Restoring Success: Creating Effective Customer Surveys

Plus, understanding and utilizing Net Promoter Scores.

Customer surveys are a valuable tool for your restoration company. It’s always a good time to review your existing survey process or start a new one. As a service provider, the ultimate evaluation of how well we are doing is through the eyes of the customers we serve.

Well-designed surveys can give you valuable insight to what you do well and areas that may need improvement. Here are some sample questions, and that you can glean from your customers' answers.

How would you rate our company’s communication and responsiveness?

This is an opportunity to address any dissatisfaction. TIP: Develop a policy that promptly addresses any negative feedback and gain the opportunity to rectify it.

How would your rate our response time?

View this as an engagement tool for the team. Great customer surveys are a sure way to get lots of smiles from the team when they see how their hard work made someone’s life better.

How would your rate the professionalism of the staff?

This is a tool to get new customers. Sharing the great results and comments of previous customers can help prompt new customers and referral sources to keep your name top of mind. Develop process in all your marketing and business development efforts that help you share the results of your good works.

How likely are you to refer us to friends and family?

Again, this is another gauge of how well you did on the job - and the amount of trust established.

How would you rate the quality of our work?

Use this to evaluate your team and processes. Many team members are evaluated and/or held accountable to customer service. Surveys not only give you an objective look at company results, but they can also serve as a tool to evaluate team members with actual documentation.

Net Promoter Score

Also, there is the Net Promoter Score which is a widely used metric that companies can use to evaluate their customer’s loyalty, predict the organization’s ability to grow, and even give insight when developing a marketing strategy. If you wonder how you measure up in your industry, this is a widely used metric for that as well. The net promoter score is done through the surveying process by asking a question like: How likely are you to refer us to friends and family?

There are many great outlets for detailed information on the calculation, meaning, and value of Net Promoter Score on the internet. The following are only two of many links that will tell you more:

https://www.questionpro.com/blog/nps-considered-good-net-promoter-score/

https://brasil.jdpower.com/business/resource/three-types-nps

Surveys can be an asset to your operations in many ways. Be cautious of assuming that customers are happy by virtue of not complaining. “It’s fine” is among the Three Banned Phrases in Business, and often means the customer is settling and not happy.

A Story of a Detractor

I went to a drug store for some cold medicine and remedies, check out, and proceeded to the restroom. The restroom was one of the most unsanitary bathrooms that I had ever seen and believe that it also had a variety of microbial growth. I was particularly horrified because the store positions itself as a place to go for your health and wellness. You should wear PPE to go to their restroom! I will never go back there. The store does not know this because I was not asked and did not offer to give feedback. I randomly tell people about my experience because it was that terrible and all those people will likely not go there.

A Story of a Promoter

My co-worker bought a Ninja Foodi and within days started enthusiastically sharing the details of the delicious and easy marvels that the kitchen gadget would do. Within seconds, I was out the door to go get me and another co-worker a Foodi. It pressure cooks, air fries, dehydrates, and more. Everything is delicious and there is no mess. The best part is that you can take frozen meat, even steak, from frozen to juicy and broiled in minutes. I think I had a direct influence of at least 10 Ninja Foodis within the last month since my purchase.

You can use a service to conduct your surveys or utilize an in-house process. Ultimately, our customers have an impact on our future success, and it is important to know about their experience with us

Lisa Lavender holds a BS in accounting from Penn State and is an IICRC Master Fire, Water and Textile Restorer. As chief operating officer and co-owner of both Restoration Technical Institute and Berks ∙ Fire ∙ Water Restorations, Inc., Lavender has over 20 years of experience in the restoration and reconstruction industry, and has been involved in the training other restoration professionals since 2012. In 2018, has expanded her passion for serving other restorers by partnering and becoming VP of operations design for iRestore software. In addition to contributing to the running of the operations of her organizations, she authors a monthly column for R&R, Restoring Success, writes, instructs and develops courses and materials in the pursuit of her passion to give knowledge, passion, and inspiration to others for success in the industry. You can reach her at lisa@RTILearning.com.

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