surveys, a company’s best friend: the 5 ways they can have an influence on your sales
TRANSCRIPT
Surveys, a company’s best friend
The 5 ways they can have an
influence on your sales.
By
Understanding customer data is beneficial to gain an advantage over the competition.
It comes as no surprise that surveys are a powerful ally to any business. No matter what industry you are in, it helps to clarify foggy situations.
Just think about when you want to analyze a specific aspect, you design a survey in hopes to receive feedback from your customers. If you haven’t considered doing this for your company, then it might be a good idea to start adopting this practice.
All business owners must consider the importance of survey data and what it brings to the table. There is a substantial amount of potential that can not be ignored. Analyzing survey results allows you to determine the areas that need improvement, but it also helps to identify new opportunities.
Turning these results into profits is crucial. So, let’s explore in more detail how surveys help to achieve that.
1. SURVEYS HELP TO
IMPROVE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.
We’ve all been there, disgruntled and frustrated by a product or service that doesn’t deliver as promised. Companies usually spend a lot of money to make something beautiful, but sometimes forget about its functionality.
One of these victims was the popular game, SimCity. They build expectation prior to the 2013 launch and everyone was eager to get their hands on it. Then it happened, people were unable to play the online game, the servers could not handle the demand of the users.
As you can imagine, the backlash was strong. There were disappointed gamers everywhere trying to get refunds, others advising people to hold on to their cash until the game’s offline mode was available. Even Amazon suspended the sales of the game.
It took some time, but the people behind SimCity finally conducted a survey to do some damage control. It worked, the game is now available offline, which has improved the gameplay considerably.
2. SURVEYS CAN HELP YOU
PLACE YOUR PRODUCTS
STRATEGICALLY.
Imagine walking into a fast food restaurant and you see a 20 ounce rib-eye steak on the menu. Is this an item that you would expect see there? Would you be willing to purchase an expensive steak there?
Probably, the company did not do its due diligence and decided to go on an experiment to see how many they could sell.
It is good to diversify, but there are costs involved in introducing a new product (i.e. packaging, shipping, marketing, permits, etc.). The profit margins may look enticing, but is this company sure that the rib-eye steak is what the customer craves?
Prior to calling the meat distributor, the next step is to conduct a survey. This allows the fast food company to determine the needs of its customers in a cost-effective manner. By identifying trends and preferences, the company can offer the appropriate food items to its target market.
After careful strategizing, they can cater correctly to the consumer. This can translate to an increase in customer satisfaction and sales.
It’s a win-win situation for both the customer and the restaurant.
3. SURVEYS ALLOW YOU
TO KNOW YOUR
CUSTOMERS.
Some companies think that customers are easy to interpret. They tend to assume, rather than to pay close attention to consumer behavior. This is a huge oversight, companies need to be prepared for constant change. Especially, when we live in an interconnected world whose needs are challenged frequently.
Now more than ever, we must gather and measure data on how customers interact with our products and that of our competition. Asking precise questions about preferences and habits allows us to tailor products and services to their needs. It also helps businesses to simplify pattern analysis, thus establishing an advantage over the competition.
That’s the power of conducting surveys frequently. The sky’s the limit when it comes to learning from our customers. We are able to drive and collect data to empower our decision making. We must allow feedback to be disruptive and to influence our processes in a positive way.
Remember, information is power. If you are able to connect with customers, you will have success in fulfilling their needs.
4. SURVEYS ALLOW YOU TO
EVALUATE YOUR
CUSTOMER SERVICE.
An excellent customer service is one of the pillars of success of a company. Let’s face it, sometimes things go wrong and we must be able to handle these situations gracefully.
Companies use surveys to pinpoint different issues and to improve processes. But what about the customer’s experience with a product or service? Are they satisfied with how an associate handled a specific issue? If you don’t know who to answer these questions, then it raises up a red flag.
In order to find answers, it is critical for companies to conduct exit surveys. It allows you to collect feedback on the customer’s experience immediately after an interaction with an associate. Now, you are able to gather and analyze different types of data (i.e. knowledge, response times, customer satisfaction, etc.).
These results allows you to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the customer service department. It also helps you to allocate your resources efficiently to provide the best customer experience possible.
An excellent customer service instills trust, drives word of mouth and sales for the company.
5. SURVEYS CAN HELP
YOU MEASURE THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR SALES CHANNELS AND PROCESSES.
Are you using the right channels to deliver your products? Sometimes we forget to evaluate them and we work with an assumption that something else is wrong with our marketing strategies.
There are two basic sales channels: direct and indirect. Direct channels connect your products and services to the consumer. For example, Apple has its own storefront and sells their products directly. Whereas, indirect channels involve different type of practices. A company can use social media, sweepstakes and PR to generate brand awareness.
Which of these sales channels is currently embedded in your marketing strategy? Have you taken the time to assess their impact on your business?
It is important to measure these impacts frequently to strategize better. Surveys allow you to optimize marketing feats and determine which strategies work best. It also enables the detection of trivial efforts that produce small results and high costs.
You must be able to deliver your products and services correctly or you could be missing out on plenty of sales opportunities.
If you want to improve sales in your company, then you must embrace customer feedback to enable efficient strategies. The simplest way to obtain this crucial data? Using a survey platform that facilitates the market research process.
Take control of your sales strategies, harness the power of consumer data.
Read more about types of surveys you can make
Read more
Survmetrics empowers business owners with the right tools to create beautiful and customized surveys within minutes. Its accurate analytics provide tailored results and insights for your company.
Create your own survey
Get Started
