Todd Hollander Market Research

In this final installment, I offer some strategies and tactics to ensure that your company takes appropriate actions with the survey results.

At this point, your company has invested valuable resources to conduct and analyze a customer survey, customers have provided honest responses, and you have a thorough report. Now is the time to take action. While every organization is unique, here is a process that tends to work well in most.

Meet with the senior leadership team.

In my experience, it is considerably more effective to meet with the team as a whole rather than holding a separate meeting with each individual member. One two-hour meeting with the entire team should accomplish each of the following objectives.

1. Present the results.

Spend one hour focusing on the Executive Summary, Implications, and a brief run-through of the Detailed Results (don’t get bogged down in the minutae – you can always spend more time with a manager who wants to drill down, but avoid the pressure to do it in this meeting).

2. Do a “gut check.”

Ask the team what, if any, of the results took them by surprise. Next, ask if there is anything they saw that they don’t believe.

3. Discuss the recommendations.

See if there is agreement about what the company should do about the results. Ask if there is anything that should be added to the list.

4. Determine next steps.

• Who will receive the results of the survey?
• What level of detail is appropriate for each audience?
• Who is responsible for implementing each recommendation?
• What is the goal?
• How will results be measured?

5. Plan the next survey.

Before the meeting adjourns, ask for feedback about the perceived value of the customer survey. What, if anything, should be done differently next time? When should the next customer survey take place?

Bottom Line
Taking effective action on the customer survey results generally involves the senior management team. Following these suggestions will ensure a successful outcome and increase the effectiveness of future customer surveys.
 

Data is not insight

The amount of data generated by a customer survey can be astounding. When faced with a mountain of data, the task of distilling it into actionable insight can seem daunting. At this point, it is critical to understand that: 

“Data is not information any more than 50 tons of cement is a skyscraper.” – Clifford Stoll

Failing to heed the wisdom of this observation, many customer survey suppliers succumb to the temptation to do a “data dump” and inundate executives with a mass of data, a decision which generally leads to frustration, indecision, and devaluation of the customer research process.

On the other hand, effective analysts understand that there are different audiences with distinct levels of interest in the results and implication of the research. To accommodate each audience, it is wise to include the following components in the analysis and reporting:

1. Executive Summary: One or two pages/slides of high-level results
2. Implications: What these results mean for the company
3. Recommendations: What the company should do about the results and implications
4. Detailed Results: All of the findings including:
   – Data tables
   – Subgroup analysis
   – Analysis of Verbatim Comments

Bottom Line
Effective analysis and presentation of survey responses is a critical component of the customer survey process. Following these suggestions will increase the odds of having customer feedback produce meaningful change in the organization.

In Step 7, you developed the questionnaire for your customer survey. Now it is time to get approval of the questionnaire from the various stakeholders in the company.

Although you have already achieved management buy-in for the customer survey process (see Step 3), it is equally important that they approve of the questionnaire that will be used to collect customer opinions and ratings. Skipping this vital step can leave you open to second-guessing and criticism after the survey results are in.

For our purposes, a stakeholder can be defined as anyone in the company with enough authority or influence to represent either a supporter or detractor of the customer survey process. This list typically includes all or most senior managers and many mid-level managers. Although cultures and environments vary among companies, here’s a plan of attack that tends to work well.

1. Start at the top

Take the questionnaire directly to the top decision-maker in the company (CEO, COO, etc.). Explain that you and the research supplier have spent a considerable amount of time fine-tuning the questionnaire and are confident that it will be an effective tool to achieve the objectives of the customer research. However, as a matter of courtesy and respect, you want to give the senior manager the opportunity to review the survey, identify any additional topics that need to be addressed, and suggest any further revisions to the questionnaire.

2. Work your way down

When the top decision-maker in the company has blessed the questionnaire, it is time to go to the next most powerful manager or group of managers. Explain that you and the research supplier have spent a considerable amount of time fine-tuning the questionnaire and are confident that it will be an effective tool to achieve the objectives of the employee research. Further, the top decision-maker in the company (CEO, COO, etc.) has also reviewed and approved the survey. However, as a matter of courtesy and respect, you want to give this person or group of people the opportunity to review the survey before it is deployed.

Consider how different the ensuing conversation would be if you were working your way UP the food chain and had not yet received the blessing of the senior decision-maker. In many companies you would be met with a slew of questions, suggestions, and additional survey topics from people interested in protecting their turf and following their own agendas. However, because you are working from the top down, the questionnaire has already been blessed by the "big boss" and the little bosses are less likely to muddy up the process.
 
This is not to say that you won’t get good feedback as you work through the stakeholders. You are likely to get a few good questions, comments, and suggestions. However, by following this approach, the process is streamlined and averts the "turf wars" common to large organization.

Bottom Line

Getting stakeholder buy-in of the questionnaire is a critical step in the customer survey process. Follow these guidelines and you should complete this important task quickly and effectively.

In a typical customer survey process, the research supplier is responsible for creating the first draft of the questionnaire. In your kick-off meeting with the supplier, you should devote ample time to discussing the content of the survey instrument. Here is a recommended plan of attack.

These are the broad subjects under which the questions will be grouped. This list often includes:

• Overall company rating
• Importance ratings
• Satisfaction ratings
• Agreement ratings
• Open-ended questions

Once you have identified the subjects, brainstorm specific questions that should be included in each section. Take the subjects one at a time and stick to the principles of brainstorming: write down all suggestions without discussion.

Now is the time to review the questions you listed in each session. The discussion should include the following:

• Is this question consistent with the objectives of the research?
• Is this something that we have to know or is it merely something that would be nice to know?
• Are there any additional questions we overlooked in our brainstorming?

After this discussion, the supplier should be fully prepared to draft the survey instrument. What follows should be an iterative process between you and the supplier to revise the survey instrument until you are ready to share it with the stakeholders in your company (the next step in this process).

Note: As a rule, I recommend against getting more than one or two of your colleagues involved in the development of the questionnaire. Too many times I have seen the research “broth” spoiled by too many “cooks” on a cross-functional team. Although it is highly important to get the buy-in of all of these stakeholders, trust me: this is not the time to engage them.

Questionnaire development is a critical step in the customer survey process. Follow these guidelines and you should complete this important task quickly and effectively.

In Step 5, you created the schedule that will serve as the roadmap for the for the employee survey project. The first activity on the schedule is "Identify possible suppliers." This is how to do it….

1. Identify possible suppliers

If you already have one or more preferred suppliers, this step may not be needed. If you don’t have a short list yet, you need to create one. The quickest and most effective way to develop the list is to:

• Ask for referrals from people you trust
• Search the internet for “customer survey provider”; “customer survey expert”; “customer survey company”; “customer survey consultant”; etc.
• Submit a Request for Information (RFI) to companies that appear to be good prospects

2. Request quotes

It is often assumed that a Request for Proposal (RFP) is the proper way to communicate with potential suppliers. However, at this point, unless you already have a preferred provider, an RFP is overkill. Instead, you should use a Request for Quote (RFQ). This is a much simpler document that enables suppliers to quickly provide the information you need to narrow the field. For more information about this useful tool, see "How to engage market research suppliers in the planning of your research – a Win-Win approach."

3. Review quotes

Assess the information provided by the suppliers to narrow the list to a select group of two to four candidates from whom you will request a formal proposal.

Send a Request for Proposal (RFP) to the candidates on the short list.

5. Select supplier

Review the proposals and make your selection. Call the winner to inform them of your decision and schedule a kick-off meeting ASAP. As a courtesy, remember to contact the companies that submitted proposals but will not be awarded the project.

Selecting the supplier for your customer survey can seem like a daunting task. Following this 5-step process will enable you to make a timely and informed decision.

• Timing
• Responsibility
• Deadline

For a typical customer survey, the schedule might look something like this: 

A clear, comprehensive, documented schedule is a critical component of an effective customer survey program.

Previous Steps
1. Determine Objectives
2. Select a data collection method
3. Get buy-in from managers 
 

Step 4: Develop the process

• Each significant activity
• The sequence of the tasks
• A brief description of each task

Staffing

Example

For a typical customer survey, the process might look something like this:

Bottom Line

A clear, comprehensive, documented process is a critical component of an effective customer survey program.

Online surveys are the most common method of data collection for customer surveys, followed by telephone surveys. Face-to-face and written interviewing methods are used far less frequently because they are generally too time-consuming, expensive and intrusive.

The selection of the data collection method should be based on the following considerations:

1. Respondents

• Which method is most accessible?
• Which is most convenient?
• Which is easiest to use?
• Which assures the highest level of anonymity/confidentiality?

2. Company

• Which method is more cost-effective?
• Which offers the better potential for a high percentage of completed surveys?
• Which offers the most honest responses?
• Which offers the most thorough responses?

When all or most customers have access to the Internet from work, online surveys are almost always the method of choice because they offer a number of advantages over paper surveys, including:

• Higher response rate
• Faster turnaround
• More thorough responses
• More honest/candid feedback
• Ability to require responses to certain questions
• Flexibility to skip irrelevant questions and ask follow-up questions
• No data entry costs
• No data entry errors

 Bottom line

When selecting the data collection method for customer surveys, choose the one that offers the most benefits for both the respondents and the company.

The information from customer surveys should deliver valuable insight that creates positive change in the organization and improves the bottom-line. Before doing anything else, it is critically important to define the objectives of the research.

Most problems with customer surveys can be traced back to the objectives or the lack thereof. Avoid the temptation to jump into the middle of the process and start drafting a questionnaire or selecting a supplier. Until you have a set of clearly-defined objectives, nothing else matters.

Well-defined objectives are the best way to assure a good outcome for your customer survey. When the goals of the study can be expressed in a small set of clear and concise phrases or sentences, the rest of the process becomes considerably easier.

One of the best ways to clarify your objectives is to decide how you intend to use the information. Be sure to commit the objectives to writing and refer to them at each stage of the process.

Here are some strategic and tactical objectives to consider when developing the customer survey process.

Strategic Objectives (Why you are doing the survey)

• Measure satisfaction with each aspect of the customer experience
• Determine how customers perceive your company relative to competitors
• Obtain suggestions for enhancing/improving products and services
• Identify statistically significant differences among demographic subgroups such as:
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Length of time as customer
• Identify cost-saving opportunities
• Collect ideas for new products and services
• Improve communications with customers

Tactical Objectives (Key elements of a successful survey)

• Buy-in from management
• Buy-in from stakeholders
• Buy-in from customers
• High survey participation rate
• Candid feedback
• Positive customer perception of the survey process

Bottom line
Setting meaningful objectives is the first step in the customer survey process.