After you’ve selected a market research company, partnered with them to design a useful customer satisfaction survey, and watched the results stream in, following up with customers can feel as anticlimactic as writing thank you notes on the day after your birthday. However, just as writing thank you notes goes a long way in preserving next year’s present count, following up on survey feedback is a good practice for customer retention.
The first step in survey follow up is disseminating the information you’ve gathered. As discussed in our post on what to look for in customer engagement feedback tools, your market research firm should provide methods for distributing survey results to the right people in your company. Both aggregate and individual feedback should be delivered to the correct representatives. There are various methods for distributing survey results. PeopleMetrics, for instance, provides clients with role-based dashboards that show overall engagement, positive comments, negative comments, and also enable clients to track follow-up actions that have been taken.
Once the right people in your organization have the survey results, they can follow up with respondents. A thank you note or email should be sent to each respondent to let them know how much you appreciate their feedback. Some systems, like the customer experience management software offered by PeopleMetrics, integrate an automated thank you to close the loop with each and every customer who takes the time to provide their input.
Employees can also immediately address any service failures raised through customer feedback. For instance, if a survey revealed that a client is unhappy with the degree of communications they have with their consulting project team, the account manager could follow up by establishing regular weekly check-in calls. (You may choose to limit these personal responses to only your highest-value customers or clients.)
In addition to providing “big picture” data about your company, surveys provide the opportunity to woo a potentially disengaged customer back to full engagement with your company. This follow-up legwork is what distinguishes the companies with the most Engaged Customers. Even the Ritz-Carlton, which earned the top slot in this year’s Most Engaged Customers list, makes errors. What separates the Ritz-Carlton from the competition is how they correct their mistakes. The Most Engaged Customers report found that customers who feel their problem was handled well are nearly as engaged as customers who have never experienced a problem, so it behooves your company to do everything possible to resolve customers’ complaints. By following up on survey feedback with thank you notes, targeted actions and exceptional customer service, you can preserve the positive emotional connection that your customers have with your brand.
