Creative Commons License

You know your clients love you because they tell you so.  You know they are pleased with your service and the quality of your work.  You’ve got a pretty good feeling that your customer service is top-notch.  But, how do you know for sure?  Do you ask them directly?  Do you survey them?

Over the next few days, we are going to discuss surveying your customers.  A few years ago, I got in the practice of surveying my customers when they pick up their wedding invites.  What I found continues to be very useful to my business.

5 reasons why surveying your customers is important:

  1. It gives you an opportunity to make immediate changes to your business. When you get feedback from a client, you are brought quickly to the attention of any problems.  Without this feedback it could become a festering problem before you are aware enough to react.
  2. It gives you the opportunity to address any problems with the client. The client may not be the type to send her steak back to the kitchen, but may tell all her friends that the food is horrible at that restaurant.  The same goes for your business.  It is better to ask a client directly if they are pleased with your performance.  When faced with the question, he or she is more likely to give you a straight answer.  It also gives you the chance to resolve the problem with them, before they tell the town about it.
  3. It gives you something tangible on which to grade your business.  If the customer is happy, your business is doing well!  If the customer is not, your business is not.  This gives you a tangible way of analyzing your business that is separate from your financial results.
  4. It gives you and your employees warm fuzzies (morale booster!). Often times, your surveys will confirm your suspicions that your clients think you are the bomb-diggety.  This is a great morale booster for your team.  When you and your team see that your client appreciates all the work that you put into their wedding, it connects everyone to the purpose of your business.  It ties your team to the product, the customer, and your mission.  To see a client’s nice comments about our work on a dull day raises our spirits and keeps us going.
  5. It shows that you care. I’m sure this has happened to you.  You are at that wonderful hotel on vacation.  Everything has been amazing.  On your last day, you receive the survey under the door.  I instantly think, “This company cares about their customers.  This company values the service that they provide.”  The fact that you survey gives your customers the understanding that you are a smart business person that is interested in growing your strengths and improving your weaknesses.

So now that you know WHY it’s important to survey your customers, we’ll move onto the HOW.  See you back here tomorrow!