Date post: | 20-Aug-2015 |
Category: |
Technology |
Upload: | the-url-dr |
View: | 242 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 2
How to Best Use Surveys and Polls to Keep Existing Customers and Attract New Business
Our Agenda
1. Using Surveys & Polls for growth
• It’s about your customers
• The value of online feedback
• Improvements to expect
2. Using Polls & Surveys
3. Creating an Effective Survey
• Defining Objectives
• Creating Questions
• Overall Design
4. Distributing your Survey
• When to Survey
5. The Right Content
• Survey Examples
6. Taking Action on the Results
7. Your Next Steps
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 4
It’s About Your Customers
Your current customers are
your best path to growth.
Your customers are the reason you’re
in business
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 5
Your current customers, best path to growth
Your current customers are your best opportunity for profitability & growth
They cost less than gaining a new customer
They spend more money
They promote your business with positive word-of-mouth
It's 6-7 times more expensive to gain a new customer than it is to retain an
existing customer. - Bain and Company
A 2% increase in customer retention has the
same effect on profits as cutting costs by 10%. -"Leading on the Edge of Chaos", Emmett C. Murphy and Mark
A. Murphy
Repeat customers spend 67% more. - Bain and Company
After 10 purchases, a customer has already referred up to 7 people.
- Bain and Company
– 52% of consumers would feel encouraged to spend more with a company if it were to improve its overall customer experience.
– 50% of consumers will always/often pay more for a better customer experience.
– 53% of consumers will recommend a company to someone else because it provides outstanding service.
Customer Experience Impact Report, by RightNow Technologies and Harris Interactive
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 6
Your customers are talking!
Do you know what your customers are saying about you?
Face-to face feedback and gut feelings aren’t enough to have a real view of what your customers are thinking
• What about non-vocal customers?
The average business loses 50% of its customers over
the course of 5 years. - Carlson Marketing
Each detractor (customers unlikely to recommend you) accounts for the loss of 1.3
new customers through negative word of mouth.
- Net Promoter Economics: The Impact of Word of Mouth, study by Satmetrix
Before: A happy customer tells 5 people, an unhappy customer tells 100.
Now: “59% of people use social media to ‘vent’ about a customer care experience.”
- The Society for New Communications Research study
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 7
Keep an Open Dialogue with Customers
The Tools: Online Surveys & Polls Easily keep an open dialogue with your customers and quickly get balanced, actionable feedback.
Your best path to growth and profitability is:
Keeping in tune with your delighted customers to ensure
they continue to be delighted
Moving satisfied customers to delighted, loyal customers
Managing unhappy customers quickly
Regularly find out what customers like and don’t like about your offerings
Make changes based on their feedback
Have delighted customers that will spend/donate
more and bring in referrals
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 8
Value of Getting Feedback Online
Why Collect Feedback Online?
Easy, fast method to collect feedback from many customers at once
- Online surveys can be made available to customers instantly by email invite, e-newsletter, website, blog,
social media site, etc.
- Get a representative view of your audience that you don’t get face-to-face
– Automatically capture and tally responses. Use reports to make decisions in real time
Get more honest and rich feedback
– Customers aren’t limited by face-time so they can think of more to say
– Customers feel more comfortable sharing sensitive issues they think you might not want to hear
– Spend time/money on what you know will have the most impact
Least expensive type of research and more environmentally friendly than paper surveys
– Avoid the cost of printing and postage
– Can promote being green
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 9
Improvements to Expect from Customer Feedback
Offerings Know how you should improve existing products, services, programs, and events Know what new products, services, programs, events are worthwhile
Website Increase traffic, improve navigation/conversion, increase purchases/donations
E-newsletters Know the topics that stimulate your audience, and the ideal frequency to send to
customers, clients, members, donors, and volunteers
Promotional Efforts Attract new customers, clients, members, donors, volunteers with the right
testimonials, reviews, and ratings
Contact List Update your contact database with new or missing contact information Segment your audience in order to target their interests
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 11
Polls: To Improve Website and Emails
■ Immediately engage visitors/readers
■ Identify their interests
■ Show audience you are in tune with the industry and their challenges
■ Create awareness of products/services ■ e.g. Which of our new products do you like best?
■ e.g. Which membership benefit is the most valuable to you?
■ Immediate results encourages regular repeat visits to website ■ Visitors come back to see latest results and vote on
next new topics
Have interactive, fresh and engaging content with polls
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 12
Using Polls: To Let People Rate your Content
1. How useful did you find this content? Vote Here.
2. Link to a poll after your content: • After e-newsletter articles
• End of blog entries
• After website sections
3. Use instant results! • Gives your audience a voice and instant
gratification of what others said
• You know what content your audience values
• Use the lessons to improve the content in your newsletters, blogs and website
}
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 13
Polls: To Improve Newsletters and Strengthen your Brand
SourceAuthority.com Web-based retailer for manufacturing businesses
Challenge: "We wanted to make the newsletter more interactive and to show our customers that we care about the issues that are important to them.”
Solution: Include polls in their newsletters and on website
Results: ■ Engaging/interactive newsletter
■ Interesting newsletter content – the results from previous week's polls are highlighted in each issue of the newsletter.
■ Increase customer confidence - "Polls help us to build our customers and potential customers' confidence in us by showing that we are in tune with the industry. The topics we cover tell them that we understand their business challenges and are developing solutions to help them achieve their goals."
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 14
Using Surveys: To have a Web-Based Suggestion Box
Have a Suggestion Box link anywhere people can connect with you online:
Employee intranet Website for customers,
prospects, or vendors Blog Social media sites Email newsletter
Give your customers an easy way to give you feedback at any time
Great ideas from customers will allow you to do more with less
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 15
Using Surveys: To Improve Customer Satisfaction
Dockside Restaurant Group Successful restaurant group known for showing big games and serving large portions of high quality food at affordable prices.
Challenge: Getting Honest Feedback from Loyal Customers
Solution: Quarterly Satisfaction Surveys
■ Lets customers rank a variety of aspects – quality of food, caliber of staff, variety on the menus, etc.
Results: New Menu Items, Improved Customer Experience, Increase in Customer Traffic
“Many customers comment that the use of surveys makes them feel important
and that their opinion is valued.”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 16
Using Surveys: To Improve Customer Satisfaction
Jennifer Barley Personal life coach working to help people achieve their goals.
Challenge: Tailoring services to meet the needs of customers
Solution: Uses online surveys to determine customer needs
■ Make sure customers are satisfied ■ If not, learn how to adjust services
before it’s too late
“If you want to find the pulse of your customers, and be able to meet their needs, the survey is the quickest, most efficient
way to get that done.”
Results: Services designed by customers’ needs
“I am a smarter businessperson because I use Online Surveys. I am much more efficient and my customers really feel heard, listened to, and they get what they ask for.”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 17
Using Surveys: To Improve Events/Programs
Community Business Partnership NPO that helps women, minorities and veterans
start - and grow - their own businesses
How feedback impacts the organization:
Continually improve offerings, which increases satisfaction and attendance of events
Know which workshops and trainers were most beneficial in helping clients grow their businesses
Gain suggestions for future workshops, names of potential keynote speakers, future conference ideas
“When we sough to expand the offerings, clients told us through surveys that they wanted several services that we hadn’t even thought of offering.”
Helps gain future funding by being able to report program ROI with data collected
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 18
Using Surveys: To Improve Website and Products
Ford’s Gourmet Foods Retailer of gourmet foods whose products can be found in 40 countries worldwide
Challenge: Standing out in a crowded market so they can find new customers and remind their existing clients of their tasty goods.
Solution: Include flyer in shipments with link to online survey asking their biggest fans for ideas of how to best differentiate their products.
Results: 74% Response Rate Discoveries include:
■ Need to improve web navigation and online shopping cart
■ Need a social media presence
■ Customers wanted new products: e.g., chips
■ Feedback helping build customer loyalty:
• “Our customers are grateful for being given the opportunity and the forum to
provide feedback. Then, they get to see that feedback being acted upon… They like feeling as if they are a part of building the brand.”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 19
Using Surveys: To Get Ratings & Reviews
Let your customers review your products/services/events
66% of online shoppers use other purchasers’ recommendations when buying online.
77% of the online population find reviews more useful than just company email.
20% of online buyers post an average of 9 product reviews a year.
-JupiterResearch/Ipsos Insight Consumer Survey Sept 2007
Highlight reviews and quotes on website and in
promotions to influence purchase decisions:
“Top Customer–Rated Products”
“People who use this service give it 4 out of 5 stars”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 20
Using Surveys: To do Target Marketing
Target Marketing Gets Results
58% of consumers say they unsubscribe or simply stop reading emails because
“emails weren’t relevant to me.” – MarketingSherpa, September 2008
50% of email users unsubscribe when offers don’t match their interests.
– Return Path 2008
56% of consumers consider marketing messages from known senders to be spam if the message is “just not interesting to me.”
– Q Interactive, 2007 Spam Complainers Survey
How can you know who in your audience is interested in what?
Easily segment your audience with one survey: Step 1: Send a survey asking about their interests Step 2: Use the results to create targeted, “special-interest” lists of people with similar interests
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 22
Defining the Objective
Response rates drop rapidly as length increases.
Real world example: Constant Contact’s post webinar surveys 9 question survey = 15% response rate 6 question survey = 32% response rate
How long should my survey be? Don’t impose too greatly on your customers’ valuable time Keep it to 10 minutes or less: (about 10 questions)
5 minutes or less for best results!
Tip: To know how long your survey will take to complete, take it yourself.
Keep it Short for Higher Participation
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 23
Defining the Objective
List (Segmentation) Ideas: Why do they come to you?
– Don’t send a survey to them if they don’t buy the product you are analyzing
How do they purchase? – Don’t send an online shopping satisfaction survey to them if they only buy in the store
How long have they been a customer? – Newer: lighter survey; Established: more in-depth survey
Randomly divide audience into segments – If survey is appropriate for your whole audience – Split the audience into 4 groups and send the survey to one group each quarter
Identify the Right Participants
Tip to Avoid Burnout & Get a Good Response rate: Segment your list and send your surveys only to the people who will be interested and can provide accurate answers.
58% of people unsubscribe because emails are not relevant to them*
44% of people unsubscribe because they receive too many emails from the sender*
* Marketing Sherpa 2008
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 24
Creating the Questions
Good Questions Help Meet the Objective Use the Objective
Ask what you need to know, not what you want to know
Resist the temptation of… “Just one more question”
Every question should support to your objective
Objective: To explore what attracts customers and separates us from competitors.
Do include: Pick the offers/features that makes us unique from competitors.
Do Not include: How likely are you to purchase X if we began offering it?
Objective: To test the feasibility of a new product
Do include: What attributes would make you more or less interested in purchasing?
Do Not include: Please rate your satisfaction with our website.
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 25
Creating the Questions
Good questions: what you need to know to meet that objective
Example: I need to understand where I should improve my business Objective: To identify the needs of my customers and what’s most important to them
Need to Know: What behaviors/services/products make my customers/members happy? What behaviors/services/products cause them dissatisfaction? What is most important to them?
Example: There are not enough people attending our events Objective: To learn what I can do to improve the attendance to our events
Need to Know: Is there a topic / speaker of interest? Is there a preferred location? Is there a day / time that is preferred?
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 26
Creating the Questions
Prewritten questions for several objectives
Best practices built-in
Edit/remove questions
Add additional questions
Add your brand
Save Time and Effort:
Use the Survey Templates
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 27
Creating the Questions: Well Crafted Questions
Use the right question type to get the answers you need
■ What will you need to do with the results to make a change?
■ Can you create a baseline to measure future progress?
Tip: The majority of close-ended questions make it easier to analyze, spot trends and create a base line.
Tip: Get the best of both worlds
Use a closed-ended and include a comment area so respondent may go
into more detail if they wish!
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 28
Creating the Questions: Which question type should I use?
Closed–ended Pros & Cons
• Easy to answer • Responses are easy to analyze and
allow for great comparison • Answer options need to be
comprehensive
Open–ended Pros & Cons
• Not limited by answer options
Gain customer voice – their words, new ideas, testimonials, service issues
• Harder to answer = respondent fatigue
• Harder to analyze
• Time-consuming to evaluate
• Limits comparison
Avoid a common mistake: Using too many open-ended questions.
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 29
Creating the Questions
Keep Things Simple
■ The less words the better Questions should be short and easy to
understand
■ Stay away from acronyms and techno-jargon
■ Avoid double-barreled questions How satisfied are you with our online
ordering process and customer service? Respondents may be satisfied with one and not the
other
Ask only one thing per question
■ Avoid biasing the response with
leading questions
Wrong: Don’t you agree that our staff is
knowledgeable?
Right: How would you rate the
knowledge of our staff?
Wrong: Are you very satisfied or just
somewhat satisfied with us?
Right: Overall, how satisfied are you with us?
Words like “always” and “never” will bias the response
in the opposite direction.
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 30
Effective Overall Design
– White Background – Black Text – Times New Roman, Arial
or Verdana
Make the survey easy to read and complete
To brand your survey:
Include your logo on every page of the survey for recognition
Leave the rest of the branding for where you distribute the survey (website, email, etc.)
Recommendations:
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 31
Effective Overall Design
■ First Question (s) Make the first questions easy to answer. Get them off and running…
■ Most important questions up front Prioritize your questions based on what’s most important & what you can act upon
■ Profile/demographic questions at the end ■ Explain why you need the information: Improved service, Customized offerings ■ Typical demographic questions: Marital Status, Age, Education, Income Level.
The Order of Your Questions Matters
Easy to re-order your questions
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 32
Effective Overall Design
The End: Where do you want respondents to go?
Once respondents complete your survey, decide where they land
Two options:
1) Respondents land on a website where they can:
Access an incentive
Register for your next event
Review customer testimonials
2) Respondents are brought to a closing page where you can:
Thank respondents for participating
Remind participants what will be done with the results
Provide access to an incentive
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 33
Effective Overall Design
Checklist: Is the survey easy to follow and complete? Was any part confusing or difficult to answer? Is the survey leading respondents to answer in a particular way? Does the skip logic work correctly? (Are all questions relevant to different groups?) Will you be able to take action on its results? How long did it take to complete?
Test your online surveys before sending Re-visit your objective, then take the survey yourself (it won’t affect your results)
Let others who weren’t involved in creating it test it: share the Test URL
Tip: Pilot it to 10% of your list if you’re unsure about your audience’s response
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 35
Distributing your Survey
Three Distribution Options
1. Use the Survey URL to put the survey on your website, social media site, in transactional emails, or printed collateral
2. Use a Constant Contact Invitation to create a professional looking, personalized email invitation and be able to track it’s success
3. Insert the survey into any of your Regular Constant Contact Emails such as your newsletters, promotions or event communications
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 36
Distributing your Survey
Question: Which distribution option should I use?
Answer: What kind of results do you want?
Anonymous
Reward: Completely honest feedback, no bias in answers.
Risk: You do not know who is having problems to reach out and help that individual
Method: Post the Survey URL on your website, social media site, include in your personal email or give the person the URL at time of interaction
Know the Identity
Reward: You know who said what, can do Follow up with people that answered a particular way
Risk: Answers might not be completely truthful because of the link to the respondent
Method: Send a Constant Contact Email Invitation or use the Insert Survey Link in your newsletter or other Constant Contact emails
Common for employee surveys
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 37
Distributing your Survey
When Do You Need the Results?
Typical Timing of Responses
Over half of the survey responses will come in within the first day
7 out 8 responses arrive within the first week
One week is sufficient if time is more important than maximizing response
Two weeks is the recommended run time (enough time to send a reminder)
-People Pulse Survey Response Rate Study
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 38
Distributing your Surveys: When?
Action-Driven Survey New customer (How did they find you? Interests?) Satisfaction with purchase/event/project Change in the customer base (New location) Change in service/product offerings
Make available when the action occurs or soon after so experience is fresh
Periodic Survey Long term customer satisfaction New product/service ideas Pulse on marketplace/competition
Coincide with your calendar – Avoid days before/after holidays and
major industry events – Send when planned communication is
light – Avoid busy times for target audience
E.g. Employee surveys for sales people should avoid end of month
Get feedback monthly/quarterly – People can’t remember their engagement
with you well when it was 6 months ago
Regular Communication
Holiday/Event Effecting Business
Promotional Communication
Date Deadline Communication
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 1 Gift Idea Email
2 Newsletter 3
Weekend Sale Specials-PM
4 5 6
7 8 9 Mother’s Day Gift Ideas-Extended Hours
10 11 Last day for delivery
12 13 Mother’s Day
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 Summer Specials-Extended Hours
25 26 Memorial Day Weekend
27 Memorial Day Weekend
28 Memorial Day Weekend
29 Memorial Day Weekend
30 31
Tip: Have a regular way for people to submit feedback (like a suggestion box.) Your audience may have feedback well before/after your scheduled surveys.
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 39
Distributing your surveys: When?
Experience-Driven ■ Events, transactions and engagements
■ Satisfaction ■ How people found you
■ Ideas for immediate improvements
■ Ongoing to very specific audiences
2. Planning-Driven ■ Relationships, overall satisfaction, product direction
■ Results drive strategy and planning
■ 2 to 4 times per year
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 41
The Right Content
■ Consistent brand: color palette and logo
■ Personalization - avoid general salutations like “Dear Customer” , include first/last name
– Personalized emails can increase response rates by nearly 60%
■ Clearly state the topic of your survey and how participating will benefit them
■ Specify the time it will take to complete
■ Clearly display the call to action – Place URL in preview pane. Don’t make
respondents scroll down to see it.
■ Inform of confidentiality: Is it anonymous?
■ Include a closing date
– If not enough responses, could always extend
■ Include a thank-you statement from recognizable entity upon completion
Content directly relates to your response rate.
Keep it short & sweet and make it about your audience!
Content That Will Get your Audience to Take Your Survey
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 42
The Right Content: Email Invitation Example
Branding
Personalization
Purpose
Incentives
Deadline Date
Confidentiality
Clear Call to Action
Signed by person perceived powerful
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 43
The Right Content: Email Invitation Example
Benefit Oriented All about the recipient
“We strive to make your experience better every time you visit.”
“Your feedback will help us to better serve you in the future.”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 44
The Right Content: Newsletter Email Example
Help fulfill needs
“We are grateful for any insights you can share…so that we can continue to evolve and grow and deliver an experience that fulfills the needs of our guests.”
Personalization
Purpose/Benefit
Incentives
Deadline Date
Clear Call to Action
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 45
The Right Content: Promotion Email Example
Rate & Review Your Favorites
“Loyal customers like you”
“With the launch of our product reviews online, we invite you to be among the first to share your thoughts on our products.”
Feel like part of a select group
Plenty of white space Clear calls to action
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 46
The Right Content: Social Media Website Example
Research Study Request
Brand
Great reach
Clear incentive
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 47
The Right Content: Blog Example
Reach & Audience Segmentation
Fun!
Interactive
Far-reaching
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 48
The Right Content: Company Website Example
Understanding customers’ needs and concerns
Brand
Great reach
Clear call to action
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 50
Taking Action on the Results
Response rate is affected by:
• Your relationship with survey audience • The invitation/greeting page/webpage • Survey length • Survey design • Survey topic • Incentives • Reminders
Did you receive enough responses to reflect your audience as a whole?
• Sample size • Larger the audience = higher confidence
in the results
Marketing Research Association average response rates:
10-15% for telephone surveys
Mail surveys even lower
20-50% for online surveys
The Results are In!
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 51
Taking Action on Results
Step 1: Review the overall results to get a snapshot
Results can be reviewed as soon as they are submitted, charts can help you identify trends
Step 2: Analyze your results Export results to share with others, use filtering for deeper analysis, take
testimonials from open-ended text results
Step 3: Plan and take follow-up actions Use findings to create an action plan based on changes
you know customers want: a.k.a. prioritize resources
Step 4: Follow up with respondents Easily create lists of people with similar responses, target future
communication based on interest, share insights and actions
Step 5: Survey again to know if your action plan is working! Use the results of your first survey to measure the impact of your actions
The most important part of creating online surveys and polls!
Use the same questions in your next survey to be able to accurately measure your results over time
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 52
Taking Action on the Results: Polls
The Poll Results are In!
And the next free webinar is…
“With 71% of the vote, the next free webinar from Constant Contact is Growing your Email List. Thanks to everyone who voted! Register
now to reserve your spot.”
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 53
Taking Action on Results: Survey
Survey results say: create a loyalty program to win new business Follow up email
says…
“During our latest survey you indicated that you would recommend our salon to your friends and family…and we’d like to take you up on your offer!
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 54
Taking Action on Survey Results
“I run a series of tastings with themes based on different wine growing regions.
Attendance was inconsistent and beginning to drop. Through surveys, I discovered that
people were not satisfied with themes about regions and grapes. They wanted information about matching wines with meals.
I changed the focus of my e-newsletter and my tasting themes.
Attendance has increased.”
Andrea Wine Manager Andover Liquors
Andover Liquors
Copyright © 2009 Constant Contact, Inc. 55 Copyright © 2008 Constant Contact, Inc.
Your Next Steps
Try it, free! ■ Sign up for a 60-day trial of
Online Survey and Polls
Ready to learn more? ■ Visit the Constant Contact
Learning Center and join the weekly, live Survey Tour
■ Watch on-demandTutorials ■ Read Product Guides
Let others help you expand your knowledge ■ Join the ConnectUp! online
community: community.constantcontact.com