When I get an email or am directed to a webpage that asks me to take a customer survey, I almost never do unless I'm so delighted or disappointed and just have to share it. Most surveys take too long. They don’t give you the chance to just tell them in your own words about your experience. You get the feeling your responses will just be sent to a central processing agency that’s going to create a spreadsheet with them.
Contrast that with Zingerman’s deli’s survey (this image and similar post came from Jason Fried at 37signals).
Here’s why I love this.
1. It’s fast but thorough.
There’s only one question to answer, and all you have to do is rate them on a scale from 1-10. Done. But the question is both simple and all-encompassing. There’s no need to ask people to individually rate the layout of the store, the courtesy of the staff or the selection of the products. Zingerman’s just asks point blank if you’d recommend them. And if you’d like, you can tell them more about why you gave them the rating.
Best of all, you just have to reply to the email. There’s no online form to click over to or any other additional steps to take. They’ve made it easy for customers to share how they feel about Zingerman’s.
2. It sounds like a human wrote—and will read—it.
A company whose survey says, “Your feedback is very important to us” just isn’t believable. But it’s obvious that real people at Zingerman’s wrote this. They promise to read your responses. They even put their names at the end of the email. That would make me even more likely to respond.
Schools, colleges, students and parents could do this, too. Private counselors could send an email to their customers once the students have headed off for college. High schools, particularly at small independent schools whose customers pay tuition, could email parents and ask how they’d rate their students’ experiences at the school. Colleges could ask admissions reps to solicit feedback from families who attend their info sessions. Tour guides could do the same thing. Club presidents could ask the members, “How likely are you to join us again next year?” Parents who organize grad nights, PTA events, or fundraisers could ask for simple feedback from attendees.
Yes, it’s scary to ask for open and honest feedback. But giving people a chance to share helps you learn more about what you’re doing right and wrong. If somebody’s particularly unhappy, you can fix it. And you can identify the people who love you the most and make sure you keep them happy.
By the way, I’ve never had one of Zingerman’s sandwiches. But I did read their book (update: link is working now) about how they run their business and it’s excellent.