In our last blog, we introduced the first steps of (dis)satisfaction research. Using a survey, you are opening your brand up to honest customer or employee feedback. You are looking for those pain points that may not be easily recognizable. As your respondents are highlighting areas of improvement, it is time to prioritize your competitive advantage. Here is how to do so successfully.
If you missed Part One of the How-To Guide to Satisfaction Research, you can find it here.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Selecting Priority Pain Points
If respondents ticked more than one box and identified more than one problem, your next question of the satisfaction research survey needs to ask them to choose the most important one.
Once you have narrowed down the biggest issue, it is time to drill down further. Find out how customers contacted you about the issue. Was it easy? What was hard about it? What are their thoughts about the person they interacted with? Being met with empathy is great, but most customers will value the effective resolution of their problem much more highly.
Problems Are Not the Problem
Encountering a problem with your product does not mean customers are left dissatisfied. You will find that those customers who had a problem that was resolved quickly and efficiently are more loyal. They will most likely display a higher level of satisfaction and are more likely to recommend you.
(You can listen to the full episode of the podcast below.)
Satisfaction vs Importance
Armed with all of that research information, you can start arranging it in a quadrant comparing high and low satisfaction and high and low importance. Seeing the correlations gives you a very clear picture of which points need to be addressed most urgently.
This exercise results in highly actionable data. It shows pain points and makes it clear in which order you need to address them. Powerful stuff for any brand.
Taking (Dis)Satisfaction Research Further
Are you feeling brave? Consider asking where you stand compared to your competitors. On the B2B side, this can be a scary exercise. Within the realm of B2C marketing research, it is certainly eye-opening.
Assuming your customers are familiar with the main players in the market, you invite them to check who they believe is the best within a category. Then, ask for the reasons respondents had to choose this particular company.
Next, you can move on to a slightly expanded version of four or five lifecycle stages. Those could include:
- Billing process
- Quality of the overall experience
- Execution of an order
- Any other relevant touchpoints
What will you gain from this satisfaction research? You will gain insight into how your customers view your brand compared to your competitors. Also, the research helps you identify your strengths and weak points.
Understanding where you stand among your competitors is one aspect. You can also take these results and overlap them with the satisfaction/importance quadrant. This exercise gives you an excellent grasp of your greatest opportunities to grow as a business.
Scary as it may be, satisfaction research can be the foundation that allows your business to soar to the next level. All it takes is a simple survey.
Additional Resources
FOR EXPERIENTIAL MARKETERS
- Experiential Measurement Blueprint
- Event Impression Calculator
- Experiential ROI Benchmarking Reports
- Event Measurement Video Tutorials