Customer satisfaction is equivalent to a greater number of sales and a higher level of customer satisfaction. After all, a customer satisfied with the service received in turn generates new customers and positive word of mouth, that is, free advertising that increases the company’s value. In addition, they are more inclined to make new purchases of goods, products and services. On the contrary, a poorly satisfied customer generates negative word of mouth, which drives away new potential customers to the detriment of the company’s image. In addition, the company’s costs also increase, since complaints, returns, issues to solve, and so on, grow.
We at We Are Fiber have studied “ad hoc” solutions and prepared dedicated customer satisfaction questionnaires to know the expectations and the level of customer satisfaction. If you want to get an idea of the services we propose you can read the article on social customer care, which analyses consumer satisfaction on social networks, commercial platforms that have a crucial importance in the marketing sector.
Customer satisfaction, why is it so important?
To better understand the meaning of customer satisfaction, it is important to understand how it affects the profit and the image of the company. Customer satisfaction has the task of identifying the products or services considered by consumers to be underperforming, so as to intervene in a targeted way. The service, however, also helps to understand what the new needs are, which change continuously in such a frenetic market, so as to offer suitable solutions.
Two types of customer satisfaction surveys can be identified: on services/products and on the company. In the first case it is appropriate to investigate what the critical issues of the products are and how to optimise them in order to respond to the clientele’s requests; in the second, the relationship between customer and company must be investigated and specifically what the problems relating to the delivery of products, prices, communication, and so on, are.
A satisfied customer becomes an added value since they generate profits, bring other potential customers and improve the company’s brand awareness.
Customer satisfaction questionnaire
The measurement of customer satisfaction can be provided by a questionnaire, which must be designed and shaped based on the reference target. Before getting to know the questions relating to customer satisfaction to ask in a questionnaire, it is important to understand what the information is that you want to collect.
The models of customer satisfaction measurement are two: Kano and Servqual. The Kano model determines the priority and the improvement of products and services based mainly on customers’ perception. The model is founded on two dimensions: satisfaction and functionality.
Satisfaction provides for 5 levels:
- happy;
- satisfied;
- neutral;
- discontented;
- frustrated.
Functionality too is divided into 5 levels:
- excellent;
- high;
- basic;
- low;
- none.
The Servqual model instead measures the perceived quality, in order to then compare the expectations with the real perception, based on 5 factors:
- tangible elements;
- reliability;
- responsiveness;
- ability to reassure;
- empathy.
At this point let’s analyse the 5 key questions as an example of a customer satisfaction questionnaire.
First question for a customer satisfaction questionnaire: whom to interview?
First of all you have to be able to target your clientele, in order to ask targeted and relevant questions. It is a rather simple operation if you operate in a niche market; if instead yours is a product distributed on a large scale, you have to try to narrow the circle around your reference target even further.
What to ask?
The questions to ask are closely linked to the target and can vary considerably also based on the market. There are, however, some valid for every sector that concern the price, the reputation of the brand, the services offered, customer support, delivery, the characteristics of the product, and so on.
Which means to use?
There are three methods for making a questionnaire: via web, face-to-face interview and telephone interview.
The web questionnaire can be sent via email and is the ideal solution if you have a reduced budget, want to give the interviewee time to reflect and wish to insert images or graphs. It is not, however, suitable if there are many questions.
The face-to-face interview is recommended for those customers who live in the vicinity of the company. In addition to obtaining open answers, you can get to know the interviewee better and establish a relationship. The costs in this case tend to increase slightly.
The telephone interview is generally the most popular solution, especially if you intend to reach a very extensive geographical area or if you want to ask many questions.
How to use the rating?
The rating is a scale of values that allows you to identify with a score the level of customer satisfaction. Between 8 and 10 the service is excellent; between 7 and 8 it is good, but you can improve it; below 7 it is worrying and you have to take action immediately for a rapid improvement.
Repeat the interview over time
More than a question this is a rule: repeat the interviews over time, since people might change their perception towards a company or a product.
Now that the definition of customer satisfaction is clear to you, you will more easily understand the importance it has for your company. Do you want to know more?
We are sure that together we will manage to find the solution suited to your needs.
