A Consumer Pulse study of over 1,400 U.S. consumers conducted by Boston researcher Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) and Denver-based iModerate Research Technologies looked at why customers complete customer satisfaction surveys and what they expect from companies and brands in return.
The study found customers give feedback as part of their “job” as a consumer, with 57 percent saying they do so to help improve the company. And customers don’t see themselves as passive but rather as empowered, active participants in helping companies improve how they do business.
When customers do have a negative experience they expect feedback or a response from the company and most often this is not what they receive. The research shows that only 35 percent of consumers recall getting a response from a company the last time they shared a negative experience.
“Customer satisfaction research is about much more than the data you get back. It’s about the opportunity to engage and often recover your customers after a bad experience,” said Jeff McKenna, senior consultant at Chadwick Martin Bailey, in a press release. “Most companies asking customers about a recent experience don’t take advantage of this opportunity to turn a service failure around. There is a real disconnect between the research and the action that needs to be taken; closing the door before closing the loop is a missed opportunity.”
The desire to help companies improve, and widespread dissatisfaction with companies’ response were also two common themes in iModerate’s one-on-one conversations with 21 Americans over age 18. In the words of respondents:
“The hope for change is definitely a motivator; I would not want someone else to have a bad experience.” – female, 25 to 29
“If the business wants to know how they are doing for their customers, then it is good to help them by giving them feedback, whether positive or negative. And that makes you feel like perhaps you have helped them.” – male, 40 to 44
“If they’re going to respond, I’d like it to be specific enough that it looks like a person read my comments and is responding to what I said. Not just a ‘thank you, have a nice day’ kind of response.” – female, 45 to 49
The positive news for companies is that half of customers complete satisfaction surveys to share a good experience, versus 35 percent who do so to register a complaint against the company. When companies respond personally, they have a chance to reconnect and deepen their relationship with their customers.
This study was done as part of Chadwick Martin Bailey’s self-funded CMB Consumer Pulse program. A report with additional findings from this study is available as a free download. Data was collected from 1,481 adults (aged 18 and over) via a nationally representative online survey questionnaire within the U.S. by Chadwick Martin Bailey in October of 2011. In addition, iModerate Research Technologies conducted one-on-one online conversations to gain a deeper understanding of what motivates consumers to participate in customer satisfaction surveys.