Are your customers telling you the whole truth?
Customer satisfaction is a top priority for remodelers and home builders. And frankly, it has to be. Happy customers result in good reviews and strong referrals. There are few ways to organically grow your business that are as effective.
One of the best ways to track customer feedback is simple and straightforward. Just ask clients to complete surveys after the job is complete.
In this article, we’ll give you a quick overview of why customer surveys are beneficial. And then we’ll give you a framework for building your very first customer survey. We’ll even share our recommendation for the top 4 questions you should include in your customer surveys.
Benefits of using customer surveys
Customer feedback surveys give the remodeler clear insight into your customers’ experience. While it’s nice to hear about things your customers like, negative feedback is helpful, too.
Think of it this way. Positive feedback tells you what to keep doing. Negative feedback tells you what you could be doing better. All of it can be used to strategically position your remodeling firm to remain competitive in the marketplace.
In addition to enabling you to identify your remodeling business’s strengths and weaknesses, customer surveys help in the following areas.
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Customer surveys increase referrals
People are more likely to refer your business to their friends and family members if they are satisfied with your service. A customer survey can actually help them realize that they’re pleased with your services.
Customer surveys attract new customers
Positive reviews can be pulled from surveys to be included on your website or posted on social media. New customers are more likely to choose your company’s services if it has a good reputation.
Customer surveys build customer loyalty
Customers appreciate companies that are committed to continuously bettering their customer service. You can turn a negative experience into a positive one by responding quickly to any critical feedback you get.
Customer surveys understand customer perception
Surveys allow you to understand how customers feel about your business’s reputation. It’s possible that small, inexpensive changes will improve your customers’ perceptions, which can in turn boost your business.
4 questions you should always include to get the best customer feedback
Customer satisfaction surveys can include a broad range of questions. The questions included in this article don’t have to be the only questions in your survey. These might just serve as the foundation of your survey.
That said, we recommend keeping your surveys short. Customers will be more likely to complete a survey if it is quick and not too complicated. Plus, all your questions should be direct. There’s no reason to beat around the bush.
Sticking to these 4 questions will limit the survey’s length while still giving you valuable information. If you add more questions, keep them direct and don’t add too many.
1. How well did we communicate with you?
Minor issues during a remodel are normal. Their negative effect on customer experience is minimal if communication is good. But what if communication is lacking? Even if a job is done perfectly, poor communication can derail what would have been a solid referral.
Good communication should start with the first phone call. It should continue as the client discusses their vision for the project. After all, how can you complete a job to satisfaction if you don’t understand what your customer wants?
Even the completion of the project should include good communication. Never leave a customer wondering when they’ll be billed or what they need to do to leave a review of your business.
This question gives customers an opportunity to let you know if they felt lost during the project. If so, your in-project communication may need to be overhauled.
And if there are no complaints, you can be confident your communication is meeting your customers’ needs.
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2. Is there anyone you’d like to recognize for exceptional customer service?
Customers aren’t the only people involved who need some special attention. Your team members probably appreciate recognition, too. Plus, it’s always good to know who the rock stars on your team are.
When one of your workers provides exceptional service, they deserve acknowledgment. But you can’t be at every job site, so you may not know which team members deserve recognition. This question helps you see the employees who consistently go above and beyond.
Recognition boosts team morale. It also makes your folks more loyal and likely to work hard. That translates to a better customer experience—which ultimately helps to grow your business.
3. In what areas did we excel?
Every company has strengths and weaknesses in terms of service quality. But that doesn’t mean you know where you excel. If you’re doing something right, you want to know so you can keep doing it.
Keep in mind, your perceptions are likely different than what your customers think. It’s important to understand how customers experience your service.
As an added bonus, this question ensures you won’t receive survey responses that are entirely negative. Even if a customer has multiple complaints, it’s still good to hear about what they felt you did well. In some ways, this feedback is more valuable when it comes from an otherwise dissatisfied customer.
4. In what areas did we fall short?
Of course, you also need to know where service is lacking.
Similar to question #3, even if a customer loved working with your remodeling firm, there’s still likely something you could have done better. That’s valuable feedback.
Plus, this question may highlight areas where expectations weren’t aligned. For example, you may think your service times are reasonable. Your customers, on the other hand, may expect a job to be completed in a tighter time frame. It’s entirely possible the only change you need to make is to do a better job of setting the customer’s expectations.
This question gives customers a place to address any concerns that do not fall under the other questions. Including it in your survey provides balance. It also lets your customers know you’re committed to improvement.
Bringing it all together
Creating, implementing, and analyzing a survey is a time-consuming process. Sure, it’s entirely possible to do it on your own. But there’s real value in working with a third party to help conduct and analyze your surveys.
This ensures a smooth customer survey process. It also promotes a more professional image to your customers.
Whether you decide to go it on your own or work with the pros, be sure to include these 4 questions in every customer survey you send out.
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