Page 94 - Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization

Building Anticipation Into Your Products and Services 75

gestions for lacy, barely-there things based on some browsing their par-
ents did in anticipation of Valentine’s Day?

Our opinion is that a committed service provider needs to make
the decision to actually serve its customers’ interests—not just seem to
serve them. So modulate your use of online anticipatory technology.
Steer your company practices away from that creepiness line.

Using Tools to Gather Information About Your
Customers’ Experience

There are many tools available to help you build the viewpoint of your
customers into each of your products and services. Consider making
use of one or more of the following: mini-customer surveys (‘‘quiz-
zes’’), in-depth surveys, and possibly secret shopper services to gather
information about the typical customer experience.

In-House ‘‘Quizzes.’’ An on-site, three-to-seven-question mini-survey,
or ‘‘quiz,’’ tends to yield a very high participation rate. This rate is
typically much higher than for a survey sent after customers have re-
turned home and much higher than a full-length survey, whether of-
fered onsite or later.

In-Depth Surveys.In-depth surveys can be useful to any company, no
matter how small. If your company is large enough to generate survey
data of some magnitude, these surveys should be administered and ana-
lyzed scientifically. This may be best done in collaboration with a spe-
cialized outside service. However you decide to handle them, be sure
to remain involved in their design and administration, because there’s
no point in a survey that gives you plenty of answers—but to the wrong
questions! Consider the following points:

? A survey should reflect your most important questions about cus-
tomer likes, dislikes, and needs. A good survey question is clearly
worded and directly explains what you are trying to find out.