What do your customers really think about your products or services?

Which of your competitors do your clients also use?
How could your offerings be improved to better meet your clients' needs?

There is only one way to find the answers to the above questions:

Ask your customers.

One of the quickest, easiest and cheapest ways to do this is through an online survey.
The beauty of an online survey is that it allows you to simultaneously collect information on what a large number of your customers are thinking, and facilitates feedback that is likely to be more honest compared to just asking your customers in a meeting.

Ideally, your online survey should include the following:

1. A section that asks your customers to rate the different features (e.g., price, quality, convenience) of your product/service compared to your competitors.
2. A section that asks your customers what they like about your competitors products/services.
3. An open question that asks your customers for suggestions on how your products/services could be improved, and what other products/services your customers would like your business to offer them.
4. A section collecting demographic information about the person responding to the survey (e.g., position in firm, months/years of experience with your company, time spent within their own company, etc)

To maximize the response rate to your survey, consider implementing the following initiatives:

1. Preface the survey with an email request from the person who has the closest relationship with the client to which you are sending the survey
2. Offer a small compensation to every respondent (e.g., $20 off your next purchase). The longer it takes to complete the survey, the greater the compensation should be.
3. Increase the incentive by offering one significant prize to be drawn from all respondents (e.g., $1000 cash).

If your online survey is built professionally, your survey responses will be able to be downloaded directly into a database and analysed immediately. By requesting feedback from your clients, you will be demonstrating that your products and service offerings are based on their needs. After all, isn't your number one business priority responding to your customer's requirements?

To receive a free quote on building an online survey for your business, contact Fred Schebesta at Freestylemedia: fred@freestylemedia.com.au