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Topic(s): Metrics & Methodology

Traditional Surveys Are Dead

Customer experience intelligence has  long been defined by surveys. Before the internet, survey-based data was used by lots of companies and brands to make decisions. In those days surveys were very popular, which is why they're still used today. There's only one problem: people are not longer willing to take a moment to fill out a survey.  

Customers are experiencing survey fatigue. According to Forrester, some surveys have a response rate as low as two percent and most of them don't even reach 20 percent.  

Customer attention span drops

Some time ago, the Consumer Insights team at Microsoft released an interesting report about the online attention span of customers. The report showed that the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to just eight seconds in 2013. Eight seconds, that's one second less than the attention span of a goldfish!  

To be honest I'm not surprised about that, how about you? Todays' generation is always on the go with no time to lose. Research has shown that abandonment during a survey increases with two to four percentage points for every additional minute of survey length. And 52 percent of customers don't want to spend more than three minutes filling out a survey form.  

That's probably the main reason why traditional customer surveys are dead (or at their last breath). Companies that don't recognize that customers don't have time to fill in elaborate surveys, are putting their customer relationships at serious risk.  

Lots of surveys are based on what companies want to hear and not on what customers have to say. A good survey offers a two-way dialogue, which guarantees strong customer relationships. 

Customer feedback 2.0

It's time to stop thinking about surveys and start thinking about a two-way communication channel with customers.  

We're fan of the idea. We don't even like to call it surveying, but rather reaching out for feedback. It's simply saying 'Hello' in the first place. With that approach the Hello Customer Platform was created. A platform that allows you to delight your customer by responding and acting on their feedback immediately.  

How it works? Our starting point is the Net Promotor Score Methodology, which means we only ask two questions.  

On a scale of 0 to 10, how would you recommend our brand to a friend or family? and Could you tell us why you gave that score?  

These two questions allow companies in gaining all insights needed. The Net Promotor System leaves it up to the customer to divulge what really matters. In that light, this system is very different from traditional customer satisfaction surveys consisting of long lists of questions. 

After you've gained insights, its time to start a dialogue. With the Hello Customer Platform you can easily interact with your customers individually when needed. Reaching out for feedback is great, but engaging with your customers is even more powerful. 

Why is asking for feedback so important?

Delivering great customer experience is one thing, but to ensure true customer loyalty, companies need to keep delivering the right customer experience. One great experience won't ensure that customers come back and keep coming back. To guarantee loyal customers, it's necessary to listen to them.  

Your customers have a wealth of information at their disposal, more than you probably think. Customer feedback can help you in many areas of your organization. I'm sure that the product innovation department would love to hear what customers think. Marketing, communication, customer service, strategy, operations, … everybody needs to get the outside-in customers' opinion.   

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning" - Bill gates 

Listening to customer feedback makes sure you can build strong relationships, increase customer satisfaction and reduce customer churn.  

What's in it for you?

Gathering customer feedback helps you to bring purpose to the product or service you're offering. Your customers are the ones who are paying for your products or services, so make sure you listen to them! What's in it for you as a company? 

  • It's the best advice when taking business decisions. If you made a wrong decision, your customers will tell you.  
  • It allows you to identify 'at risk' customers or customers that aren't completely happy. They'll tell you what to do in order to make sure that they'll be happy again.  
  • It allows you to increase customer satisfaction and reduce churn. If you show your customers that you care, you can build a healthy business relationship. People do business with people they like, know and trust. Strong relationships will provide lifetime revenue.  
© Hello Customer 2024
Net Promoter Score, NPS, and the NPS-related emoticons are registered U.S. Trademarks, and Net Promoter Score and Net Promoter System are service marks, of Bain & Company, Inc., Satmetrix Systems, Inc. and Fred Reichheld.
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