Areas of Importance for Customer Surveys

There are seven standard areas to check for customer satisfaction about our service delivery.

Timing

• What are your timing standards for delivering service to customers?

• How long should it take?

• Are there several steps that require different timing standards?

• Does timeliness equate to promptness?

• Or: can service at times be too fast, causing the customer to feel rushed?

Flow

• How do the various components of the service delivery system coordinate, cooperate and/or mesh with each other?
• How do you control the flow of goods or service to the customer?
• How can you avoid back-ups and log jams?
• What are the indicators of this that can be seen or measured?

Accommodation

• How flexible are your systems?
• Can this flexibility be adapted to varying customer needs and/or requests?
• How convenient are they for customers?
• How do they make customers’ service experience easier?
• Are your service systems designed around your customers’ needs?
• What are your observable indicators of accommodating systems?

Anticipation

• How well can you predict customer needs?
• How can you be one step ahead of customers, so service can be provided without them having to remind you service is needed?
• How do you know what will happen?
• How do you know when you and your team have predicted correctly?
• What indicators of proper anticipation by your service delivery systems can be seen or measured?

Communication

• Service delivery systems cannot function optimally without effective and efficient communication within the system and between you and your customers.
• How do you know when messages are communicated thoroughly, accurately and in a timely way?
• What are the signs of effective communication?
• How do you know when communication has broken down?
• Is it too late?
• What measurable standards reflect effective communication in your operation?

Customer Feedback

• How do you find out what your customers are thinking?
• How are customer feedback systems used to improve service?
• How do you know if your customers are pleased, displeased, satisfied, dissatisfied, happy or unhappy?
• What are your observable indicators of effective customer feedback systems?
• How do you know when they are working correctly?

Organisation and Supervision

• Efficient procedural service requires organisation and organisation, in turn requires supervision.
• Who does what in your service operation?
• How are you organised?
• What would your optimal organisational structure look like?
• How should it be supervised?
• What role should the supervisor take in the service delivery process?
• How are all the parts of the service delivery system kept coordinated with each other?
• What are the signs that can be seen or measured that tells you all is going well?