In this article, we take you step-by-step through the key considerations you need to make when designing a measurement house that truly adds value – not only for the customer, but also for your organization.
1. Define your research projects
The first choice in setting up your measurement house is to determine what surveys you want to conduct. Customer research is obviously a different type of survey than employee research, so you set up different projects for that anyway.
And do you want to measure specific interactions in the customer journey (#transactional research) or track the broader relationship with customers (#relational research)? It’s obvious to define these as separate research projects.
Sometimes it may be necessary to do adhoc measurements, for example if you want to evaluate single events among the target audience. Then it is also best to treat these as separate projects.
Reporting requirements within the organization can also influence how you delineate projects. For example, if there is a need to compare KPI scores between different customer groups, business units, channels or customer journeys, that becomes easier if the data is collected within the same research project.
2. Define your customer groups and map their journeys
Determine what the different customer groups are that you want to survey. B2B requires a different way of asking questions than B2C. In addition, you obviously want to tailor your research as well as possible to the characteristics and experiences of each customer group.
Make sure you ask the right relevant questions for each customer group, that you don’t ask more than necessary, address each customer group in the right look and feel, language and style, etc.
For each customer group, pick out the touch points in their customer journey at which you want to make an inquiry: at need and orientation; at consideration; at choice and decision; at service contact; at retention and loyalty?
3. Define the source data and set up your data model accordingly
What data do you already have available in your own systems from the customer groups you want to research? Define well what all the fields in the data file mean so that the right research variables can be included or edited for the design of your research projects.
Make choices in how to deliver the data on the customer groups to be surveyed per research project: via manual file uploads or via a secure SFTP environment, or a data integration with your ERP or CRM system? In time, involve your IT department in the set-up of your measurement house to establish the desired data links.
4. Define your contact strategy: the right channel at the right time
What is the best way to reach your research target audience? Email may not always be the best way to invite the target audience. Sometimes it is better to be directly on the interaction moment. If you want to collect feedback on the user experience in a digital channel, a questionnaire via pop-up screen or other web widget during contact can provide more qualitative feedback. And far from every target audience has an email address. Think about other ways to reach this target group, such as via QR code or SMS (if a mobile number is known).
In addition, the timing of the survey may affect the response rate. On all days of the week, or not on weekends and not on holidays, for example? Does the time of day matter?
5. Develop a smart questionnaire: fewer questions, more insight
The survey completion time strongly determines the response rate. So clearly the rule applies here: less is more. So ask only what you don’t already know.
Depending on what data you already know about the customer (e.g., customer type, touchpoint, location, etc.), you may or may not be able to present certain question modules and/or specific answer options to your target audience.
A proven concept for gathering in-depth insights with few questions is the so-called #three-question methodology. In short, it comes down to a KPI question (e.g. NPS, CSAT, CES), followed by an open question for explanation, followed by a question to attribute the given answer to a category, to which the answer is most applicable (so-called rootcauses).
In addition, depending on the research objectives, additional question modules may be important to gain more in-depth insights. For example, to present respondents with a number of statements around a topical theme, or to specifically ask for a tip or a top customer experience.
Moreover, in the context of closed loop feedback, it may be good, to include a contact question in the questionnaire as well (“would you like to be contacted as a result of your answer). Also, the respondent (in case of a positive customer experience) can be asked to also share their experience directly on a review platform of their choice.
6. Set Business Rules: respect the customer relationship
You want to avoid bothering your target audience too often with a questionnaire. Therefore, think carefully about who you do and do not invite to participate in the survey and adjust your invitation process accordingly. It is not unusual, for example, to approach no more than once every 90 days for the survey. Determine in advance whether or not someone can receive an invitation, based on the email address.
7. Develop a response process to maximize participation
Within the survey, you have several possibilities to optimize the chances of response. Besides the aforementioned issues such as completion time, question time, personalized invitation, recognizable look & feel of the questionnaire, in certain cases incentives and sending reminders can also contribute to an improved response.
Beyond the survey, the following may also affect response rates:
- Data quality: does the research file capture current, complete and accurate customer data so that they can actually be invited?
- Advance communication: in some cases, advance notice of the survey may be useful to increase response rates
- Retrospective communication: the likelihood of participating in a subsequent survey is increased if you provide clear feedback on the actions taken based on the feedback received.
Based on an analysis of the response rate, it can be decided to use additional tools to increase the response rate (among certain target groups), such as follow-up calls, conducting face-to-face interviews, or using additional channels to collect responses (QR code, SMS).
8. Encourage follow-up actions
The value of closed loop feedback in customer experience management is well known. Where respondents themselves indicate, when asked, that they will be contacted as a result of their answers, it goes without saying that this should be followed up. When setting up the measurement house, it is therefore important that the right contact addresses are set up to facilitate this follow-up action.
In addition, follow-up actions can also be stimulated by setting certain triggers and alerts. For example, in case of certain (low) scores, a direct #trigger mail can be sent to the responsible manager, so he or she can take immediate action. With the right links, tickets can also be created based on such triggers and the follow-up of these tickets can also be monitored through the ticketing system.
9. Design actionable reports: make insight actionable
To be able to actively contribute to the improvement process with your measurement house, it is important to think carefully about who will do what with the collected insights (actionable insights) when setting up your reporting streams:
- Who within the organization logs in to which dashboard (via desktop or mobile)? Different roles for different types of users
- In which organizational parts is it desirable to send the results via an automated report in the mailbox?
- In displaying results by stakeholder, how do we make the right mix in KPI scores and qualitative customer stories and signals?
- How do we present the results in the dashboards and reports in such a way that it sees at a glance what is going well and where the action points are?
- How can we promote action taking in the reports (for example, by directly linking the reports to action improvement plans)?
10. Anchor integrity and security
Make sure privacy and data security are secured. So make sure you do not store more data than necessary and that you do not keep the data longer than necessary. After some time, data should either be anonymized or deleted hard. Observe the retention periods agreed upon in accordance with the processor agreement. There are several ways to automate this GDPR process within your platform.
Conclusion
You don’t build a solid XM measurement house in one day. Setting up an effective measurement house requires a structured and thoughtful approach.
By working in a structured way along these 10 building blocks, you lay the foundation for a feedback system that not only collects data, but generates insights that actually move your organization forward. Successful customer and employee experience starts with the quality of the questions you ask – and with the quality of the choices you make in your measurement house.
Feel free to contact CYS. We are happy to think along with you and help you get started with setting up your measurement house.
