To deepen the knowledge of consumers we can resort to many alternatives depending on the objective that we pursue. The methodological approach that we choose for this task will also lead us to design our projects in one way or another. It is not the same to approach a study problem from a quantitative point of view than from a qualitative one.
Assessing the perception of a person about a product or service that they consumed is usually a task highly demanded by brands because many activities depend on this parameter. As a general rule, a positive satisfaction will favor the repurchase and the free recommendation. That is why monitoring people’s liking is an aspect that is constantly studied. Below we list four recommendations to successfully apply a satisfaction survey.
- Ask questions neutrally. From the design of a questionnaire that seeks to assess satisfaction, best practices must be followed. All questions asked to people must be clear, concise and without assuming the answer at any time. In many cases it is better to apply closed questions that can be answered with a yes or no or odd numbered rating scale.
- Ensure impartiality. It is intended that the responses to a satisfaction survey be as sincere and objective as possible; otherwise, the evaluation would register biases that would result in an erroneous reading of reality. If done online, it’s wise to allow a reasonable amount of time between the purchase and the invitation to answer a questionnaire. If it is done in person, it is recommended that the interview be carried out by personnel outside the establishment in a neutral location.
- Be brief. Within market research, satisfaction surveys are known for their short duration. Some reasons for this is that it is sought to know the results in the shortest possible time since the corrective actions must be applied with the greatest opportunity. Another explanation is that the longer an interview is, the more people bias their responses.
- Guarantee randomness. Except in cases where, due to the number of consumers, it is possible to ask everyone their degree of satisfaction after a purchase, a sample design must be established that guarantees a complete representation of the universe of people involved in a study. Otherwise, the exercise may be somewhat useless by losing sight of variables that only occur at certain times or locations.
There are many ways to approach the study of consumer satisfaction. Among these we can find direct contact with people at the points of sale, offering rewards for responding to an interview, and making a mailbox or evaluation ticket available to interested parties, to name a few examples. However, these options usually involve many errors that prevent obtaining the information that really shows what people believe.
Among the evaluation errors that can be obtained with indirect means where specialized market research personnel do not participate are consumers wanting to look good with the local staff (courtesy bias very present in LATAM), give a positive rating expecting a higher prize , or collect only the opinions of people who intend to give a review.
At Acertiva we have almost twenty years of experience in satisfaction studies in Latin America. Write to us today so that you can share your needs in Market Research so that our experts can tell you how we can be your regional allies.
Short Link: