PetSmart Customer Survey
My mischievous Labrador Retriever Bailey frequently goes to the local PetSmart “doggie day camp� to socialize with her playmates while I am working with clients. Like most businesses that want to improve the service they provide to their customers, PetSmart surveys their customers. At checkout time, they printed a receipt that said: “Take our brief survey and get $3 off your next purchase at PetSmart�. I decide to participate in the survey because:
1. I get 3 bucks off on the purchase.
2. It looked easy enough.
3. I use their service frequently so I want them to keep improving.
4. I am interested in trying out any process used to improve customer service.
The process works like this:
1. Dial the 800 number.
2. Enter the PIN number on the receipt.
3. Answer the survey questions over the phone using a 1 to 5 scale.
4. Write down the Validation Code they provide at the end of the survey on the receipt.
5. Show the receipt at the store for a discount on your next purchase.
Overall it seemed like a reasonable survey and I am sure they collected a substantial amount of data. However, there were a few too many questions and some that should not have been asked. For example, there was a question that asked if the isles were clear when walking through the store. The business should already know the answer to this since they are there every day and can observe this better than their customers.
Survey Hints:
1. Yes, do survey your customers!
2. Provide incentives for customers to take surveys.
3. Don’t make your customers answer questions that the business should already know the answers to.
4. Respect the customer’s time. Try to limit the survey to 1 minute.
5. Design the survey to act on the data collected. Then act on the problems.
6. Follow up with your customers: share the data and the resolutions.
Now if my dog could just take the survey. Bark once if nap time was too long, bark twice if…
