We know that retaining current customers is cheaper than getting new ones, helps us keep employees longer, is the best source of advertising through the word of happy mouths, and eventually, helps us build a healthier bottom line. This, therefore, should be a priority for us all. Before we can work on making our guests as happy as possible, we really need to know what they think about us, what they like most, what they wish we’d change, what someone else is doing that makes them happy, etc.

The most thorough way to get into the minds of your customers is to implement a customer survey. We do a lot of these for clients and each and every one of them produces fascinating results. We almost always learn something we did not know and we’re certainly thankful when survey results illuminate a problem we didn’t really know we had. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with verification that we are doing well just where we thought and where we work hard. Surveys are both a great gauge for guest satisfaction and can also provide a solid direction for things to do to improve the guest experience, and your sales volume.

The ten main objectives of administering a customer survey are as follows:

1. Measuring Overall Customer Satisfaction
   
   
2. Finding Out Who the Customer Is
   
   
3. Identifying Buying Habits and Dining Patterns
   
   
4. Identifying the Competition and Establishing How Satisfied Your Customers Are Compared to Those Of Your Competitors?
   
   
5. Finding Out Who the Customers Think We Are, and Why They Come
   
   
6. What It Takes to Get Your Customers to Make That Purchase Decision
   
   
7. Learning Where We Do Well and Not So Well
   
   
8. Asking Specific Questions Tied to Operational Planning
   
   
9. Identifying Processes for Change That Will Improve Customer Satisfaction
   
   
10. INCREASING CUSTOMER LOYALTY

Surveys range in complexity, mode of delivery, and breadth of distribution. They are effective for companies with one unit and those with 50 and everyone is a good candidate for understanding their guests better. Staying in touch with your customers should be an ongoing effort and practice in your business.

Beyond customer surveys, there are other things we help clients do to make sure they’re keeping a good grasp on what their customers and the market think:

            Regular Focus Group Programs
            Comment Card Program Design and Implementation
            Email Marketing Programs