Customer satisfaction survey

What is a customer satisfaction survey?

A customer satisfaction survey is an instrument for systematically recording the opinions and experiences of customers with regard to a company's products, services or customer service. The aim is to make satisfaction measurable, obtain direct feedback and derive specific improvements from this.

Companies use such surveys to check the quality of their services, identify weaknesses and develop customer loyalty measures.

How is a customer satisfaction survey structured?

Different survey methods can be used depending on the target group, occasion and company structure. Online surveys are widely used, e.g. by e-mail, via web forms or after an online contact. Telephone surveys are particularly suitable for providing immediate feedback after a conversation in the contact center. Paper-based surveys are still occasionally carried out in bricks-and-mortar retail or for personal services.
Typical features of such a survey are:

• Questionnaire structure: The survey usually consists of standardized questions that cover aspects such as product quality, price-performance ratio, customer service response time or general fulfillment of expectations.

• Scale-based evaluation: Customers often give their assessment on numerical scales (e.g. 1-5 or 1-10). This enables a quantitative evaluation of the answers.

• Customer focus: The survey aims to capture the actual experiences and needs of customers – first-hand.

What are the advantages of the surveys?

Conducting customer satisfaction surveys offers companies numerous benefits, including:

• Optimization of the customer experience: Findings from the survey help to further develop the service in a targeted manner.

• Higher customer loyalty and recommendation: Satisfied customers remain loyal for longer and are more likely to recommend the company to others.

• Well-founded decisions: Companies can plan and prioritize strategic measures based on data.