The psychology of surveying: Why people like providing their opinions

More than ever, customers expect to be made part of your business. Surveys haven't just become popular because they are useful for companies -  they are also satisfying for customers to take. Simply providing customer satisfaction surveys can be a factor in customer satisfaction, never mind what you do with the results! The psychology of customer surveying is something that should not be overlooked as you write and administer your surveys.‍

Interaction

‍Anyone who has run a business can attest to the benefits of personal interaction with customers. For example, if you own a restaurant, you know that taking some time to get out from behind the counter and talk to customers about their experience can lead to great results, allowing you to learn about your customers while making them feel heard.

Of course, such endeavors can't be performed on a regular basis, and they can only reach a limited number of customers. That's where the psychology of customer surveying comes in; customers get to provide feedback to the company, without you having to devote a large amount of time to it.

‍Not Too Much Interaction

‍If customers are unsatisfied (or very satisfied) with their experience, they may want to provide feedback on it without having to speak to someone in person. There are several reasons for this. They may simply be shy, or afraid of receiving a negative reaction from you. There may be no one on the premises that can help. Or, they might simply want to feel like they are going through an official channel that can produce a record of their experience and bring tangible results.

‍Affirmation

‍Perhaps the biggest factor in the psychology of customer surveying is the fact that it allows them to feel like they are part of the decision-making process. You affirm that their experience is valuable to you, and that their opinions will influence the future decisions of the company. Those decisions may simply take the form of improving customer service, or may be vital to your company in determining product development.

‍Importance of Good Surveying

‍For the above observations about the psychology of customer surveying to hold true, your survey itself needs to be enjoyable for customers to take. While you want to get enough information to draw significant conclusions, avoid saddling your customers with long surveys or complicated questions. The key is to keep it light and fun - the survey should be something the customer can complete without much effort in a few minutes.