Have you ever sent feedback forms out to your customers? If you have not, the best time to send them is right now.
Happy customers are loyal customers. You may think, believe, or feel that your customers are satisfied with your product or services. However, until you back up your gut instincts with the cold, hard proof, you shouldn’t be overly confident.
But, how do you measure customer satisfaction? By sending out feedback forms to your customers.
You may also know these as a satisfaction survey or customer survey. In fact, since you use EmailMeForm for your online forms, you’ve likely received one from us in the past.
Let’s explore the impact of feedback forms on your business.
Deliver top-notch customer service
Any business who has interacted with customers knows all too well that customers love to express their opinion. Whether it’s a kudos for a job well done or a complaint about a snippy customer service agent, you’ve dealt with it. All in a day’s work.
But, what if you could use those opinions to shape your business proactively.
Take the example of the customer service rep who gave poor service. Was she having a bad day? Have you equipped her with the right tools? Or, is she just not suited for the job?
You can use the customer survey to coach her to help enhance her skills and boost her performance during complicated customer interactions.
Utilize the data you receive on satisfaction surveys to make actionable decisions.
After all, they are based on your customers’ opinions.
Improve website UX
Do customers enjoy using your website? While you might fully believe that your website is the bee’s knees, your users might have a different experience than the one you imagine.
For instance, you might believe that you have set up payment forms that are simple for even those with only basic know-how to use. Then you send out a feedback form. The results of this satisfaction survey reveal a very different reality. Your users struggle to work through a checkout process then don’t receive any payment confirmation, so they worry about if their order was completed.
This survey uncovers a problem—you forgot to include a payment confirmation form. Hey, don’t laugh. We have honestly seen it happen more than once.
Pay attention to the answers you receive to your feedback questions, and you will unearth new ways to boost customer satisfaction.
Determine your inventory or services offered
You can also email out a customer feedback form to help you invest in the best inventory or provide the best service offerings.
Whether you sell physical or digital goods or provide a service, you need to assess your ROI regularly to grow your bottom line.
So, if customers have stopped ordering an item that was formerly a best-selling item, you have a problem. Let’s use the example of widget spinners. You’ve stocked a warehouse full of widget spinners, and they are on a rack collecting dust. You want to know why orders have slowed.
Send out a feedback form asking customers who have purchased the spinners in the past to assess the item for you. You might hear some surprising answers.
The item could lack safety features or have a defect. Or, the fads and trends have shifted, and the entire category has fallen out of popularity.
Now you have gathered the data to make an informed decision to stop investing in this product and spend your money on a better alternative. Plus, you can craft a strategy to market and unload the barrel of widget spinners from your stockroom to free up cash flow.
How to Shape Feedback Questions
Now that you understand how critical a feedback form can be to your business, you might be wondering what you must do to get started.
Fortunately, it’s easy to get started. EmailMeForm has several feedback form templates you may try. They are an ideal jumping-off point, but you should take the time to customize them. This effort ensures you seamlessly transition from a feedback template to a customer survey that aligns with your business needs and goals.
Here are 5 actionable tips for drafting your feedback form.
- Industry-specific: Use language that’s relevant to your industry. Being too generic can confuse customers or make them feel that you didn’t take enough time to understand their needs truly.
- Appropriate language: Using humor can make a customer feedback form feel less daunting to the recipients. However, only use it if it’s suitable for your industry. So, while a stand-up comic or widget spinner e-commerce site can crack a joke or use a silly pun, an insurance agency should not.
- Use a combination of closed- and open-ended questions: Use closed-ended questions to elicit yes/no or pass/fail responses about service or product. Balance that out with one or two open-ended questions that allow customers to elaborate—these help you to understand why customers feel a particular way.
- Don’t lead the user: Keep your opinion out of the survey. Let users tell you their true feelings so that you get honest feedback.
- Offer a small incentive: It’s ok to offer customers a token reward for participating in the survey. Disclose the incentive in the email to incentify the user to take the customer survey. Unlock an upgraded feature for 10 days or send them a small discount on their next purchase. Your feedback form then doubles down as a marketing tool.
We Challenged Ourselves; You Can Do It, Too!
We at EmailMeForm pushed the boundaries of our services by measuring customer satisfaction and using your feedback to improve our Form Manager. You, too, can learn volumes about your users and poise your company for growth by gathering customer input.
Don’t settle for mediocrity. You have the resource that will help you continuously improve your service, product offerings, and thus, your profitability.
Consider feedback forms as a thermometer—a tool that enables you to take your users’ temperature and make data-driven business decisions.
Deborah Tayloe
Deborah is a blogger and freelancer who often writes for EmailMeForm. When she’s not blogging, you’ll probably find Deborah working on DIY projects around her home in North Carolina.
