I am asked all the time by clients and potential clients how they can improve their survey response rate. In fact, my reply is so readily available off my hip that I’m surprised I hadn’t written about it until now, although I’m sure there are podcast episodes all over the place with me sharing this tip, so it’s out there in the ether one way or another.
And it occurred to me recently when I came across an article I wrote a while back about how Copper Mountain Resort is Getting CX Right with their survey invitation, that there’s even more they could do to improve their response rate. In that example, the brand explicitly hit the incentive nail on the head when they went beyond simply offering something of value in return for filling out a survey (no, I never did win, I don’t think!). What they offered beyond that was a promise to take what their Customers have to say in their survey responses seriously. While not being specific or guaranteeing that they’d literally make every improvement that every Customer points out (but here’s hoping they’ll extend those hours on the Excelerator lift!), they do mention that they’ll take all our suggestions into account, even going so far as to boldly say that, unlike some other brands who simply cast aside the thoughts their Customers offer, they will take our feedback seriously. That acknowledgement goes a long way to demonstrate their seriousness, or at least make note that those among us less likely to want to bother based on shared experiences of other brands blowing us off are in good company with Copper Mountain who promises better.
But they could go further, and this is the advice I always offer: Offer an example of how they’ve done it in the past.
When you apply for a job, your resume should represent experiences that you’ve had that are relatable to what you’ll be expected to accomplish in the new position. If you make it to the interview process, you’ll be peppered with questions about, “Tell me a time when you’ve had this or that issue, and how you handled it.” Among other things, this sort of experiential questioning is intended to give the hiring manager or recruiter faith that, while you may not have done the exact same job previously, at least you’ve demonstrated a history of being able to do the things they want you to do there.
Similarly in our case, if you really want to incentivize your Customers to give you the best feedback so you can improve your business processes,* it’s best to demonstrate that you have a history of taking such feedback seriously. And the best way to do that is to demonstrate that you’ve historically not only collected but acted upon such criticism. This may be tricky if, for example, it’s the first time you’ve ever sent out a survey to Customers. But surely if you’re the sort of brand who’s looking for feedback in order to improve,† you’re probably of the type that’s gotten feedback from somewhere and acted on that previously. So feel free to use those examples.
How?
When you’re crafting the invitation to partake in your surveys, do something like Copper Mountain did, but with even more specificity. If you’ve already been sending out surveys for a while, you can write something like: “Thanks for your recent visit. We’re always looking for ways to improve your experience with ABC, Inc. Last year our Customers told us in survey responses that the wait time at our checkout counters was too long. So, we invested in better technology, hired a few more cashiers, and reengineered the entire checkout process to help get you on your way faster. In the same spirit of providing better service, we’d love to hear other ways you feel we can improve your experience with us…”
If you’ve never sent surveys before, you can still get in on the incentive game. Try something like, “At ABC, Inc., we take your opinion seriously. Our Customers told our Care Team agents that the selection of colors our products offered wasn’t broad enough. We listened. This year, we’ve rolled out seven new color schemes and are investigating even more based on your feedback. Let’s keep that momentum and teamwork going! In the same spirit, we don’t want to limit your input in making us better to simply colors. Let us know below any way you’d like to see us improve in how we serve you.”
If I’m reading that as a Customer, I’m seeing that you’re serious about improving, and also that you’re serious about taking my (and my fellow Customers’) opinions into account when prioritizing those improvements. After all, nothing changes perception better than changing reality.
This goes far beyond empty rhetoric about “your opinion is important to us.” This is demonstrative that it’s so.
And if you don’t have examples? Looks like you’ve got work to do to earn your Customers’ thoughtful feedback!
* And, um, that is why you’re asking, right?!
† Ahem.
