Following Up on Satisfaction Surveys Can Be Profitable for Companies
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iStock/Thinkstock(EAST LANSING, Mich.) — When businesses ask people to complete satisfaction surveys, it’s not just to waste their customers’ time.
In fact, it’s how companies follow up on these questionnaires than can mean a huge difference to their bottom line, according to Michigan State University marketing professor Clay Voorhees.
By examining what one particular restaurant did when online surveys were filled out, Voorhees discovered that after the restaurant sent a thank-you email a week later, repeat visits during the next 12 months increased by over 50 percent.
Voorhees says this is particularly remarkable since a five percent repeat business is considered very good in the restaurant industry.
The study examining patrons’ attitudes and behaviors for a year also concluded that perks such as gift cards and guaranteed reservations hardly matter. Rather, Voorhees said, “simple, sincere gestures are enough to drive feelings of gratitude among consumers.”
One other important finding: people who came back to the restaurant often brought others with them, further improving business.
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