Everyone knows that a customer is only as happy as their customer service staff makes them. Your customer service staff will only satisfy the customer if they are well trained. Many companies are now turning to outside research firms to evaluate their company’s customer service and their training. These firms evaluate the staff, training programs and materials and make recommendations on areas for improvement. They may also customize training programs tailored to your company or industry.

The main tool that these firms utilize to evaluate your business is the customer service survey. Many small companies discover that it is not necessary to go to the expense of hiring an outside firm when they can develop an effective survey tool for themselves. Customer service surveys identify issues with training and weaknesses in your staff. They also identify positive areas, so do not be discouraged.

The most important aspect in developing the survey is to place yourself in the customer’s position. First, determine the needs of your customers: if you deal primarily with an elderly population, so you adequately meet their special needs? Is your staff adequately familiar with the product that they are selling? When initially developing the survey, ask a friend or family member who is not familiar with the products that you offer to “test” your customer service personnel. Have them ask questions specific to the product and report to you their findings. Did they receive the information that they were looking for? Did they receive prompt and courteous service? It is always a good idea to use these “planted customers” to work out the kinks before testing the survey on real customers.

When designing the survey, tailor the questions to give you the information that you need to effectively run your customer service department. For example, asking questions like: “Were you greeted by customer service personnel in a prompt and friendly manner?”, “Did your customer service rep answer all of your questions to your satisfaction?”, “Did the staff adequately explain the product/payment options/service plan to your satisfaction?” are important. The answers to these questions will give you the information that you need to determine if any further training of the customer service staff is necessary. The most important question should come at the end of the survey: “Do you have any suggestions on how we may better serve you in the future?” This question is so important because many times it will provide insight into areas for improvement that you may never have considered otherwise.

Companies provide surveys to customers in many different ways. Some follow up a sale with a telephone survey. However, with the inception of the National Do Not Call Registry and the number of Americans who rushed to sign up, it is fairly obvious that many people do not wish to be contacted by telephone. Many retailers provide a 1-800 number or website on the receipt inviting the customer to complete a short survey. For smaller companies, simply providing a website address or a copy of a survey with a self-addressed stamped envelope enclosed is sufficient. As we all know, most people will not complete a survey unless there is something in it for them. Telling your customer that they will be entered into a drawing upon completion of the survey is an excellent way to ensure compliance. You may offer a drawing consisting of a product, a free service or something that we can all relate to: cash.

Once you begin receiving completed surveys, you may begin to compile the results and evaluate your team and training program. A weakness that comes up only occasionally in a survey may be addresses individually, whereas a continuing issue may warrant a change in training or procedure. Of course, just as you will want to address weaknesses, you should also focus on the positives that result from the survey. When you identify an area that seems to be working especially well, it is important to address it with your staff and even provide rewards. Some companies have boxes in the store or questions on the survey asking the customer to nominate a particularly helpful customer service staff member for an “outstanding service award.” This could be an employee of the month program or could warrant the inception of a rewards program for outstanding customer service. Once you have identified an outstanding employee, you (and your customer) will not want to lose them.

If you want to build customer loyalty, you must first identify what the customer expects from you. By implementing a customer service survey, you will identify customer needs as well as evaluate how well your customer service department is working. By maintaining a strong balance of satisfied employees and customers, you will quickly gain an edge on your competition and run your business more effectively.