Did you know only 2% of your customers will complete a satisfaction survey or a questionnaire? Unfortunately, not all customers want to complete your satisfaction survey. But when they do, it’s because they want their voice to be heard.

Defining customer satisfaction is one of the goals of customer surveys. Your surveys can offer valuable insights into your business and the customers’ experience. This can include improving your products or services and even improving your customer service.

But how closely are you monitoring these responses? While receiving customer feedback is always helpful — whether positive or negative — some insights matter more to your business’ success than others.

What Should Your Survey Measure?

The exact responses you’ll have depends on your business, your products/services, and your niche. But most surveys should aim to answer these questions:

• How satisfied are you with our business?
• How likely are you to purchase another product?
• How soon do you expect to purchase from us?
• How likely are you to recommend our business or our products?

These questions not only express satisfaction but also contribute to your sales efforts and your product quality.

Important Customer Satisfaction Survey Insights to Track

Customers will fill out satisfaction surveys to try and communicate with you. Instead of simply tracking your overall customer satisfaction scores, it’s important you track these specific insights.

Customer Expectations

Knowing what customers expect from you can help retain existing customers and can better attract new ones. You’ll mainly see customers discussing your customer service tactics and how they can be improved.

What are some examples of survey questions you can ask? While this varies by industry and company size, there are some general questions you can ask.

Ask if your customers were satisfied with your customer service. You can request specific information, such as their satisfaction with your response time and the type of communication options you offer.

You should also ask for ways you can perform better. While this section is usually optional, it can provide customer experience insights you may have never considered. For example, let’s say you use AI chatbots and your customers say they prefer speaking to a human.

Customer service is not the only customer expectation sector you should focus on. Product quality and website experience are areas where you can receive great customer feedback.

Customers Who Take Your Surveys

Not all customers take your surveys, but you may notice some customers take your survey more than others.

The best way to identify these customers is by tracking demographics. Identify survey-takers sex, age, education, and race. While there may be privacy laws you’ll have to comply with (we’ll explain this later), these demographics will show who your target audience is and why they feel compelled to take your surveys more than other customers.

Intent can also be a major factor. For example, maybe your surveys are more negative or neutral than positive. Discover why those with positive experiences or returning customers aren’t filling out your surveys.

The day and time you send out your surveys can also impact response rates. Mornings and afternoons are popular times to fill out surveys. Weekdays are also better days to send out surveys, as opposed to the weekends.

Dollar Amount Spent

Do you want to see how your customers’ responses correlate with how much they spend or how often they shop at your business? There’s a formula for that.

First, take the customer’s overall satisfaction score. Then, identify that customer’s lifetime value (CLV), which is the total amount they have spent at your business — from their first purchase to their most recent purchase.

Compare the two amounts. Are your highest-paying customers happy or unhappy? Did a brand new customer have a wonderful experience or a dissatisfactory one?

Customer Response Trends

While an individual customer’s responses are important, you’ll also want to identify any trends or similar responses.

For example, let’s say you implemented a new program but are receiving several negative surveys about the new program. This feedback proves you’ll need to make changes to your program.

It’s also beneficial to pay attention to individual customer response trends. If the same customer has only submitted positive or negative reviews, you’ll want to pay close attention to that customer’s needs. They want to communicate with your brand and offer their insightful feedback.

Product Issues

Oftentimes, your customer satisfaction surveys are the first indicator that you’re having product issues. If a customer fills out a survey and reports a product issue, you and your team can immediately work on a solution.

Product issues shouldn’t be the only product insight you track. For example, maybe a customer fills out a survey and explains they’re unhappy because your product was difficult to use. You can use this response to create a more user-friendly product.

Employee Performance

Employee performance insights can tell you two things: which employees are performing exceptionally and which ones aren’t providing the best service.

While the customer is always right, you should take all factors into consideration.

For example, let’s say you receive a negative survey and the customer had a dissatisfactory experience with a staff member. But if this employee is skilled and handles customers well, maybe the project was challenging or the customer had specific demands.

You’ll also want to monitor the agents who receive the best ratings. You can see why they’re so successful and use that as the blueprint for your customer service strategy.

Question Placement

One of the most underrated and challenging survey considerations is the placement of each question. Your question placement can significantly influence the type of responses your customer provides.

For example, let’s say you start your survey with a broad question and the customer types every detail of their experience. Then, the questions become more specific. The customer realizes they didn’t have to immediately provide a detailed response and may become impatient as they move through the survey.

For this example, try to either stick to broad questions or specific questions. You can even offer a satisfactory scale with an optional response form, so the customer can quickly move through the survey.

Plan a few different question placement options and offer customers different surveys. See if you notice a significant change in each of the responses.

Why Interactive Surveys Can Increase Your Response Rates

If only a few customers take your survey, you won’t have much data to use. That’s why brands need to entice customers to take their surveys. One of the ways you can do this is with interactive marketing.

Interactive content increases engagement, especially when designing interactive surveys. Interactive surveys use innovative design principles to let users answer your surveys in a unique way.

These design principles are also more enticing, using visual and audio factors to keep the user engaged.

Interactive surveys are usually more user-friendly. Users can click or drag certain response options, slide through questionnaires, highlight anything that’s important, and swipe to indicates likes and dislikes.

Interactive surveys also make a boring survey into a more engaging format, such as a quiz.

While interactive surveys can boost customer engagement and response rates, you’ll want to ensure your survey is optimized for all devices. You don’t want to create a survey that looks and performs well on a computer, only to work badly on a mobile phone.

Privacy Laws to Consider

While tracking these metrics is beneficial, you are handling sensitive customer data that can breach privacy laws. Here’s how to ensure your customer surveys comply.

GDPR

The GDPR standardizes data protection across the EU and the UK.

If you operate your business in either of these regions, express GDPR privacy policies in clear and plain language.

Your customers have the right to their data and can control how you view and use their data. In other words, customers must consent before you can use their data.

Examples of sensitive personal data include race, ethnic origin, sex, and more — information that could be useful to your customer satisfaction surveys.

The GDPR also has strict standards when collecting specific information, such as political opinions, religious beliefs, health, and sexual activity. If your survey requests this information or the nature of your business revolves around these categories, understand your feedback forms will be sensitive.

In addition, you’ll have to ensure this data is processed securely. For example, you’ll need to encrypt and backup your data regularly to prevent loss and theft. If a data breach occurs, you must report it.

The GDPR also has strict standards of what customer satisfaction surveys are and what they’re not. For example, the surveys compile data used to benefit your company and products — not to conduct market research or improve your marketing campaigns.

International companies operating in the EU and UK should also be wary about transferring data outside of these regions. For example, if you transfer customer data to the US, you’ll need Privacy Shield to safeguard their data.

What if you’re not the one processing your data — for example, what if you invest in a third-party customer feedback company? It’s your responsibility to ensure all third-party services that handle customer data are GDPR-compliant.

CCPA

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CPPA) is relatively new — only coming into effect on January 1 of this year. The CCPA regulates how California-based businesses use, collect, and disclose a customer’s personal information.

Under the CCPA, the privacy rights that customers have include:

• Right to know what information businesses collect
• Access a copy of personal data
• Enforce that businesses delete data, if necessary
• Right to hold businesses accountable for not securing data
• Refuse sharing data and information

While CCPA affects California-based businesses and residents, any business that operates in California will have to abide by these standards.

Unlike the GDPR, the CCPA doesn’t cover all types of personal data. In addition, the CCPA doesn’t monitor data processing as strictly as the GDPR.

What does this mean for your surveys? You’ll want to establish legal documents that customers must agree to and express privacy policies.

LGPD

Brazil’s data protection law, titled LGPD, is also a relatively new law. This law enforces the business’ use of private customer data, both online and offline.

Examples of personal data include ethnic origin, race, political opinion, religious beliefs, sexual life, and mental or physical health. Customers can also opt to provide their data anonymously.

Unlike other privacy laws, LGPD allows for the data to be used in ways other than what the user authorizes — as long as the use is considered “legitimate interest.” Businesses can also transfer data internationally, as long as the proper certificates, seals, and codes of conduct are set in place.

However, users still hold basic rights to their data. This includes the right to enforce data removal, the right to a copy of their data, opposition to hand over their information, and the right to an explanation.

Businesses and those processing and controlling data are responsible for security breaches and improper use of the data. Data breach notifications are also mandatory and need to be reported in a timely manner.

What does this mean for your surveys? You must inform customers when their information is collected and what information you’re collecting. You must clearly state their rights and request their consent.

Defining Customer Satisfaction: Know How to Track Your Surveys

Defining customer satisfaction is one of the trickiest aspects of customer management. Customer surveys can inform you of your customers’ experience and can also measure the success of your products and sales efforts.

When tracking survey responses, you need to know which insights to use. While these insights are key, you’ll also want to know your region’s data privacy laws, the significance of interactive surveys, and your general goals behind customer surveys.

Do you need more sales and customer management advice? If you own a SaaS company, here’s the 10 best SaaS sales software you should use.