Improve Self-service Survey Response Rate and Feedback Quality

In my last article titled It is Time Support Organisations Switch to Measuring CES, we looked at the top three survey frameworks used by support organizations and insights into why Customer Effort Score is the way forward.

In this article, I would like to share my learnings and industry insights that will help you get impactful insights out of your support self-service Customer Effort Score (CES).

According to this HBR Article, response rate below 60% in B2B and 40% in B2C is a concern. However, the industry median for support self-service channels is 5%. Low response rate means, not enough samples to get actionable insights. How do we improve it?

Time it right

Timing surveys based on aggregate values like Average or Median or Mode of customer session duration might get you closer, however, it will still not be ideal because the correct time to survey a customer is when they complete a session on the site. A second before is early and a second after is too late.

A survey presented while the context is still fresh in the customer’s mind will get you high-quality subjective feedback than a survey sent several hours/days after a customer visits the site.

Here are two ways the organizations could get the timing right,

1. After “X” minutes into the session, invite customers to provide feedback at the end of the session, if they agree, open the survey in a different browser window. There are new age survey solutions that do this so well while market leaders lack this capability. (Message me if you would like to get examples of solutions and companies using this survey method).
2. Send a followup email with a survey link immediately after the session ends. This is only possible if you know the customer.

Besides, it is best to restrict the survey to a few times in a given duration/per X sessions to keep the experience optimal.

KISS it!

The top reason for a customer to abandon or not re-engaging with a survey is “They take too much time…”. Some best practices to follow here are,

1. Keep it to 3 or fewer questions. I mean “3” not 3 sets/categories/pages.
2. If you are committing a time like “Take a 1 min survey”, stick to it.

Check out a sample survey, we have put together for you in Google Forms - https://forms.gle/W4Uu9URHdoofuS6i8

Show that every feedback matters

The second most important thing customers value is whether they are being listened to. There is no solid evidence that customers don't like giving their contact information, yet hardly anyone gathers them to close the loop on feedback. 

Your customers will love seeing their suggestions put to practice or at the least expect an explanation of why a suggestion can not be implemented. Most companies have a “Recovery” process to turn a DSAT/Detractor for their assisted-service channels but a similar process for self-service channels is very rare. 

Additionally, ensure customer feedback plays a key role in your strategic and functional decision-making process. 

To conclude, a well-timed short self-service survey combined with a sound internal process to closed-loop will drastically improve your response rate and offer you a ton of insights to make your digital support an Effortless Experience!