Three Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Finalize Your Customer Survey
When developing customer surveys, every detail matters. A well-designed survey should go beyond simply collecting data. It should generate meaningful insights that drive action and impact business decisions. You should constantly be asking yourself three questions when designing a survey:
· “Is this insightful?”
· “Is this useful?”
· “Is this important?”
Let’s take a closer look at each question.
Is This Insightful?
When evaluating launching a new survey, or even just adding a question to one, it is important to consider if the data is going to tell you something new. With the vast amount of data available today, it gets harder and harder to say yes to this question. However, every business has different levels of data flowing into their organization, so this question is dependent on how much data you have readily available to you. For example, I have worked with two brands in similar industries, and they both wanted to understand demographically, who their most valuable customers were. Client A had collected demographic information when the customers had signed up for the service, and Client B did not. For Client A to run a demographic-focused survey would not be insightful, and for Client B, it was the most insightful information they had collected in years.
If you are requesting effort and information from your customers, always make sure you’re learning something new.
Is This Useful?
Once you feel like your survey is designed to provide something insightful, you need to shift your focus to whether it is actionable. Learning without action is just entertainment, and therefore unnecessary to the organization. Let’s look back at Client B from the previous example. When developing the survey, we needed to focus on demographic questions that could create actionable insight. Here is an example of two demographic questions: “What is your zodiac sign?” and “What is your dominant hand?”
Now, you don’t know what industry Client B is in, so each question could be relevant to the company. Maybe they are a left-handed scissor manufacturer. Maybe they create astrological-themed notebooks for young women. In reality, Client B was a home services company, so neither of these questions would be actionable for them, so they should never be included in one of their customer surveys.
Always consider whether the information you learn will be actionable for the business before finalizing the survey.
Is This Important?
Even if a survey question is insightful and useful, it still needs to be important to the business. Not all insights are worth pursuing for the business. For most companies, investing in research to move the needle by a fraction of a percent is not going to be worthwhile. Again, let’s revisit Client B’s demographic survey. Now that you know they are a home service provider, you should know most of their targeting strategies revolve around home location. In this example the question, “What is your ethnicity?” is not going to generate insights that create growth considering many different ethnicities live in their targeted neighborhoods.
If a survey question does not contribute to meaningful business growth, it doesn’t belong in the survey.
Final Thoughts
A well-crafted customer survey does more than collect data. It delivers insights that fuel strategic decisions.
Before you finalize your survey, remember:
· Ensure every question provides new insights
· Make sure the data leads to action
· Focus on what truly matters to the business
By following these principles, you’ll create surveys that provide real value—both for your company and your customers.
Need Help Designing a High-Impact Customer Survey?
At Kumle Research Corporation (KRC), we specialize in crafting customer surveys that deliver meaningful insights and drive real business growth. If you want to ensure your surveys are insightful, useful, and important, we’re here to help. Connect with us by emailing amkumle@kumleresearch.com.