9.1 CLIENT SATISFACTION SURVEYS
Areas of Interest
Survey Introduction
Survey Content - Users
Survey Content - Managers & Boards
Scoring
Results
Essential Module Cross Reference
TOTAL CHECKS & TIPS: 116
REVEALED HERE: 18
Although Client Satisfaction Surveys primarily relate to Work/Service Contracts and Recruitment/Contract Agencies, the content of this Section can be easily modified to accommodate Product Suppliers.
Client Satisfaction Surveys are a crucial component when evaluating performance. They require significant thought and preparation, sometimes by specialist third parties. Ideally, you will survey the same areas at least once a year so that you can monitor trends as well as receiving a snapshot of Client satisfaction, although it may take a few attempts to refine survey content.
However, there is a great potential danger in surveys being too long and putting recipients off or people leaving it until they have more time and then never getting round to it!
So, you really need to focus on those aspects which will enable you to measure satisfaction against your key criteria for Client Account Management. When looking at the Definition & Scope of Account Management (1.2), there are some key areas which are ideal for receiving Client feedback on and which will be particularly relevant to your Company in the pursuit of continuous improvement. They are:
Business Relationship
co-operation
trust
personal integrity
Deliverables/Outputs/Services/People/Products
appropriate & practical
on time
required level of quality
Teamwork
working together
commitment
pride
In addition, other key areas may include:
performance of the Account Manager
whether the Client culture is understood & respected
whether your own Company's values & ethos are compatible with the Client
An early decision is required to determine whether there will be one survey for everyone, divided into different parts to accommodate different levels/responsibilities of Client personnel, or separate surveys.
The issue with the one-survey-fits-all is that it will be a lengthy document and, although individuals will only be completing specific parts, it will be off-putting for some people which will adversely affect the percentage of your survey returns. Conversely, Client staff at a particular level may want to know what is being asked of others at different levels - it's a difficult one.
It may help to think of your Client as having three basic levels of people - Users, Managers & Board. While each level will have some very different criteria for evaluating your Company's performance and the working relationship, they will also have areas of common interest which overlap. That's why such very careful thought and consideration need to go into the preparation of Client surveys - Client staff & senior people must feel they are being asked the right questions while your Company seeks to receive as many responses as possible (which will be invaluable in performance monitoring & trend analysis as you strive for continuous improvement).
Also, some recipients of a survey will be Users who have not had direct contact with any of your Company's representatives. Conversely, other recipients will have had frequent contact & developed close business relationships or been involved in difficult situations where the relationship has been strained or volatile.
Some Client contacts will also have very different responsibilities and had different types of exposure to your Company (eg. Purchasing, Legal, HR/Personnel, etc.).
If you have a difficult or sensitive relationship with the Client or you think intended participants may be reluctant to take part, would it be better to use an independent organisation to administer the survey and process results? You're likely to get a higher percentage of survey returns if you do.
So yes, it's probably best to have different survey 'documents' tailored to specific recipient levels/responsibilities ......... but explain what you're asking other recipients in the same area of the organisation in your explanatory notes.
Finally, the most senior person known in the Client organisation must always be surveyed as well.
A sample of checks, tips and questions is given below and a further 98 are provided when the module is purchased.
Essential cross references to other key-related modules are also given to ensure watertight coverage of the Client.
Areas Of Interest
Feedback on your Company’s performance, knowledge and standing may be sought in the following areas:
Users
practical/workable solutions
working relationships/teamwork
responsiveness
3 more available
Managers/Board
understand Client's business needs & issues in specific area(s)
understand Client's culture, protocols & working practices
value for money
9 more available
Satisfaction Surveys can also be used to obtain key information on the Client's future needs, appetite for selected sales propositions and where your Company stands compared to the Competition (survey questions being tailored according to what information has already been gleaned about the Client).
Survey Introduction
the Survey should take no longer than ......…. to complete
all responses will be analysed before creating an Improvements Action Plan
space is provided to add free form comments. ‘Please make comments wherever you feel appropriate, particularly if you're not satisfied so we can incorporate these into our Improvements Action Plan and continue to comply with our commitment to continuous improvement’
21 more available
Survey Content - Users
Potential Categories to Score
value added (proactive ideas, suggested improvements/small pieces of work free of charge)
approachable, helpful, co-operative, advice & guidance
21 more available
The suggested content below regarding Deliverables, Values & Ethos and the Account Manager has been derived from 'Potential Categories to Score' and is an example of how you might begin to build your Survey.
Deliverables
Deliverables come in all shapes and sizes (collectively referred to as 'solutions') including consultancy/advice, studies/reports/reviews, assignments, projects, services, people placements, products, etc. So, depending on the delivery type, you'll need to tailor your questions including:
how effective is the 'solution' in the working environment?
3 more available
Values & Ethos
7 available
Account Manager
6 available
Survey Content - Managers & Board
Do our skills, services, people &/or products fit with your organisation?
Do we have a good understanding of your business, structure, culture, working practices & the market you operate in?
Would you consider our Company might work in new areas of your organisation &/or provide other services, people or products? If yes, please give details of potential interest/contact details/etc.
7 more available
Scoring
Present Day
9 available
Over Last 12 months
9 available
Results
As soon as the deadline for responses has been reached, the analysis must begin. You'll need to provide feedback to the Client, everyone working for your Client (including any third parties used) and anyone else who needs to know within your own organisation as soon as possible. However, Survey results may be presented in different ways/formats to different groups/individuals.
3 more available
Essential Module Cross Reference
“CLIENT FEEDBACK IS A CRUCIAL EXTERNAL COMPONENT WHENever EVALUATING PERFORMANCE”
ANOTHER 98 CHECKS & TIPS AVAILABLE
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‘ASPIRE’ (How To Manage Any Client) ™
Account Management & Development
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