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Dec 15, 2016 2:00:00 PM2 min read

Is It Possible to “Read” the Minds of Your Customers?

You must be really curious about what is going on in your customers’ minds when they are shopping. The trick to grow your business is hidden in the minds of your customers. When you know the factors that shape your customers’ consumption habits and shopping motivations, you can increase your sales and expand your network. For this reason, you decide to use feedback surveys to learn the minds of your customers. So, how do you make sure your customers are telling you what they are really thinking on the surveys? You need to ask the right questions in the right place and in the right way.

The Right Question, in the Right Place

Asking a customer about a service they did not get or about to receive is not a good idea. For example, if you were to ask “How was your meal?” to a customer who had just started eating, then you probably won’t receive a very enlightening answer. People cannot talk about experiences they haven’t yet had.
The timing aspect holds particularly true for hotels. When a guest is just about to check in, it’s not right to ask: “Would you stay with us again?” So, ask the right question, at the right time.

The Right Question Style

It is best to ask brief questions in order not to distract the customer. Try not to make feel them “Why did I lose time on this survey?” Also, the questions must be very clear. Emojis and metaphors are perfect for clarity. If customers cannot get what the questions are about, you risk irritating them. Good luck with getting the truth out of an irritated customer.

The Right Amount of Questions

Do not ask your customers 30 questions in a row in the surveys. Your customers will definitely be bored and distracted. Even if they finish these 30 questions, the answers they give will be unreliable.

According to a research by Microsoft, the goldfish have a short-memory span less than 8 seconds. In the same research, people are mentioned to have short-memory span even less than goldfish. For this reason, ask your customers a few questions, but change the questions and survey structure constantly. So, instead of asking 30 questions to 1 person, ask 1 question to 30 people. Your client can answer a single short question without distraction. This ensures that the answers given by your customers are more reliable.

Think of customer satisfaction as a communication channel where you are on one side and your customer on the other. According to the results of Ruby Newell-Legner’s “Understanding Customers” study, which is about transforming customers into real fans of your brand, only 4% of unhappy customers reach and tell you about their bad experience. Majority of unhappy customers will leave you without giving you any feedback. So, never underestimate collecting customer feedback with the right methods. Your customers will be one huge step closer to being your loyal customers when you take actions in the light of their feedback.

With our Pisano shuffle feature, many customers like Bnp Paribas can learn reliable views of our customers and create robust action plans. This empowers their CRM systems, and most importantly, they get to have a strong connection with their customers.

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