Why every Customer Experience Survey is a Self-Reflecting Mirror

“How was your experience with our product?” “Could you tell us more as to why you decided not to choose our service?” “Based on your overall experience, how likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend, or colleague?”

These are some burning questions in the minds of business owners and sales managers when they shoot out their regular cycle of customer experience surveys, and the same level of curiosity is reflected in their survey questions as well.

But what exactly does a customer experience survey mean to decision makers and their organisation?

“Your most unhappy customers are your best source of learning” – said Bill Gates after he retired as CEO and started sharing his wealth of knowledge from 3 decades of working closely with some of this most demanding customers of Microsoft.

In other words, they are your true mirrors to self-reflect, improve and grow!

Sales over Self-improvement – The Killer of Companies

Create product – Launch – Look at growth figure of competitors – Panic – Push for sales over self-improvement – Lose customers who are unhappy with your existing product line – Panic – Push for more sales – Panic - Company Dies.

Still wondering why 90% of the new so called “startups” perish within the first 3 years?

One of the key killers of startups and even established businesses is the “quantitative approach”. Rather than focusing on improving what they already have and building on it, organisations in their effort to showcase expansion and get more ROI, ignore what makes successful businesses what they are – investing in customer delight!

A regular cycle of customer experience and feedback surveys keeps you grounded, tells you where you lack, gives you a clear perception of improvements and helps you create a platform where customers are delighted to be with you.

Customers are the best bug finders

While an IT product company can instantly relate to the above statement – it stands true no matter which industry you are from. Why? Because your customers pay for what they get! You can hire an army of product/service testers but give the same to a customer who pays for it and they can tell you 10 ways you can provide a more delightful experience.

Surveys allow you to ask the most pressing questions and get actionable insights and analytics on responses from people who matter most – your customers!

Customers keep you on your toes

This is particularly more important in a market that is already riffled with competition. Who else to keep you on your toes and keep you inspired for self-improvement that your own consumers? Ignore their viewpoint and soon a new player might knock you off the game by giving your customers what they have been asking from you!

Innovation - Customer tells you “what”, you figure out “how”

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses” – said Henry Ford after investing the first motor car.

But take another cue from what he said – “faster horses”. If surveys existed back then, this would have been the “what” from consumers. His response to that need was through motor cars which was “how” he did it. In this case his response was an innovative product because of course you cannot create faster horses by stuffing a stronger engine inside! 

The purpose of a customer experience survey is never to figure out how you are going to solve a problem – that’s your job. But what you do find out is "what" are the areas of improvement. Sometimes customers are not even unhappy with your product/service, but there might be a longing for “something more”. And that is your cue for ideation and innovation!

Are you ready to face the mirror and grow your business? Then let’s get Started!

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