Talk to The Hand That Feeds You

Feedback from customers can be invaluable, and customers are usually more than willing to tell you just how you’re doing.

You never want to lose touch with your customers. Here’s a quick survey that you can use when soliciting feedback from your customers.

 We’ve recently implemented mandatory customer calls that must be performed each week by our managers as well as myself. We built a simple survey, using SurveyMonkey.com’s free online service (free version has a 10 question limit). Each one of our managers has to call at least two customers each week and fill out the online survey with the feedback they receive.  Below is the format and questions we use. 

We choose customers who made a purchase that week. We first thank them for their business and ask for 4 minutes of their time.

 1.      How was the service you received when you were in?

2.      Who would you say gave you the best service?

3.      Were you able to find everything you were looking for?

4.      We’re always trying to improve. What is one thing that you would like to see us do differently or be better at?

5.      Can I ask you, when you think of Green Village, what comes to mind? What would you say that we’re best known for?

6.      On a scale of 1 through 10, how likely is it that you would recommend Green Village to a friend or colleague?

a.      What is the primary reason for the score you gave to that question?

b.      If the answer is a six (6) or lower – spend the time to IMMEDIATLEY address their concerns. Make your comments below on what transpired.

7.      Do you have any final comments or suggestions for us before we wrap up?

Then we thank them for their time and wish them luck on whatever it was that they purchased that week, and remind them that we’re only a phone call away if they have any questions.

SurveyMonkey.com will then track and tabulate the results and generate reports for you. This standardizes the calls and allows for easy reporting. It’s a great tool when more than one person is involved in surveying customers. It also allows us to see the responses that the others are receiving for the same questions.

You never want to lose touch with your customers. I know many business owners who tell me; “I know my customers, I talk to them all the time.” But do you really? I know you talk to them often, but are you actually gaining valuable feedback from them when you’re talking to them, or are you simply serving them. There is a difference.

I want you to purposely discuss their experience and try to solicit useful feedback that you can use to improve your business.

Personally, I have never had one person who did not take the four minutes, and the knowledge that we gain from this, is just the tool we need to help make improvements in our business that our customers want.