Survey Burnout

Andrew Gori, in an article on "Feedback Burnout" says...

"because it’s easier than ever to collect feedback, it seems that many companies are overdoing it. So much so, that it has the potential to annoy the very people companies are trying to please...customers are starting to show signs of “feedback fatigue.” Respondents to a recent survey...claimed that surveys are too long, too personal, and inconvenient. Plus companies are asking customers to fill them out more than ever."

How do you avoid this?

I recommend a personal follow up call that is brief, friendly and grateful as the best choice for most companies. This impressed me last year when our water heater suddenly began leaking. I had a plumber from Olshan Plumbing in Dallas, TX,  install a new one. The Plumber not only was on time, professional and friendly, but saved me over $600.00 by informing me that the current defective water heater was guaranteed for 10 years and I could receive a significant amount of prorated credit on a new one from Home Depot. He personally helped me return the defective unit to Home Depot, get the credit and quickly installed the new water heater. I was further stunned when I received a follow up call from their customer service department within an hour of the job being completed to check on the job. I had some very favorable feedback and would definitely use them again. When is the last time you received a follow up call? It's increasingly rare.

Tomorrow more on key questions to ask in the survey.