For most companies the answer is YES - it is easier to find Waldo than it is to find consumer insights. Don’t get me wrong, there are companies out there that utilize guest satisfaction surveys correctly; unfortunately, they are the minority, which is why I wanted to take some time and share my views regarding Guest Satisfaction survey programs.
Why does my opinion matter?
Before going into details on my views, I want to first introduce myself and provide insight into my background:
- First, I am a professional Guest Satisfaction survey taker. Since market research is my world, I complete every single survey I receive (yes, I spend a lot of time every week filling out surveys from restaurants, retailers, airlines, hotels, you name it), so I have seen it all.
- Second, I’m the Director of Sales at TrendSource. I personally work with companies to develop Guest Satisfaction and other market research programs focused on driving solutions to increase guest loyalty and put money in our clients’ wallets.
5 problems. 5 solutions. Why it’s easier to find Waldo.
1. Questionnaires are poorly developed
Almost every single survey I take is the same: i.e. on a 1 to 10 scale, please rate the cleanliness of the parking lot, cleanliness of the facility, friendliness of the staff, blah, blah, blah. By the way, can someone tell me the difference between a 6 and a 7 rating? And why does the survey take 5 minutes to fill out? Why are there so many questions?
Before I go into the solution, take a moment to review your current guest satisfaction questionnaire.
- Is it too long? Too short?
- Is it engaging? Would you fill it out if you were a guest?
- What are your objectives of the survey? If a question is asked, just to be asked, but doesn’t help you achieve your objective – get rid of it.
- Is the survey designed to simply track your metrics or to help you meet your guests’ needs?
Solution: Focus on two (2) to three (3) key initiatives that can help you to glean insight from your guests. Start by asking yourself these questions: What is important to my guests? What drives my loyal guests coming back for more? What can you do to capture first time guests?
2. Net Promoter Score (NPS) is not a measurement that will drive ROI in every industry
NPS is based on a direct question: “How likely are you to recommend our company/product/services?” and that’s it.
Solution: If you are banking on NPS increases to drive your revenue in 2014, you need to stop reading this and call me now.
3. Response Rates
Everyone loves surveys because you get a lot of responses; however are the right people providing you with accurate feedback? In the next week take some time to look at the people who are filling out your surveys.
Solution: Think of the last time you filled out a survey – what was your motivation? Now think about your target guests, what would motivate them to provide feedback regarding their experience? If you were filling out the survey, what would you want to see?
4. Results
How you utilize results will depend on your objective. For example, a store manager might just use the results for service recovery and to build an email marketing list.
Solution: Ask yourself these questions: What does success look like? How are the results going to be utilized?
5. A Guest Satisfaction Survey Program on its own will fail
Guest Satisfaction surveys should only be one piece of the puzzle to measure your guests’ experiences. On a frequent basis you should collect in-store customer intercepts to gauge your guests’ wants and needs. Consumer preferences change rapidly and your strategy today can change tomorrow.
Solution: Execute mystery shops to measure your operational procedures. Since companies spend so much time, talent and treasure getting guests in the store, you should measure operational performance on an ongoing basis at your locations.
That’s all folks!
Those five steps should give you a solid foundation to build a successful Guest Satisfaction Survey Program. Hope you find them helpful! I love talking about guest satisfaction, so if you ever have any questions or just want to bounce a couple of thoughts off me, I’m always available. Or tweet me at @LinckTS.
