Even in the middle of a worldwide health crisis, customer satisfaction matters. In fact, for convenience stores like yours, it may matter now more than ever. Understanding how you can provide the best service to your customers requires you to ask questions that go beyond the obvious.
Questions to Measure Customer Satisfaction
Here’s a list of five questions you should know the answers to when adapting your customer satisfaction plan to today’s environment:
- Do you feel safe here and why?
- Why did you choose us over the competition?
- Would you recommend us to your friends and family?
- How can we make your experience here better?
- Did our team meet your expectations?
Customer Interaction is Key
Now may not be the right time to ask your customers to fill out a big survey or drop a note in the suggestion box, but that doesn’t mean you have to remain in the dark. When working on the floor, observe customers as they shop and interact with your staff. Even under current circumstances, you can gauge a lot about customer satisfaction by simply paying attention. For the more complex service questions, consider reaching out to your community through social media, online surveys, and loyalty programs. When you’re working the counter, ask customers one or two questions about their service experience. Encourage your staff to do the same and report back to you with what they learn.
Don’t Forget about Your Internal Customers
The people who buy from you – your external customers – are not the only people critical to the success of your convenience store. Your employees – your internal customers – are just as important. Take a minute to think about how the questions above apply to your team members. Do they feel safe? Why did they choose to work for you? Would they recommend others for open positions at your store? How could you improve their work experience? Is teamwork effective at your store?
The same values that drive your external customer satisfaction goals should also drive the goals you have for serving your internal customers. Remember, how you treat your employees determines how they’ll treat your customers.
