Set Your Goals and Stay Relevant
Establishing clear goals and relevance is paramount when designing NPS surveys. Before delving into questions or templates, it's crucial to define your objectives. Only by seeking feedback when it truly adds value can you ensure that you're not inconveniencing customers unnecessarily.
Consider the following points before proceeding:
1. Transactional or Relationship Focus: Determine whether you aim to track customer loyalty over time or delve into their response to specific touchpoints. This decision will shape the type of survey you deploy.
2. Target Audience: Identify whether you need responses from all customers or just a specific segment. Sending irrelevant surveys, such as NPS surveys to recipients for whom they hold no relevance, can significantly diminish response rates.
3. Survey Sensitivity: Assess whether your survey might be perceived as intrusive. For instance, is it necessary to prompt customers with the NPS question immediately upon their site visit? In most cases, a more judicious approach is advisable.
While these considerations form the foundation of an effective NPS program, it's surprising how many brands overlook them. Taking the time to address these fundamental aspects ensures your surveys are well-targeted and yield actionable insights.
Be Clear on What Customers Can Expect
When reaching out to customers for a survey, it's essential to set clear expectations to ensure they feel respected and motivated to participate. Here's what you can include:
1. Survey Duration: Inform customers upfront about the estimated time required to complete the survey. For instance, an NPS survey typically shouldn't take more than two minutes to complete. This transparency demonstrates respect for their time.
2. Value of Participation: Express genuine appreciation for their assistance and feedback. Let them know how much their input matters in shaping improvements to your product or service. Making customers feel valued increases their willingness to respond.
3. Expected Deliverables: Communicate what customers can expect in return for their participation. This could include tangible outcomes such as enhancements to your offerings based on their feedback, or even incentives like discounts or rewards. Clarifying the benefits of participation incentivizes customers to engage with the survey.
By providing this information upfront, you not only enhance the customer experience but also increase the likelihood of obtaining meaningful responses that contribute to your business's growth and improvement.
Monitor and Update Your Contact Lists
Maintaining clean and updated data is crucial for achieving higher response rates in surveys. By ensuring the accuracy of customer contact details, you can avoid sending surveys to inactive email addresses or disconnected phone numbers. This is especially important in B2B settings, where contacts within your accounts may transition to different businesses.
To achieve this, it's essential to regularly monitor and update your contact data across all touchpoints, whether it's through phone, in-app interactions, in-store visits, or online engagements. Implementing an email management system can be particularly helpful in managing contact data integrity and reducing bounce rates associated with outdated or incorrect information. This proactive approach not only enhances the effectiveness of your survey efforts but also improves overall customer communication and engagement.
Keep it Short
The simplicity of the NPS survey is one of its key strengths. However, adding unnecessary questions can hinder completion rates. CustomerGauge research highlights a strong correlation between response rates and the number of survey questions. Typically, the sweet spot lies between 2 and 6 questions. Keeping the survey concise not only improves the likelihood of customer participation but also ensures that feedback collection remains efficient and effective.
Don't be Afraid to Nudge Non-Respondents
Following up with individuals who haven't responded to the initial survey can significantly boost response rates. Research indicates that a well-timed reminder sent about a week after the original survey can yield up to 50% additional responses. For instance, if the first email garnered a 21% response rate, sending a reminder after seven days might result in an additional 13%, bringing the total to 34%.
However, it's essential to exercise caution with follow-up reminders. Sending second or third reminders often yields diminishing returns, along with increased rates of unsubscribes and customer dissatisfaction. Instead of prompting further engagement, excessive reminders can have the opposite effect, undermining the survey's objectives. Therefore, it's advisable to limit reminders to one well-timed follow-up to maximize response rates while maintaining a positive customer experience.
Say Thanks and Close the Loop
Expressing gratitude to customers for their feedback is not only polite but also crucial for maintaining a positive relationship. However, taking it a step further by providing feedback on the received responses and demonstrating actions taken based on the feedback can significantly enhance response rates. Showing customers that their input is valued and actionable encourages further engagement and fosters a sense of partnership.
This practice is especially critical in B2B relationships, where customer retention is paramount. Promptly closing the loop with detractors, especially within 48 hours, can help prevent churn and demonstrate a commitment to addressing concerns. However, it's equally important to close the loop with all respondents, not just detractors, to show appreciation for their participation and reinforce a customer-centric approach.
By effectively closing the feedback loop with customers, businesses not only mitigate revenue loss but also lay the groundwork for long-term improvements in NPS scores and overall customer satisfaction.