A Penny for Your Thoughts
Everywhere you turn these days, brands are asking you to participate in a survey - from purchase interest to customer satisfaction. Just the other day I was bombarded with multiple requests to give my opinion. Who doesn't want to impart their opinion, especially if you're a marketer? Plus, getting something in return is an inducement that many of us find hard to resist, but it comes at a cost as time is money. Time is something that you can't get back or get more of - 24 hours in a day is the limit. How you use it is totally up to you.
The first survey salvo was served up early in the morning by Dunkin' Donuts with a receipt shout out - "Hey America! Want a free donut when you purchase a medium or larger beverage? Go to TELLDUNKIN.COM within three days: tell us about your visit." Who doesn't want a free donut?
Just for kicks, I went to the site - decent fulfillment area with a preloaded questionnaire with lots of easy prompts and a 'percent done' calculator. So far so good. I thought that this can't be too bad. That is until I started hitting double digits in questions. It gets ridiculous when they ask about your ability to communicate with the crew. I want the crew to do one thing - get me my coffee. After all, their tagline is "America runs on Dunkin." Communicating with the crew flies in the face of this classic positioning notion of getting in and out quickly - the anti-Starbucks! Another crazy question was posed - my likelihood of recommending this Dunkin Donuts location to a friend. Who do they think I am, Zagat, and are they are a five-star dining establishment? Who recommends Dunkin Donuts? Total time for the survey - around ten minutes! I earned a dollar for my time which averages to about $6.00 an hour - below minimum wage. Coincidentally, the cost of a donut is 99 cents. I got snookered - plus the caveat of having to buy a medium or larger beverage to get the free donut. You have to buy the coffee to get the "an."
At lunch time, D'Angelo offered 10% off my next order for participating in yet another survey. You know the drill, lots of questions with multiple parts that all get to the holy marketing grail - customer satisfaction. Another ten minutes or so spent on answering the questions - truthfully and with conviction rather than just blowing through them to get the 10%. The value for participating - about 80 cents as the average lunch is around $8.00. My survey "take home pay" is dwindling. My opinion has to be worth more than that! People get $50.00 to participate in focus groups. This is slave marketing labor!
Later that afternoon, Marriott sent an email survey about my recent stay at the Residence Inn. Lo and behold, it came from J.W. Marriott Jr. himself. Of course he signed it, but don't hit 'reply' as he'll never see it. It goes to Marriott cyber land! I am deeply engaged with the Marriott brand on many levels - a silver elite member. What do I get for my participation in the survey? The big ziggy - absolutely nothing - no room upgrade, no percentage off a future stay, no dinner coupon - not even a free cookie! They want my counsel but aren't willing to pay for it. They don't place any value on what I think so I have no interest in working free for them.
Customer satisfaction surveys are a critical component of any brand's marketing mix. If done correctly, they're invaluable in giving insights and directional guidance. The problem is they're becoming too prolific. Surveys are as intrusive on web sites as pop-ups used to be. They're annoying. Brands are running the risk of alienating loyal customers if you don't offer the "proper inducement" to participate much like Marriott has done with me. It has to be at a level that is commensurate with how consumers feel they should be rewarded based upon the business value that they represent to the brand.
The lesson learned is don't survey your customers to death. Be selective and judicious about the use of surveys as a marketing tool. Brands need to realize that people's opinions and thoughts are valuable commodities and should be treated as such.
Last year Starbucks did a series surveys targeted at members of their reward program. Each survey asked no more than 4 or 5 questions. For every one you filled out, you got a coupon. Usually a buy one, get one free deal on a premium drink. The questions were all directed a reshaping the instore experience. It was done in a way that made you feel like your feedback was valued and would make a difference. (Free wi-fi was indeed one of the questions.) The tone and graphics totally reflected the brand. They weren't afraid to crack a joke or two. I actually kinda looked forward to them. I think it's all about being smart, respecting your audience and remembering that every communication has the potential to create a good or bad brand impression. Not to mention placing more value on your customers time than a freaking donut!
After experiencing an online survey, I often find myself asking "Did the creatators of this survey ever take the survey". It's almost as if they forgot to consider the user experience. I personally prefer the surveys that are 5 questions or less.