Here is a survey I am using to see what my customers are thinking…
…what do you think?
At Basswood Home Improvement, we value the opinions of our customers.
Please take a moment to fill out this short survey to help our business improve and grow!
Thank you,
Where did you hear about us?
________________________________________
Quality of workmanship
Unbelievable, the Picasso of carpentry!
Good, I got my money’s worth.
Only fair-not bad, but not that great.
Poor, I’ll ask the grade school wood shop students to do my next project.
Service/friendliness
Fantastic & with a smile!
Good, I had a positive experience.
Only fair…they did the work.
Poor…caveman communication skills.
Timeliness
Wonderful. The job was completed earlier than I expected!
Good, the job was done on time as expected.
Only fair, the job ran a few days late.
Poor, ever heard of a watch or a calendar?
Cleanliness
Unbelievable, better then when you arrived.
Pretty good for carpenters!
Only fair, a bit of rubble left behind, but okay.
Poor…I wouldn’t let my dog walk through there.
Based on your overall experience, how would you rate Basswood Home Improvement on a 1 to 10 scale?
Poor The Best!
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Let us give you an estimate on any future project you are planning! Check all that apply out of the following services we provide:
Cabinets
Countertops
Door installation
Trim work (baseboards & casing)
Built-in furniture
Custom closets
Other ___________________________________
Comments:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Edited 2/27/2006 10:40 pm ET by basswood
Replies
Your survey is a great idea. The following are a few things that I doug up while working for an engineering firm as their marketing guy:
If you know the answer don't ask it. If you are always top notch on something and clients are always giving you high marks skip the question unless the results are used to show potential clients your strengths in that area.
Likewise, expand the number of questions for areas that have consistent low scores.
1-10 scales on all questions can give clients more options and you more information. Along the same lines, allowing space for handwritten comments under each question encourages more details.
"Among the most popular assessments tools of service quality is SERVQUAL, an instrument designed by the marketing research team of Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml. Through numerous qualitative studies, they evolved a set of five dimensions which have been consistently ranked by customers to be most important for service quality, regardless of service industry. These dimensions are defined as follows:
Tangibles: appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials;
Reliability: ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately;
Responsiveness: willingness to help customers and provide prompt service;
Assurance: knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence; and
Empathy: the caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers."
Further, the list has been expanded upon to include the following:
Tangibles: appearance of physical facilities, equipment,personnel, and communication materials.
Reliability: ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately.
Responsiveness: a willingness to help customers and provide prompt service.
Competence: possession of required skill and knowledge to perform service.
Courtesy: politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness of contact personnel.
Credibility: trustworthiness, believability, honesty of the service provider.
Feel secure: freedom from danger, risk, or doubt.
Access: approachable and easy of contact.
Communication: listens to customers and acknowledges their comments. Keeps customers informed. In a language which they can understand.
Understanding the customer: making the effort to know customers and their needs.
Mostly, I think the key is asking the questions that make sense for your situation.
Trout,Thank you for the info on surveys. You make some good points.We wanted to find ways to improve our business and get a few more referrals in the process. I know many people aren't too keen to take surveys...so we thought making it at least mildly amusing could help.We hope to get a few quoteworthy comments that can be used in further marketing too.
Ah, there is a noticable differeance in the engineering firms wording and the carpenter / remodeler Basswood.....as might be expected. Pesonally, I like the good ole boy approach of Basswood.
Ah, there is a noticable differeance in the engineering firms wording and the carpenter / remodeler
Actually, the SERVQUAL info that I passed on is the generic wording describing the different service areas and is devoid of survey wording--engineering or otherwise.
SERVQUAL is research based info on what people generally feel is important--it only suggests what to ask. How you ask it is completely industry specific.
I also like a humerous/entertaining survey as much as the next guy. I love the chatchy lines in the orginal post, but I think time will show that the first and last response options are rairly used because they sound extreame. So that leaves two possible responses for each question--something that doesn't provide a lot of information unless they hand write a more detailed explaination. Unfortunately, most will not add details unless the experience was very good or very bad--or a specific experience stands out in their minds.
Along other lines, it can make a significant difference if you have a short statement regarding how the survey results will be used, as the original post survey did. Some only want to use the survey to improve how the business functions, but it can also be a sourse of quotes and comments for marketing materials.
I like to add, "Your comments will provide valuable guidence and direction to my future clients as they decide if I'm the right person for their project." This adds an element of importantance and results in comments that are both more flattering and indepth. The survey then becomes more of a letter of recommendation than an improvment tool, but it can be used as either if allowance as made.
Survey design is a general business topic that is quite well documented, as a quick google search will show. All I've tried to do is condense what I've learned, both academically and applied, as it can be used in construction.
trout and Basswood ....just occured to me.....something is fishy
Anyway....well said.
Edited 3/2/2006 1:23 am ET by txlandlord
"I think time will show that the first and last response options are rairly used because they sound extreame. So that leaves two possible responses for each question"You could be correct on this point...the surveys go out tomorrow, so we'll find out pretty soon. I am of the opinion that really poor work and especially fantastic work are both rare (as such, I would expect the Good/Fair choices to be most common). I am also curious to see how many surveys we get back (SASE should help). I hope to get 50% back and get referrals from 10% during the year.BTW, you have good ideas and would certainly write a good newsletter.Thanks for the input,BW
I'm thinking it might work better with an idea i shared in another thread.
Do a monthly newsletter to send out to past and potential clients that you put together out of your own head, not a premade one from some outfits that do supply them like what real estate agents use. This way people can get a feel for "you" as well as seeing that you're into what you do. Add your questionaire to be mailed out by them if so desired. This way they feel no obligation and for those you haven't done work for yet they can see how much you truly care.
Be well
a...
If Blodgett says Tipi Tipi Tipi, it must be so!
The newsletter is another good idea...I think I'd be doing well to produce something like that on a quarterly basis though (vs. monthly).
The newsletter is a great idea! Unfortunately, my writting style is often too direct, short, and choppy. The newsletter is something I've wanted to do, but just haven't made time for it and probably should.
Mailed 30 surveys out last friday 3/3. Got the first 6 back today.
Averaging "9" for overall satisfaction with 10 being the best.
Got several good quotes in the comments. Got a "can you fill the nail holes" comment on a trim job. Got a "few days late" comment from the guy who was in "no hurry...it's a just a basement."
Moral...the customer is almost always in a hurry, no matter what they say.
Looks like we will get repeat business from 3 of these customers...so far the survey seems like a good thing on several levels.
I was thinking about your news letter idea the other day, and I came with an idea for a calender.
They sell them at Kinko's. You can get a different picture on each month, and then one on the cover. Everyone needs a calender, and it would customers other ideas. Plus showing off the years best projects.
Send one out to all of the years customers around the Holidays with some candy.I did like this, I did it like that, I did it with a wiffleball bat.