A customer satisfaction (CSAT) study is probably the most well-known type of market research study. It's a formal way of simply asking customers for feedback. Customer satisfaction survey companies conduct studies for a variety of different industries and the process is largely the same for each. The basic questions in a survey can relate to a number of different companies, brands, products or services.
One of the most common customer surveys is the ISO 9001 customer satisfaction survey. In order for manufacturers to be ISO certified, they need to collect regular customer feedback. ISO also states that the manufacturer must lay out a program and make improvements based on the feedback. This process of requesting feedback and acting on feedback is what makes the customer satisfaction survey process so valuable. It creates a well-aligned business strategy using customer wants and needs to drive next steps.
Customer satisfaction surveys come in many shapes and sizes. They can be conducted by mail, by email, through an online link, and through the telephone. Each type of methodology provides its own unique pros and cons. If you're unsure which methodology to choose refer to our Comprehensive Guide to Market Research for Small Business.
Find out how satisfied your customers are with a CSAT survey. Even a short survey can provide you with a wealth of benchmarking data and opportunities for improvement.
Proposal & Kickoff
Although it may seem less expensive and better to manage a customer satisfaction survey in-house, think about the benefits of using a third-party. Usage of an outside customer satisfaction survey company can save you time and ensure results are unbiased. These third-party companies can lend their experience and expertise to the process. The best customer satisfaction firms will work with you to customize an approach, methodology, and your questions for the survey.
The scope of work will come to your business in the form of a proposal. This proposal will include details on the process, timeline, and exact cost. Once the proposal is accepted, you'll then have a kickoff meeting to cover main objectives. The core benefit of a kickoff meeting is for the customer satisfaction survey company to learn about your needs, objectives, and end-results desired from the project. Following the meeting, the consultant should prepare a project workplan for both teams.
Set up & Testing
The first step of the set up is for the market research company to write a draft survey document. This survey should reflect the objectives from the kickoff meeting. A good survey is a combination of customized questions and standard questions recommended by the consultant. The market research company will design the survey for you and send you a test link if the survey is completed online or through email. This gives you an opportunity to review the look and feel before it is finalized.
At Drive Research, we always recommend a soft-launch and test of the survey before fieldwork begins. This ensures the process is working correctly and respondents are comprehending the questions before sending invitations to all.
These standard questions could include metrics to measure like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Customer Effort Score (CES), Likelihood to Switch (LTS), and Likelihood to Repurchase (LTR). Here is some more information on 6 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) your business should be measuring.
Fieldwork
Now the fun begins. Once the survey is live and the data rolls in, you can begin getting an idea of results. Most CATI systems and customer satisfaction survey companies will offer clients live data look-ins. These is or has become standard practice in recent years. This data submitted from customers is up-to-the-second feedback. Clients have the ability to go into the dashboard, filter and customize looks at the data.
The market research company also handles any types of questions or comments submitted by survey takers. This is another added benefit of using a third-party. All surveys inevitably have respondents who have an issue or question about the survey. These can be submitted directly to your third-party firm managing the survey rather than you. This saves you time and allows you to focus on other priorities.
All surveys (either online or email) include at least 1 or 2 follow-up reminder emails. Although the majority of your survey completes will be collected in the first 24 hours of the initial invite, you will see some bumps in responses after your 1st and 2nd reminders.
Analysis & Reporting
This is the portion of the customer satisfaction survey project where a firm can add significant value. A good customer satisfaction survey company will go beyond the data for you and dig into the insights, interpretations, and analysis of the results. They will provide you with a themed executive summary, recommendations, infographics, and a question-by-question breakdown of results. This all comes in the report package for most.
A comprehensive report includes cross-tabulations among key customer segments, geographies, ages, and other areas. Rather than passing you a data dump of Excel tables and a banner book, the market research firm will pull out key data points and walk you through the findings in a debrief meeting. This meeting helps clarify the findings in the report and gives you the opportunity to ask any additional questions. After this meeting, the market research firm will make any necessary revisions and corrections to the draft report before sending a final copy.
What are the largest benefits of Customer Satisfaction Research?
Collecting customer feedback enables organizations to make improvements and improve offerings. Knowing what to fix and what customers are unsatisfied with, no matter how poor the results are, is better than turning a blind eye. Customer satisfaction surveys engage customers. It shows that your organization or business cares about feedback, and most importantly plans to act on it. The approach allows your strategy to be driven by facts and evidence.
Regular CSAT surveys also give you the ability to benchmark scores over time. Wondering how the changes in structure and training you made with your customer service department impacted customer satisfaction? Conduct Wave 1 surveys and a Wave 2 follow-up. This will provide your business with pre-change and post-change data to review how the dial has moved.
How do I get started?
Drive Research is a customer satisfaction survey company in Syracuse. We manage all types of customer satisfaction surveys and Voice of Customer (VoC) surveys across Upstate New York. Our markets of focus include Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Watertown, and Binghamton.
Interested in a customer satisfaction survey quote? Call us at 315-303-2040 or send us an email at our business email account at [email protected].