Customer Satisfaction: Why It’s not Worth Asking
In my recent (very short) consumer behaviour video I made a reference to how unhelpful it can be to ask someone how satisfied they are with their consumer experience. My point was that, given you don’t know what frame of reference someone has in mind when they respond, it’s really not that useful to know.
Are they satisfied because their expectations are so low that, when nothing terrible happens, they’re grateful?
Are they satisfied because what’s on offer is so formulaic that all they could do is be very dissatisfied if the delivery was below the standard?
Are they satisfied because they have such little interest in whatever it is that “yes” is all they can think to say; they’ve forgotten what happened and assume, because it wasn’t memorably bad, that it must have been OK at the time?
It turns out a recent study has found that people’s ratings of satisfaction change according to the nature of the alternatives they were considering at the time they made their choice. So satisfaction, rather than being an absolute measure, is going to depend on what the person was thinking at the time they made their choice and, in the case of research, what you’ve framed the question with (particularly if you’ve been asking about other brands that operate in the same category).
You can read my full article here, and make comments below if you’d like to.
Philip Graves
Hi Philip!
Great post. You make a lot of sense. People really aren’t reliable or aware enough to even know why they do what they do, let alone tell you how they feel. Things like what they had for lunch can totally influence their comment/input.
Anthony
http://www.anthonylemme.com
Hi Phil,
Its very true! You can’t make assumptions on peoples reactions until you actually are fully aware of the circumstances of how where and how they came about
Great info as always here
Duane
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Very true. We don’t really know what we respond to and we’re very bad at predicting our emotional responses to situations.
Cool post Phil.
JJ
Life Coach, Business Coach
People buy for reasons that they are unaware of. They probably have a better idea why they don’t buy. So, you could figure that out, and then eliminate those objections.
Seize the Day,
Rob
Sales Expert For Small Business Owners
Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
Philip,
That a customer’s answer to a satisfaction survey depends upon the context in which the questions were framed, as well as other possible factors, does seem to make sense. However, if a business did a survey that just asked the question, “are you satisfied overall with the service this business provides you”, it seems that they would get a decent gauge on the general customer sentiment about the business. What do you think?
Health, Fitness — Darryl Pace
Fitness Product Review
That really does make sense, I had not thought of in that amount of depth before.
Bob Kaufer
Sign Up For My Free Neuro Performance and Health℠ E-Course
I think it’s funny how little we know or understand the criteria we use to make decisions and buying choices. Our opinions and beliefs often are the opposite of how we really act.
Steve Chambers, The Sales Expert
The Sales Eagle Solution – 6 months to dominate your market
Phil,
Great article to remove the misunderstanding of & misinformation from ineffective customer survey.
A nice touch at the end of your full article when you mention yourself:
>
Are You Interested in Measuring Customer Satisfaction Accurately?
If you want to understand how satisfied your customers are you can find out without using a research process that distorts and influences the outcome.
Contact me to find out more.
>
John Ho
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion (WordPress Blog)
Numerology Expert Birthday Numeroscope (Vox Blog)
Numerology Expert Helps Understanding Personality for Better Influence & Persuasion
This is really interesting, and so true! How can you ever figure out your customers when you don’t know what frame of reference they have in their mind at any particular given time.
Lisa McLellan, Babysitting Services – Babysitters, Nannies, and Au-pairs
Philip – We all make assumptions about the way we think people think. As you stated, it’s all in how a question is framed. This is why I hate “polling data.” You can get someone to say/or agree to just about anything depending on how it’s framed.
Pam
Invest in Your Future
Hi Phil,
indeed, having the context really does make a lot of sense. Your consumer marketing research expertise really does shine through. I always enjoy reading your articles. We need to ascertain people’s starting points and their perspective first before grading the importance of their response.
Best regards,
April Braswell
Single Boomer Dating Expert, Business Relationship Success Coach
Widows Grief Support Group, Bereavement Counseling, Stages of Grief, Workshop Orange County, Costa Mesa Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, CA
Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Orange County, Website Marketing, Web Design, SEO, Social Media Marketing
Hi Phil,
it’s true. I think consumers will just start responding based on what mood they are in right now while being questioned. And it is genuinely challenging to separate their feelings from being interviewed by an expert whom they may unconsciously want to impress or curry favor from or where they want the attention given to them when they vent negatively even if that is not really accurate representation of how they feel and purchase.
Very interesting
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Single Baby Boomer Dating Success Expert