Drive Customer Referrals with Surveys

Wouldn't you like to know -  how do you get a customer to refer someone to your business?

Why not find the answer through a survey? Surveying your customers regularly is a critical part of running a successful business. Surveys can uncover satisfaction -- or dissatisfaction, expose critical needs or offer a new opportunity to communicate with your customers.

The result: buzz about your business and hopefully... enthusiastic qualified referrals!

4 TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE SURVEY

1. Focus on the narrative, not the score.
Customer narrative is the most valuable part of any survey, not the numbers. Use open-ended questions that allow the customer to give specific feedback. Remember, you're probably not going to get a TON of responses, but the information that customers will give you will spark ideas!

2. Don't stack the deck
Don't stack the deck against yourself! Too many questions overwhelm customers and will cause response rates to decline. According to expert Fred Reichheld's, the most valuable piece of info you need to know: "How likely is it that your customer would recommend your business to a friend or colleague?"

Objective feedback and honest reactions are more useful than quantity of responses. Therefore, make sure you include ways to get truly candid customer opinions. Try setting up a blackboard with chalk letting the customer vote for their favorite display as they walk through the store. Give customers a Love It or Leave It token... they can pencil in what item they loved the most and what they didn't in a fish bowl at the register.


3. Close the loop
Survey feedback is worthless if you don't take action on it. The mere act of surveying a customer can increase satisfaction, but follow-up is where the real power lies. Customers generally view being asked for their opinion as something favorable, however what really knocks their socks off is when they hear back from that business after completion of the survey. Particularly if the customer was dissatisfied in some way. Receiving a personalized call or note to address the complaint is rather impressive. You can show appreciation to your customer with a GREAT offer, especially if they refer a new customer to you!

4. Immerse yourself in the responses.
Don't set the survey results aside and forget about them without the analysis. Take time to thoughtfully review your customers' feedback and the implications to your business. Share the results with your staff -- including verbatim customer comments -- and what these responses have taught you. Most importantly enlighten them on what the plan is moving forward.

There's no more important business measure than the voice of the customer.

Find out what your customers are saying to improve customer satisfaction and build loyalty.

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Satisfied customers are the key to staying in business for the long haul. As Paul Conforti, co-founder and CEO of Boston-based Final Desserterie, puts it, "In the game of business, sales and profit are how we keep score. But the game itself is all about customer satisfaction. Small-business owners need to be able to measure customer satisfaction to truly understand how well they're playing the game -- and customer surveys are the primary way of doing that."

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