Customer surveys

Customer surveys serve as an organizational tool for understanding the customer's needs, evaluating the service experience and figuring out how to meet the customer's expectations regarding the company, the product and the service. The surveys serve as empirical tools for evaluating customer satisfaction, and the overall customer experience in terms of the quality of service and the products/services themselves. They can also help in identifying strengths and weaknesses regarding the relationship with the customer. Surveys help the organization understand how customers or potential customers perceive them, and how they are perceived compared to their competitors. Measuring the changes over time in the parameters of customer satisfaction is the basis for building trust and long-term relationships and for effective organizational involvement in the relationship with the customer.

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Survey Process in Metoda’s Customer Surveys

Survey Plan - Profiling the organization's needs and planning a customized research program, defining the research variables and adjusting the questionnaires for the specific organization. The survey process begins with an evaluation of the needs, after which the research variables are set and a customized research program is devised. The questionnaire in the survey is based on Metoda’s questionnaires, with adjustments made to the content, wording and structure. The organization’s project managers take part in writing the questionnaire, in order to achieve the optimal research tools.

 

Survey Implementation - Planning user-friendly online questionnaires for respondents; translating the questionnaire into various languages ​​for global research programs; completing the data collection for research purposes using multiple methods in organizations that require it (Pencil and Paper questionnaires, kiosks).

 

Survey Summery - Conducting statistical analysis of the survey data at reference levels matching the customer segments; presenting the data, drawing conclusions from the research and creating a reader-friendly executive summary presentation; planning future surveys for examining trends in parameters that are observed over time.

 

Methodological Aspects in Customer Surveys

Customer surveys include several stages of research as well as organizational and methodological decision-making at each stage. When planning research programs for Metoda’s organizational surveys, methodological aspects that affect the survey process and its reliability are addressed as well.

 

Communicating the survey to customers - The customers’ willingness to participate in surveys is not self-evident. It is important to communicate to customers the survey’s purpose and importance - for the organization and for the customers. It is important that the management help convey the messages to the customers and create a positive survey atmosphere. Organizations whose managements recognize the value of employee surveys, facilitate the process and stress the importance of the survey to the customers, enjoy a higher response rate for surveys.

 

Phrasing Tailored Questionnaires - Questionnaires in customer surveys should be tailored to the needs of the organization. The questionnaire must tackle the research question in a reliable and valid manner and be adjusted to the organization’s vernacular and culture. The content of the questionnaire (wording, structure and inner logic) should increase the chances that the customers will understand the questions as the survey authors intended and answer the questions fully and honestly.

 

Designing the Questionnaire - The graphic design and structure of the questionnaire should be user friendly. It is recommended not to overload the questionnaire with graphic elements and design gimmicks. All these distract the respondents from the questions and create methodological noise.

 

Defining Customers Segments - It is necessary to profile the customers groups relevant to the survey (sectors, sites, products, regions, seniority etc.). A proper definition of the customers segments will enable proper planning of the research program when formulating the questionnaire, collecting the data and analyzing the findings.

 

Minimizing Refusal - Any survey in which the number of respondents differs from the number of employees who received the survey, is theoretically at risk of producing biased results. The response rate in the survey reflects the customers' motivation to disclose to the company their thoughts, feelings and experiences. The customers’ willingness to participate indicates their level of engagement and trust in the company and the survey process itself. Various measures should be taken to reduce the number of people who refuse to take part in the survey (and increase the number of respondents).

 

Implementing Survey Results - The findings serve as an effective empirical basis for devising work plans. companies should conduct customers surveys only when they have a genuine intention and willingness to listen and act in accordance with what they hear.