It used to be that when companies wanted to know how their product was faring among customers, they would send out feedback surveys over email: someone at the front-end would collect customer email addresses and share them with corporate, someone in the customer service or product marketing department would then frame a few generic questions targeting any or all customers, design the survey and send it to these email addresses. Finally, there would or would not be a follow-up, depending on how sophisticated the process was.

This was the 90s.

Email was then quickly replaced by CATI or Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. We’ve since come a long way. Today, what we have is nothing short of an explosion of digital channels and on-the-spot customer feedback collection mechanisms.

But do more digital channels mean better feedback? If companies keep asking the same outdated questions, does it matter that they’re doing so over a hundred digital channels?

Revamping Customer Feedback Collection: From Surveys to Modern Insights

Start with the basics

The process of building a survey seems simple enough, right? Think again – especially, if you have your heart set on getting more responses or game-changing insights to improve your market position.

As with any survey, conventional or modern, it’s important to get the basics right before you sit down to frame the questions – starting with the who, the where, the when, the what and the how.

The Who

Feedback capture is evolving in leaps and bounds. But, even so, it’s not possible to create a 100% personalized survey for your customers. When starting on a survey questionnaire, the first thing to ask is who the survey is targeting. Is it a specific demographic – sorted by age, location, or the product they chose? The more defined your selection, the more the chances your survey will be answered, and the better your chances of receiving answers that matter.

The Where

This is pretty self explanatory. Today, we have a multitude of digital mediums, including devices, that let you capture feedback on-the-go. But are you seeking feedback one too many times? Is it possible that you’re irking your customers by asking them questions that are not relevant to them?

The When

Studies have shown – time and again – that timing is everything. We all know that surveys that are sent out immediately after customer interaction are likely to get prompt responses. But do you know the little things that make a good survey great? For example, there’s a particular day of the week, and select time slots every day that improve the chances of your survey emails being opened. Interesting, isn’t it?

The What and the How

Arguably, the most important aspect of a survey are the questions themselves. What questions to ask, and how to ask them are not only critical for bettering the chances of your survey being read, but also in terms of getting the right responses.

Consider these two questions that essentially ask the same thing:

1. Tell us what you liked the most about the product. Select all that apply.

o Polite and professional driver

o Value for money

o Neat and tidy car

o Good entertainment unit

o All of the above

Which one is more you?

The science behind creating engaging questions is rooted in hard core logic. Questions need to change with the times and the demographic. Which is why we recommend expert involvement at this level. From choosing the right phrasing to sequencing, the whole process requires experienced professionals who understand your key demographic and how they prefer to engage.

The process of collecting insights from the responses is equally important. Once the completed surveys are in, you need the right mechanism to capture these responses and extract actionable insights from them. This calls for a powerful customer experience system that integrates across channels, is easy to use, and is highly analytical.

If you are looking to measure and optimize personalized customer experiences, then Dropthought can certainly help!

Dropthought is a user-friendly, omnichannel, and real-time customer experience management platform. We empower companies in different verticals to create delightful experiences for customers across their journey. Get the detailed analysis and insights from data to exactly know what your customers think and what actions you need to take to delight them.

With a dedicated customer success team, we would ensure that you are optimizing your Customer Experience programs and strategies to create great experiences!

Learn more by simply clicking here.