Complacency can be lethal for a business – any business, any size, any sector.
When things are going well many entrepreneurs become complacent and take their eye off the ball in the area of customer care.
Essentially their businesses are prospering because a rising tide lifts all the boats together, but what happens when the tide goes out, especially now when it is a very long way out to sea, and new customers are nowhere to be seen on the distant horizon?
By the time you realise that you are staring at a vast expanse of sand it may be too late to take remedial action.
Forward planning
Planning has to take place when you may deem it to be least necessary. A major element in forward planning is finding out what customers think of your products or services and what they would like to see changing.
A major element in forward planning is finding out what customers think of your products or services and what they would like to see changing
Not only does it allow you to ascertain how many and which of your customers are vulnerable to a downturn or may leave you to look for better value, but it is basic customer care.
The simplest way to achieve this is by a customer satisfaction survey. However, a survey has to be properly planned and will typically take into account the following:
- Which category of customers do we survey?
- How many do we survey?
- What are we trying to ascertain from the survey?
- How do we phrase the questions to avoid ambiguity?
- How do we ensure it will be filled in properly?
- How do we make it easy and quick to complete?
- Do we invite comments?
- Is it tick box or scoring?
- How many questions do we ask?
- What medium do we use to send it out?
- What medium do we use to get it back in?
- Do we require an incentive to ensure it is returned?
- What is an appropriate incentive to offer?
- What about a deadline for return?
- Who will collate the answers?
- Who will interpret the answers?
A survey is all about engaging with your customers and showing them that you are interested in them and value their feedback.If you don’t the odds are that somebody else will.
Customer surveys on a regular basis, such as every six or 12 months, allow you to build up a picture of how trends are changing.
A typical picture that may emerge from surveying new customers is how they found out about you. For example, as search engines become the first port of call for many you may need to shrink your printed media advertising budget.
Another example is whether your service is perceived as being up to scratch. You have been top dog in your field when you started out but how do you compare to the new entrants – are you still cutting the mustard or are you getting left behind by the new boys?
Most SME owners will swear blind that they know what is going on in their business and have their finger on the pulse, with few truly believing that a survey will yield meaningful results.
I recall undertaking several surveys and each one returned what I had expected to hear, so what did I learn? I learnt that we were doing things the right way, and crucially, it allowed me to call several people who had made critical, but unjustified comments and explain why we did things a particular way.
The average cost of acquiring a new customer can run into hundreds of pounds, but customers who tell you how much they appreciated your phone call to discuss their feedback are priceless.
