the importance of speed in collecting data. Your customer’s memory of events fades quickly, and delaying feedback means your data may be based on an inaccurate memory. This can result in unreliable data that’s not an accurate snapshot of true customer satisfaction.

Strive to collect customer feedback in real-time by inviting them to a survey during or immediately after their interaction with your company. This approach enables you to position the survey as part of the experience, instead of as a later request or favor.

Build Rewards into Your Survey Process

Asking a customer to complete a customer satisfaction survey could be as uncomfortable as asking someone to sneak into their neighbor’s house and steal secrets, so you can find some inspiration.

Look for ways to actively reward and thank your customers for taking the time to provide you with feedback. Remember that they don’t have to provide this feedback, and they’re being helpful by doing so.

The type of reward you provide is entirely up to your organization, but select rewards that are useful and seen as a bonus. If you’re an online retailer, a special promo code or coupon to use on their next offer would be ideal. If you sell physical goods, maybe you have a small gift that goes into their next package, or you send a special postcard. The possibilities are endless – get creative and help forge deeper loyalty in the process.