What Are Your CSAT Surveys Actually Saying?
TeleworkPH
Published: June 14, 2021
Love them or hate them, CSAT surveys are one of the fastest ways to get feedback from a customer after a support interaction. CSATS allows the customer to numerically rate, in most cases, the interaction and experience they had while their support issue was resolved. But are you asking the right questions on your CSAT surveys? Do you know what they are telling you?
First let’s ask the question: Why is this direct feedback from the customer vital for the company’s success? Well, without it, the company remains isolated and disconnected from its customers. Kept at arm’s length. It’s impossible to know what to fix or focus on without that direct feedback.
CSATS gives the customer a voice, so they can tell you efficiently and in the proper setting how the customer support team is doing individually and overall. By collecting this data, you can not only filter out an agent’s weaknesses but see what improvements need to be made as a team.
What Should Customer Support CSAT Survey Ask?
Customer support CSAT surveys should encompass the support interaction only. Period. When other aspects of the company are thrown into the mix, you’re not getting a proper customer support CSAT survey.
Let’s say the customer is contacting support about an issue with not being able to access their portal on your website. Even though the support agent may have completely solved the issue, by putting something like “How would you rate our product” on the CSAT survey, can wreck the entire thing. Then you’ll have the extra task of sorting through the response questions.
There are other ways a company or brand can gather this feedback and rating:
- In-App– These surveys are normally two questions at the most with a star rating. They can “pop up” while a customer is using an app, or at any time during the service.
- Email – Email blasts are fun!
- NPS– The Net Promoter Score. These are normally one or two questions designed to find out the likelihood of a customer recommending your company.
Also, I’ve seen CSAT surveys that focus only on the resolution of the issue. Not the journey.
Customer Support CSAT surveys should ALWAYS ask for the below ratings:
- Level of knowledge
- Understanding of the issue
- Professionalism
- Responsiveness
- Effective communication
- Timely resolution
- Effectiveness of the resolution
As you can see in the above list, there are several instances where the customer is asked about the journey. CSAT surveys for support interactions should be end-to-end. From first contact to resolution.
Make The CSAT Surveys More In-Depth But Easier
Raising CSAT scores, of course, should always be a goal. However, the first step is to raise the response rate from the CSATS. You want the CSAT surveys and you want honest answers. With that, you can improve agent efficiency. It’s important if you want to create a culture of constant improvement, to focus on gathering as much feedback as possible. In all forms.
CSAT surveys usually ask for ratings of either 1-3, 1-5, or 1-10. Now, taking into account that people do rate things differently, a higher range will give you a better result. The 1-10 survey allows your customers to have more choices and can result in a better assessment. The data collected will then be more accurate.
Also, you never want to make your CSAT surveys hard to find. Put them out there, and beg for feedback. A customer should give you proper feedback than to have them take to social media or even their friends and family with negative experiences.
That brings to light a different form of CSAT…
The Social Media CSAT
Customers these days have their own CSAT formula. It’s a huge megaphone called Social Media. Hopefully, you or your company have someone monitoring your social media which will connect directly with the support crew. Nipping these cases in the bud, and showing these customers that you do care, and that they are important can go miles and miles in brand loyalty.
Questions To Explore About Your CSAT Surveys
Below are some areas to explore about your customer support CSAT surveys. By constantly monitoring the below you can ensure your surveys are gathering the best data.
- Do your current CSATS give customers a chance to rate the entire company? Or is it specific to the ticket, case, or interaction?
- What is your normal response rate for CSAT surveys on support interactions?
- How soon after the ticket is closed is the CSAT survey sent to the customer?
- How much importance do you put on CSAT surveys, good or bad?
- Do you ever disqualify CSAT surveys?
- Do you follow up with bad CSATS? What action is taken?
- Is the support crew’s performance based on CSATS scores?
- How often do you tally support CSAT scores? Monthly? Quarterly?
- Can a customer change their CSAT? (Suppose they were having a bad day, but then decided they were a bit too harsh)
How To Beat Survey Fatigue
From time to time you may find that CSAT surveys take a dip. Response rates may fall. When this happens, it’s important to investigate why. You see, customers, especially those who use multiple apps or services, can get bombarded with surveys. Furthermore, all of these surveys can lead to survey fatigue. This is a real thing.
How can you beat it? Try and find ways to make your surveys more interesting and fun. Perhaps turn it into a game of sorts. Another idea could be to offer a small discount for filling out the survey. You’re not buying the results, so it can remain ethical. Also, it will give the customers an incentive to give their honest feedback.
Have The Support Agents Ask The Customer To Fill Out The CSAT Surveys
Ask and ye shall receive. There could be several reasons why your support crew isn’t getting a good amount of responses to the CSAT surveys. One possible reason could be they simply don’t know it exists. Even though a follow-up email may be sent including the survey/ People tend to leave the interaction quickly once the issue is resolved. Furthermore, they may think it’s simply a generic thank you email or an apology. Both of which the customer may not have time for.
Having the customer support agent, either via phone or email, remind the customer about the survey can help. It will alert those who don’t know and also let the customer know that their experience is important. No matter how big or small.
The Most Important CSAT Question To Ask
The journey for the customer is an emotional one. Every single part of it. From the initial purchase and throughout the lifetime of the relationship with your company. Asking a customer how they actually “feel” in some way or another, about the interaction is a great way to gauge their actual satisfaction and level of emotion. You could ask something like “How confident are you that if you have another issue, our support team will take care of you”
Let them rate that from 1-10.
If you are looking to take some of that workload off your current support agents by adding help, schedule a call here. Your CSATS will be a lot happier once you do.
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