DIY vs. Outsourcing Your Client Satisfaction Surveys

Client satisfaction surveys can be very effective tools for discovering what your customers think about you.

A properly conducted and interpreted survey can let you know where you and your staff are performing well and where improvement could be made. You can also find out about what your customers want and expect from you, which gives you valuable insight for acquiring leads and retaining clients.

Because client satisfaction surveys can be so valuable to your business, it can be tempting to start creating, administering and interpreting them yourself. In most cases, however, it’s better to leave the survey process to a professional research organization.

• Professional research and survey companies know how it’s done. They typically employ highly educated and trained professionals in survey design, statistical analysis, data interpretation and other technical tools. They’re very familiar with the psychological components of effective survey creation and administration. More important for you, they can derive actionable information from a survey that you can use to drive improvements in your business.
• Professional organizations have access to comparative data. Whether derived from their own experiences or data from other sources, a professional survey company will be able to meaningfully compare the data from your survey to other normative industry information.
• Using a professional organization saves you from expanding personnel and administrative resources. Your own employees may or may not have the expertise to properly conduct a client satisfaction survey, but you can count on a professional research organization to do it effectively. When you outsource the survey, you’ll leave your own employees free to continue concentrating on the business areas they already know.
• A professional organization can have better credibility. By using a neutral third-party source, your customers are less likely to believe the survey is “rigged” in your favor. They’re more assured of confidentiality and are likely to provide more truth in their answers. If they think their responses will be taken seriously and can have a genuine impact on your business processes, they’re more likely to respond.

How could you use the services of a professional survey firm to improve your client satisfaction surveys and gain more and higher-quality responses from your customers?

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