In the early 2000s, researchers in the psychology department at the University of Texas at Austin asked people to predict their romantic partners’ like or dislike of 37 different activities. The partners were correct only 29 percent of the time, but—interestingly—they believed they were right an average of 80.5 percent of the time! We barely know our partners. What are the chances that we know our customers any better?
Knowing our customers matters: Our stores grow and thrive if we stock the products they love, and will be more profitable if we give them an experience that leaves them completely satisfied. But knowing our customers gets harder. In the early days, we likely were closer to them—when I started my store, I was in dance class with many of my regulars. But our stores grow, and we can lose touch.
Plus, the pandemic, among other cultural shifts, has changed our customers. What we thought we knew about them is no longer necessarily true. We need to reconnect, rediscover, and understand them anew. The best way to do that is through customer surveys.
Conducting surveys has never been easier. Online sites like SurveyPlanet, SurveyMonkey, and Typeform do the legwork. All you have to do is give your customers a link. The sites even have free versions. But don’t just grab a template. You want your survey to be smart and effective, not just easy to create.
Keep Your Survey Short and Focused
A smart survey is, first of all, a short one. According to research, 8 out of 10 customers abandon surveys partway through. If you want yours to get answered, you should ask only four or five well-worded questions.
A smart survey must also give you, the storeowner, actionable information. Be clear on what exactly you want to know. Do you need feedback on a new line of leotards you’re selling or a particular product category? On your selection? On your service? Be clear about your objective, and ask questions that get the answers you need.
While satisfaction surveys are good, customer experience surveys are even better. A customer satisfaction survey asks “How satisfied were you with your visit today?” A customer experience survey is more detailed, exploring the customer’s experience through all touchpoints of the customer journey. Did they have trouble finding your hours on your website? How was their in-store experience? Were they happy with the product after purchase? All of these things are part of the customer experience.
Tips for Good Response Rates
To make it easy for you to set up a customer experience survey, I’ve created a template of questions to get you started.
To get the best response rate to your survey, present it to your customers in as personalized a way as possible. Hand them a card with the survey link when they’re in the store. You could also text or email them after their visit. To encourage them to complete it, tell them how you’ll use their feedback to serve them better. The more you show that you genuinely care about their opinion, the more likely they will answer your survey.
Track the Net Promoter Score to Put Feedback Into Action
Surveys are useless if you don’t do anything with the information. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the data you collect and just tuck the survey away in a drawer. That’s why the simplicity of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is so attractive. An NPS survey asks only one question and gives you a number that you and your staff can work toward improving.
The Net Promoter Score asks: “How likely is it that you would recommend [company X] to a friend or colleague?” The answers are on a scale of 1 to 10. Zero means “not at all likely,” 5 is neutral, 10 means “extremely likely.”
Frederick F. Reichheld, at management-consulting firm Bain & Company, who designed the NPS, found that actual customers’ repurchase and referral behavior was correlated with their willingness to refer. The firm created three clusters. They named the cluster at 9 and 10 the “promoters.” This group had the highest rate of repurchase. The cluster at 7 and 8 were the “passively satisfied,” and those that scored 0 to 6 were the “detractors.”
Finding the Net Promoter Score is easy. You simply calculate the percentage of respondents in each group and then subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. You then get a number that you and your team can work toward improving. Decrease the number of “detractors” and/or increase the number of “promoters” and you will improve your score, which you can track over the months and years. With a score to improve, you will know when you are making progress. It’s a great way to motivate your staff, too.
The Net Promoter Score is effective because it measures loyalty and word-of-mouth. Loyalty is a key driver of profitable growth. And what better proof of loyalty than a customer’s willingness to recommend your store to a friend? It’s not just theoretical—a higher Net Promoter Score has been correlated with a higher growth rate in most industries.
This Score Measures Customer Actions, Not Intentions
The NPS does have its flaws. A customer saying that they’re willing to promote isn’t the same as them actually promoting you. That’s why I like the work of the agency C Space. Its survey asks the questions “Have you recommended?” and “Have you discouraged?” This measures customers’ actions, not just their intentions. The difference between the percentage of respondents who have recommended minus those that have discouraged gives an Earned Advocacy Score (EAS). C Space found that this score more closely matched consumer behavior.
The EAS survey pairs the two questions on actions with an open-ended question about why the consumer would recommend or disparage the brand. With this approach, you get information on what people like—and what you need to do to improve your score.
How Feedback Fuels Spending
Running a survey and getting both a score and specific comments will give your store a powerful competitive advantage. Leverage that by building that kind of customer participation into your store’s regular operations.
Studies show that a customer’s participation in a business is closely linked to increased spending. Letting your customers provide guidance and feedback ties them more closely to your store. So make customer participation, including surveys, a regular part of your routine. Set up feedback sessions with your ambassadors. Get their opinions on new products or procedures. You could even create a private, invitation-only Facebook group. Call it “Friends of [Your Store’s Name]” and use it for ongoing feedback.
Keep It Real (and Responsive)
Whatever way you survey, make sure you show that your customers’ opinion matters. Reply to comments if you have their contact information. Report back to customers on how their feedback has helped make your business better.
According to business professor Michael LeBoeuf, author of How to Win Customers & Keep Them for Life, 68 percent of customers stop shopping with a store because of perceived indifference. You are combating that perception by conducting a survey. You are telling your customers “Your opinion matters; we want to hear from you.” Don’t ruin that good work by not responding to their feedback.
More and more consumers expect to participate in the creation of what they buy, so jump on the trend now to stay ahead of your competition. Start small with surveys. Get to know your customers better. Your bottom line will thank you.
Gilbert Russell is a seasoned dancewear retailer who helps independent stores thrive through his book “Retail AI Unleashed,” coaching programs, speaking engagements, and weekly newsletter.