Q: I like to ask my customers for feedback about my service. Is there a way to do that on the Internet?

The most useful customer service surveys serve two purposes. The first is to get an honest opinion of the product or service you provided. Results can be used to improve the way you do business, or to make an assessment of what is – or is not – working well for your customers.

Further, a survey is a great marketing tool. When you know the transaction has gone well, and you want to remind your customer of that point, then you will be asking him to think about that as he provides his response. You’ll increase the chance he will call or purchase from you again.

Presenting your survey online makes the process simple for both your customer and yourself. Start by collecting email addresses while doing business with your customers, keeping track of their names, too.

Next, create survey questions that will help you improve your service to your clients or customers. Your questions should require very definable answers. “Yes or No” questions, or "On a Scale of 1 to 5” types are best. “Was your product delivered to you within the expected timeframe?” “Did our salesperson answer all your questions?” “How would you rate the quality of our service?”

Avoid open ended questions that require a text-composed answer because respondents will likely skip those, or even skip answering your survey all together. The exception to this is to provide a “Comments” area at the end of the survey to let them elaborate on any point they’d like to make. On the chance they write something worth sharing as a testimonial, you might want to ask them for permission to share their comments with potential customers.

Limit the number of questions to eight to ten. If your customer perceives she will be able to answer quickly, then she is more likely to participate. Remember – the goal is not to take up her time, but to get honest feedback.

Consider, too, whether you want to identify the respondent. While we would all like to know exactly who says what about us, letting the customer remain anonymous may result in more honest answers. Make those identifying questions optional unless they have requested follow-up, in which case you’ll need to know who the customer is.

Putting a survey online is an easy and efficient way to ask for opinions. Assuming your customers have easy access to email and the internet, you can make your invitation, present the survey, and receive the results with very little effort and almost no cost to you. Your webmaster should be able to do this for you, or there are a number of online survey applications you can use.

Then using the email address and personalizing it with her name, send an email to your customer inviting her to answer your survey, using a link to the survey online. Once she is finished, answers can be emailed to you individually, or submitted to a database so you can review answers grouped by their topics.

Finally, when customers respond with points that need improvement, be sure to take action. If they have identified themselves, follow up with them to thank them for their honest response, then stay in touch to let them know when you’ve improved or fixed the problem.

Knowing they have been heard will be one reason your customers return to do business with you.

Sign up to receive Daly Communications Web Marketing Tips

Return to Web Marketing Tips