Hi all,

Does anyone know if there is a standard for the recommended period between the initial contact with the customer and when the customer is surveyed about their satisfaction levels with the service. For example should the survey be conducted 1-2 days, 1 week or 2 weeks after the intitial contact rather than surveying the customer immediately after their contact.

Thank you in advance
Jane

Hi Jane,
Frankly speakin, I'm not aware of any standard which relates to when a CS Survey should be conducted. Most of the organizations conducting a CS Survey for their business do it immediately after the contact to have a first hand feel of what the customer feels about it. Conducting it later would to some extent dilute or change the customers view by an influential body or force. Microsoft conducts them almost immediately after the contact and I guess that should be a standard in itself. I've worked with them for almost 2 years and their best practices revolve round the facts.
The whole purpose of a CS Survey is to gauge the customers view on the particular topic or line of business. Conducting it a day later might hold the same significance even in the customers eye. As you must be aware only 20% of your customers fill the survey and the rest are not even bothered. Reducing this %age is fatal to your organization as you will have majority of your dissatisfied customers leave you without even making a noise.

hope my views here help you to conclude that CS Surveys have got to be instantaneous.

Cheers!!
Swapnil

Surely its got to be after the transaction has ended. NOt immediately after the phone call. If one is waiting for a call back/brochure/further service/item to be delivered/actioned then the 'whole customer experience' ends there. This allows one to monitor the quality aspects of other departments wihtin service supply and not just the call centre. the customer is after all judging their whole experience andnot just an interaction with someone on the phone who may have pressed a button but it doesnt arrive or was actually powerless to override a company policy or process.

If you are trying to assess the level of service that your business provides in its entirety, you must survey your customers once the complete transaction has naturally concluded.

If however you are trying to improve the service your call centre provides, you need survey the caller immediately after or better still at the end of the call. Automated systems exist for doing the later.