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Last month, I talked a little bit about some of the tactics you can use to increase response rates to your customer surveys. Today, I want to take a step back and cover some of the reasons you need to be surveying your customers. Maybe, you’re not yet getting feedback from your customers. If you’re not, you’re jeopardizing your success.

Here are 5 important reasons you need to survey your customers.

1. Measure customer loyalty—Customer retention should be a top priority for every business. It’s been said a thousand times, but it’s worth repeating—acquiring a new customer is far more expensive than keeping an existing customer. Surveying your customers gives you insight into the amount of loyalty they have for your company. If you don’t like the results, you can come up with a plan to improve your customer retention rates.
2. Develop ideas for new products—Adding to your product line is a good way to keep your company fresh and growing, but finding new ideas for products and services can be tough. Who better to turn to than your customers? They can tell you what they’re looking for, and if there’s enough of a demand for it, you can deliver it for them.
3. Training your staff—Customer feedback often provides good information about the effectiveness of your customer service. Whenever you identify the things customers like and dislike about their interactions with your company, you can use that information in training your employees.
4. Improving existing products and services—When I think about some of my favorite products (iPhone 4, Playstation 3, etc.), they have one thing in common—they’re always improving (or at least trying to). New updates are released to existing versions, and eventually, totally new and improved versions of the products are created. Ask your customers what improvements they’d like to see in your products and services so you can deliver the best product possible.
5. Demonstrate commitment to customer satisfaction—Asking for feedback shows your customers that you care about them and value their opinions. Just make sure you actually take the time to study their feedback and act upon it when necessary.

What are some other good reasons to conduct customer surveys? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Knowing what your customers want is the key to running a successful business. And while you might like to think you know what they want, there’s a good chance you’re at least partially wrong.

What’s the best way to find out what your customers really want? It’s simple: Ask them. Here are 7 easy tips for getting customer feedback.

1. Give online buyers the option of completing a survey—The keyword here? Option. Don’t make completing a survey a requirement to finishing the ordering process. Instead, just simply ask your customers if they’d like to complete a survey after they’ve made their purchase. Or for customers who start to back out of their purchase, you can have a popup that gives them the option to provide feedback as to why they decided not to buy.
2. Include comment cards with all orders—Comment cards can be an effective tool for learning more about your customers needs. Whenever someone orders one of your products, include a comment card with their purchase. If you run a physical storefront, have comment cards displayed for customers to easily fill out.
3. Offer discounts or freebies to lost customers in exchange for feedback—If a customer abandoned the shopping cart but you have their contact info, send them an offer for a special discount or a free gift (redundant, I know)in exchange for their feedback. This will give you insight into why they didn’t do business with you, so you can understand how to better meet your customer’s needs.
4. Send a follow-up email to buyers—Sending an email to customers after they’ve completed a transaction lets you see your customer’s thoughts about your company. However, you need to make sure the timing of your follow-up email is right for the most accurate and useful response.
5. Offer your products for free to reviewers—This is a win-win. It generates publicity for your company, and it allows others to try your products at no risk to them. Target top bloggers and other influential voices who will be interested in your product. One thing: You’d better make certain your product is up to snuff, or else the entire plan will backfire.
6. Talk to your customer service reps—Your customer service reps spend all day interacting with customers, so they should have a pretty good idea what your customers really want. Instruct them to always take notes of customer suggestions and complaints.
7. Include product rating system on your website—If you’ve shopped at Amazon.com, you’ve seen this technique in action. Allowing customers to review and rate your products directly on your website can build your credibility as they act as endorsements. Again, make sure your products are actually good so that you get positive feedback.

How do you get feedback from your customers? Leave a comment with your best tip.