Surveys Continue the Conversation
I’ve previously shared here my belief that a simple and straightforward conversation can be a powerful instrument in your go-to-market strategy. Once you’ve started a conversation, how do you keep the line of communication open? In much the same way you keep a conversation going in real-life—you ask questions. And a great way to ask questions online is in the form of customer surveys.
Digital makes surveying easier than ever.
Before digital, you had to send out paper surveys in the mail to ask customers for feedback. (I know—it seems like forever ago.) That meant longer wait times for feedback, fewer responses, and less data. Now, online resources like SurveyMonkey and Wufoo, not to mention social polling through Twitter and Facebook, make it easy to keep the conversation going. The proliferation of digital channels means you can connect with customers in a number of places, which puts less pressure on one survey having to answer everything.
Here are a few tips for leveraging surveys:
Host surveys on your website. A question on the homepage is a great way to start the conversation!
Add a question or two to your Contact Us form to better qualify prospects who ask for more information.
Add a question at the end of email signatures to inspire new conversations with existing customers.
Integrate surveys into your newsletters and email campaigns.
Ask for feedback and opinions via social polls to
But just asking questions is not enough. The key is implementation: acting on the information shared by your customers. Internally, share customer feedback with your sales, customer service, IT and any other relevant departments. It may lead to optimizing the user experience for your customers, both online and off, or tweaking a solution to better address customer needs, or launching an entirely new division of service.
Externally, you’ll want to share the output of these conversations with your customers, as sharing builds trust and keeps the communication flowing. There are a number of creative ways to share survey data that offer value and build trust. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
Exclusive survey findings report for respondents
Infographics with key insights
Customizable content experiences based on on-site survey data
Questions are a powerful force in conversation. Asking a customer for opinions or feedback demonstrates an openness to their perspective and a desire to be more than just a vendor, but a partner in their success. Surveys make it easy to initiate and continue conversations and build relationships of value for both you and your customers.
How is your company implementing surveys in its customer relationship marketing? How has survey data influenced your customer experience? And if you’re not currently using surveys … why not?
About Joan Spindel: As the chief go-to-market strategist for Westcon-Comstor, Joan Spindel engages our customers in genuine, empathetic conversations and then translates their needs into compelling market development initiatives. She believes there has never been a better time to listen and lead in marketing.
