How often have you left a review for the restaurant where you had a pleasant evening with good food and drinks? How many times have you done that at a restaurant with unfriendly staff or bad food? You are much more likely to choose to express dissatisfaction instead of satisfaction. Many people do not bother to write a positive review or simply forget to do so. This can give a distorted picture of customer satisfaction. Measuring customer satisfaction based on reviews is therefore not the most convenient method.
Employers, companies and public spaces who like to measure their customer satisfaction objectively often have a distorted view. Perhaps 95% of the visitors are extremely satisfied and they come precisely for the reason that someone else, who has left a review, has experienced as negative. How do you increase the willingness to leave a review, so that a better measurement of customer satisfaction can take place?
Tip 1: ask the customer personally
It is always important to question if this method fits the industry but try asking the customer directly to leave feedback. At the checkout, for example, a customer can simply press one of the four smileys. The chance increases that if this is asked directly to the customer, it will most likely happen more often. In this way, there will be a larger number of people providing feedback resulting in a more representative dataset.
Tip 2: attract attention with a bold statement
Trigger the customer with a ‘bold’ statement so that a favorable factor is created to leave (positive) feedback. What draws the customer’s attention? Can you think of something that actually makes the customer laugh or think? With this tip, it is important that the target group and customer personalia are clear, so that this can also be aligned with the trigger.
Tip 3: an immediate reward
If attention-grabbing does not provide sufficient feedback, it can help to link a direct reward to it. In many examples this is linked to a giveaway, but how much impact does this really have on the decision to take the time to give feedback? How many customers really believe in their chances of winning? Not so much. Link giving feedback to an immediate reward, such as a discount voucher for a minimum spend. Determine what feedback and good reviews are worth and determine the reward based on that.
Tip 4: choose a careful spot
What is the most likely place that a customer provides feedback? A good place is for example at the checkout. This can be either on the counter or as a QR code on the table in a restaurant. Placing a Smiley Terminal at the exit is also a place where someone can press a smiley quickly. Determine the customer journey and adjust the location for measuring customer satisfaction accordingly.
Tip 5: keep the threshold low
With the products of FourSmileys, the threshold for giving feedback is deliberately low. Press a smiley and you’re done! Or scan a QR code and give immediate feedback. The chance of getting feedback from the largest possible number of (potential) customers is greatest when the effort it takes is small.
Curious about the possibilities to receive feedback? Read all about hybrid feedback in this blog.
