It’s a standard rule of thumb in marketing: it costs 10x less to keep the customers you have than to generate new ones. This means one of the best uses of your marketing dollars is to maintain customer loyalty. One of the easiest ways to do that is to use customer surveys.
What makes customer surveys so effective?
- They make customers feel valued.
- They provide an opportunity to learn about customer habits and purchasing patterns.
- If there is a problem with the customer relationship, they open the door to correct it.
How often should you survey? Some marketers survey their customers on an as-needed basis. Their goal might be to understand different customer behaviors, such as a drop in sales or a shift in purchasing patterns, or to get to know their customers better in order to drive 1:1 personalization programs. Others have an ongoing commitment to customer surveys, such as sending annual questionnaires or follow-ups after each sale to monitor customer satisfaction.
What are some different ways you can conduct a survey? There are many different ways companies opt to survey their customers. Here some of the ways you can conduct a survey:
- In-person
- Online
- Telephone
- In-app
How your customers interact with your company will determine which channels you use for your survey. For instance, if your customers mainly shop online or through an app, you would want to use a survey online, through email, or in the app itself.
What kind of response rate can be expected when conducting a survey? The answer is it depends. There are different factors that can change your response rate from the channels you choose to timing and incentives. However, the average survey response rate according to Survey Anyplace, is 33%. The most effective method was found to be the in-person survey with a 57% response rate because it can be held at the moment when the survey is most relevant (when someone purchases in the store) and allows for the most personalized experience. The second highest response rate was a mail survey with a 50% response rate and third on the list was an email survey with an average response rate of 30%.
Regardless of which approach works best for you, customer surveys are a valuable tool for maintaining the loyalty of those customers who help your bottom line the most.
Need to send a customer survey? Ask us! We can help you create a survey that will drive a high response rate and give you an accurate view of your customers.
