How to deal with low response rates
How to deal with low response rates
Reaching out to customers for feedback is one thing, but what happens if they don’t respond? It can be very difficult to maintain a feedback project if you’re not getting responses, more so if you must deliver feedback to a manager or director. We’ve seen a lot of feedback projects fail due to a variety of reasons but here are our top 5 reasons why you’re getting low response rates.
Too complex of a question
Keep it simple. Sometimes it can be that easy. Client time is precious and they’re unlikely to spend a large portion of it responding to surveys or questions that are overly complex or take a large amount of time to complete. A good thought process is to consider the feedback in relation to the client interaction. If it’s a simple interaction, for example buying a coffee, the client/customer won’t want to answer a 3 page survey about their experience. However, they probably would be willing to say whether they had a positive or negative experience or rate it out of 5.
Using the wrong contact method
Contact methods can play a huge role in whether someone will respond. We all know how many emails we get demanding our attention, it feels impersonal and it’s easy to ignore. We’ve found that phone surveys/research can increase response numbers. They’re more individual and open the door for more complex questions. It’s a lot easier to quickly explain why you rated a 2 than write a long paragraph trying to outline your thoughts.
Not acting on feedback
Why would a client give feedback if it’s going to be ignored? It’s an often-overlooked point but I think it’s key to a lot of clients who have genuine issues to report. Implementing some way to feedback what actions you’ve taken in response can make a client feel valued and encourage future feedback. This feedback could be part of your research campaign, mentioning to everyone how you’ve improved in the past, or it could be specific, responding to the person who gave the feedback.
Asking at the wrong time
One thought to bear in mind “can the client answer this question?” I’ve been asked for feedback before my transaction has even concluded. How could I respond? On the other hand, make sure you’re not too late in requesting feedback. People live lives and forget. There's a sweet spot of time to ask your feedback questions, where the client is informed, but hasn’t forgotten.
Missing opportunities during normal relations
Feedback works best when it is managed as a separate entity but there are always opportunities to gain feedback during regular interactions. If you’ve got an accounts manager or client face, they should be primed to be looking for feedback and asking about experiences during the normal course of business. They’ll be best placed to notice if clients are struggling or see areas that could improve. It’s also possible for shorter interactions like in shops. “Did you find everything you needed today?” Used to be commonplace but seems to have fallen out of favour. Nevertheless, it's this type of question that can gain customer opinions, and at the same time be helpful rather than a burden.
We’ve been working in customer feedback for 18 years and have delivered many end-to-end feedback projects. From planning and objectives, through delivery, all the way to reporting and analysis. If you’re struggling on your own, we can help. Give us a call or an email to get started on gaining concise actionable feedback.