WHNetwork Blog

Customer Satisfaction Surveys - They're Not all Bad News

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a bad experience I had in a local tasting room, and the importance customer satisfaction surveys play in providing businesses the feedback they need to be able to turn around unpleasant experiences, save customers, and prevent future repeats. And while we know that there is incredible (you might even say indispensable) value in this, customer satisfaction surveys aren't just about receiving bad news, they are also important messengers of good news!

A well designed survey not only provides feedback on what needs fixing, and what you can do better, but also provides vital information on what you are doing right. Kimberly Ritrievi of Vino 100 Tampa Bay tells us that not only have they learned that their customers do not want them to carry wines with familiar labels (something they had been considering), but also that they trust them to select unique wines from boutique wineries and have urged them to keep that philosophy. They had another unexpected bonus - they learned exactly where their customers were coming from, and were able to cancel expensive advertising that was not bringing in customers.
Kenn Madsen of the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone tells us that surveys were previously done in-house and the results were polluted. Guest feedback that was negative was often pulled from the results. Kenn says, "Working with an outside party has been tremendous. We know that we are guaranteed real live feedback from real live people. The number of responses has also gone up. It creates a warm & fuzzy feeling for me."

Kenn states that another positive aspect has been that employees get the good with the bad. That they accept this and know that it can be a learning experience. "The people responding to our surveys are people that care enough to write. Our servers know that we are not just focusing on the bad or the negative. Everything is up front and nothing is hidden. It's an open agenda."

One of the CIA programs is the PDP - Personal Development Plan. Part of the goal setting in the PDP is the hospitality / customer service goal. The CIA utilizes their Guest Satisfaction Survey percentages to monitor performance and measure trends over time. They then meet with managers and staff to discuss what is going right and what they need to improve if the results show a downward turn.

Kim Clifford, from the Bonneville Hot Springs Resort & Spa tells us that the surveys have been very beneficial for them to be able to identify areas of improvement for the business as a whole. "We could not do that without this feedback. The surveys also help us to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond in customer service areas. Guest comments help us in both areas. It has also been so nice to see where we are succeeding, and getting the guests' suggestions has been helpful."

In these uncertain times, it is more important than ever to be on top of your game – to know where you need to improve and to continue to do what your customers already highly value. For a free consultation call us at 707-933-0687 or email me at Margie@otlconsulting.com.

-Margie