Meeting your customers’ needs is a critical element of a successful business. So how you do you make sure your customers are happy? A great way to check in with them is through a survey. Surveys give your customers chances to voice their opinions, and your company can take them into consideration so you can better serve your customers.

There are a few things to keep in mind when creating a customer survey. Firstly, it shouldn’t take participants longer than five minutes to complete. People are taking time out of their days to help your business, so you want to recognize that by keeping your survey short and sweet. 

Secondly, make sure your survey includes no more than two open-ended questions. Participants tend to abandon surveys that require too many long-form answers. Multiple-choice and true-false questions are your best bet!

Customer surveys are valuable for a multitude of reasons. They can provide your business with insights into the minds of your target audience. We’ve broken down a list of some of the best things about customer surveys.

1. Get a gauge on customer satisfaction.
Finding out how your customers feel about your business, products, services and prices is likely the main reason you’re sending out a survey, and for good reason. Happy customers eventually turn into brand loyalists and later brand advocates. 

2. Gather customer data.
On your customer survey, be sure to ask for demographic information such as age, gender and location. This will give you a better idea of exactly who your customers are. You can then use this information to better tailor your ads toward these individuals, hopefully turning them into brand loyalists.

3. Improve your organization’s offerings.
Through your customer survey, you might find people have issues with your products or services. This is a chance for your business to stay on top of bad reviews and resolve them before they become too widespread. Your customers will appreciate you owning your errors, and will likely give you a second chance at their loyalty.

4. Compare data over time.
Once you’ve received results from your first customer survey, consider sending one out annually. This way, you’ll be able to compare customers’ responses between years and see whether they think you’ve improved.  Based on the results, you’ll know the direction in which your organization needs to go and begin strategizing how to get there. 

Customer surveys are one of the simplest, yet easiest, ways you can maximize your organization’s success. There are plenty of online survey tools to choose from, so be sure to check one out today!