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5 tips for designing a CSAT survey that delivers results

Phil Doriot, vice president of analytics and Insights at Market Force Information, explains that while every CSAT survey is different and each retailer has its own nuances, there are five common best practices that can take a survey from marginal to great.

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August 1, 2019

By Phil Doriot, vice president of analytics and insight, Market Force Information

Every retailer strives to deliver an exceptional customer experience — but how do they know if they are succeeding or failing in that endeavor?

Customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys continue to reign in popularity among retailers because they can tell them how satisfied customers are with their products and service, what they like and dislike about their stores, and where improvements need to be made.

However, creating a CSAT survey in 2019 is no easy task, particularly one that customers will take and that gives you the feedback you need to take action. It is important to understand the difference between an effective CSAT survey and one that fails to get the job done.

Every CSAT survey is different and each retailer has its own nuances, but there are five common best practices that will help take a survey from marginal to great.

1.    Set a defined and achievable goal

Good CSAT surveys are designed with the knowledge of what the feedback is expected to inform, influence and achieve. The best CSAT surveys link the customer experience to customer behaviors, such as return visits to the store or referring it to friends and family.

More often than not, retailers set goals that track back to a defined business objective that is tied to financial performance. Retail businesses often use comparable sales data (year over year, etc.) as their main metric. The best retailers, however, also incorporate goals related to foot traffic counts, loyalty programs, the customer journey and digital interaction. They utilize an overarching framework that suggests the manner in which all this data works together to fully describe their performance and the customers' experience as an influencer on that performance.   

2.    Frame them in the customer's language and experience

It's important to use language in your CSAT survey that makes sense to and resonates with your customers. Avoid using internal or industry terms to describe processes, services or products in your CSAT survey. At best, it's confusing for the customer, and at worst, it's offensive.

For example, you may be interested in how customers view you from an omni-channel perspective or how often they showroom you, but asking them questions with this sort of insider lingo will likely be confusing and result in data of poor quality.

3.    Keep them short and to the point

A good survey provides triggers for feedback, while not overtaxing, confusing or frustrating the customer. You should aim to obtain the feedback needed to reach your desired goal without including additional superfluous questions that increase the time required to complete and potentially frustrate the survey-taker. The acceptable duration of each survey largely depends on the industry and the nature of the interaction between the customer and the brand. A fashion retailer's survey will not need to be as long as one that covers a more in-depth customer experience, such as having your taxes prepared.   

A typical retail customer experience involves entrance into the store, the shopping experience, interaction with the salesperson and the checkout process. A good rule of thumb is to develop three questions for each experience category and no more than 20 questions total. In some situations, longer questionnaires are warranted and better tolerated by the customer, such as in banking or regarding mobile phone contracts. In general, when there is depth or complexity in the interaction or relationship, it is acceptable to reflect that in a more lengthy survey that includes questions with more depth.

4.    Ask customers if they want to be contacted

When customers complete a survey after an unsatisfactory experience, they often want to speak further with a representative of the brand. The customer has a perceived investment and they often want a provider to recognize and validate this. Customers often just want assurances that their concerns have been heard and that the brand is making an effort to address the matter going forward. And, in some cases, a customer may be looking for compensation such as a coupon or voucher to make up for the poor experience.

Failing to ask the customer if they want to be contacted to further discuss their negative experiences is a missed opportunity to make things right and retain their business. This failure also negates the opportunity to obtain additional feedback and it represents lost information that could otherwise assist in creating better future interactions and relationships. In other words, ignoring complaints is short-sighted in at least two ways.

5.    Provide feedback that bridges to business outcomes

If you've optimally designed your CSAT survey, you should be able to link the results to business outcomes, such as same-store sales, customer counts or average transaction value.

Data from CSAT surveys should be used to predict a number of behaviors: customer spend, how often they will return, how often they will recommend, and when and in what manner they will deepen their relationship with your brand.

In other words, an effective CSAT survey is a leading indicator of future business success. Are you getting it right?