Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002
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| Business |
| Customer Surveys |
Special Report Chelsea McCafferty |
In the portable toilet industry, a combination of superior customer service and a high quality product is what keeps
customers coming back to an operator. If they continue to see this high standard being produced from a company,
a trust is built up and a long-lasting business relationship will form. This customer will then go on to recommend
the company to other potential customers and the business will thrive. If, however, a customer is disappointed
with either the service or the product, and nothing is done to retain that business, the customer is likely to look
elsewhere, and he or she will still contact those other potential customers if only to warn them to stay away. It is
imperative, therefore that businesses are able to see their service and products through the customer’s point of
view, in order to continue to raise the standard of customer satisfaction. One way of monitoring this is to create,
distribute and analyze customer satisfaction surveys.
“Like most companies, we think we do a great job,” said Ray Alvareztorres, who uses customer surveys at Alpine
Portable Restrooms. “We think it’s a good idea to objectively check to make sure our customers agree. They
(surveys) point out to us any cases where there’s a disconnect between the job we think we’re doing and the
customer’s perception of that performance. Ultimately perception is reality. How the customer thinks we
performed will have much more to say about their next buy decision than how we think we performed for them.”
There are several ways a customer satisfaction survey can be helpful. The primary focus is to identify key
opportunities for improvement. When a company stops looking for ways to improve its products and service, it
quickly slips into the unattractive status of mediocre. Customer surveys can highlight changes that need to be
made, whether it be in a product that is unsatisfactory, or an employee whose customer service skills need to be
honed.
“Results tell us if we have a recurring issue in one particular area,” advised Alvareztorres. “If our survey
results are particularly good on average, we can share that with customer and prospects as part of ongoing
marketing efforts.”
On the flip-side, customer satisfaction surveys will also send a clear message to the client that the company
is seeking to meet his or her needs diligently with fervor, and not with apathy or laziness. Customers will see that
this company seeks to please and is not content with anything less than the highest standard of product and
service. If for some reason the customer does have a complaint or is dissatisfied with the service provided, this
will give them an outlet to vent their own frustrations and give you an opportunity to make amends. Many times
consumers will refrain from giving honest feedback to a company, unless asked for it, but will cease doing business
with them while advising others to do the same. In this case, you have not had the opportunity to mend the
problem and assure the customer that improvements will be made. Make sure it is well known to both customers
and employees that the company is interested in customer feedback and will use it to improve overall service.
Alvareztorres explained that the customer satisfaction survey, “shows care and attention to service quality,
particularly when negative feedback or perceived service issues are promptly followed up with the customer.”
Surveys can also be a way to motivate employees to work hard and provide better customer care, as they know
their performance will be evaluated. This push towards excellence will inspire employees to be proud of their work,
knowing that they work for a company with high standards. When positive results come in, employees should be
congratulated and praised. If negative comments are returned, employees must see management making
adjustments and encouraging them to improve in those areas that are lacking. Overall, the survey results will
inspire employees to work harder towards excellence and to avoid the trap of mediocrity. As Russian-born
American novelist Ayn Rand once said, “The quickest way to kill the human spirit is to ask someone to do
mediocre work.”
Aside from the evaluation of product and service, surveys can assist in determining certain vital information
that may help increase business and lower costs. It is very acceptable for a survey to ask questions such
as, “Where did you hear about our company?” or “How do you prefer to contact us?” These questions can
reveal what means of advertising is being most effective for reaching new clients and how to make it most
convenient for prospective customers to make contact. If 50% of new customers advise they found the
company in the yellow pages, it is a clear indication that this means of advertising is working. If surveys reveal
people prefer contact by Internet rather than phone, it would be wise to make sure the company website has
convenient ways of getting information. This type of market research can be monumental for discovering
new ways to draw in business.
Although there are many positive reasons for incorporating customer surveys into the flow of business, some in
the industry question the usefulness versus the cost of printing and analyzing results. Others wonder whether or
not the surveys are providing a true picture of how the customer views the service provided.
“The biggest problem with a written survey is when you get someone to fill one out and they are having a
bad day,” advised Bobby Spurlock of Spivy Rentals Inc. “Your responses are going to reflect just that. The
thing to remember is that a client can usually only remember one thing that you did correctly, but ten things
that you did wrong. We do not use surveys, but we do hear from our clients, both the good and the bad.
With most of our larger projects we follow up with them at various points to see how our service has
been—what we are doing right and what we can do better.”
Creating a survey to send or hand out to customers requires a good deal of planning and thought. Take some
time to consider what information you want to gather from the survey and begin constructing questions that
will extract that information. Avoid using broad or general questions, as they are not as useful. Ask specific
questions and either use multiple choice answers or leave space for the customer to write comments after
each question. Although comments can be more difficult and time-consuming to analyze, they will reveal
much more useful information than multiple choice or answering on a scale of 1 to 5.
Once the survey questions are developed, format the survey in a way that is easy to read and follow. Customer
surveys should look classy and professional. If it looks cheap, people may not feel it is worth their time to
complete. Make sure employees know to present the survey with enthusiasm and to explain that the survey is
important for providing the best service possible to the customers. Should clients wish to take the survey home and
complete, make it convenient for it to be returned by including a return envelope with free postage.
As the surveys begin to come flooding back, a method must be in place for analyzing the data. While some
companies choose to out-source this research, others simply assign a few people to manage the task of
computing results and presenting findings at weekly or monthly meetings to management. Follow-up on
surveys is essential. If the results are not examined and utilized when appropriate, there is no point in doing
surveys. If the company does not treat the customer’s comments as important information, this will create
or increase frustration rather than satisfaction. If employees do not see management taking survey results
seriously, they will quickly determine that it is a show and the quality of service may drop. Employees will
follow the lead of their superiors. If management treats the surveys seriously, so will the employees.
Involving employees in the organization in this assessment of survey results can encourage innovation and
make for easy transitions if change is required. Do not be afraid to ask employees what they think about
these issues and if they have suggestions for improving in areas of weakness.
Once analyzing is finished and improvements have been put into place, it is good to let customers know how their
survey results lead to positive changes in the company’s performance and product. Keep them involved in the
process. Perhaps ask them for additional feedback. Customers will be thrilled that they have been taken seriously
and kept in the loop. Re-analyze results after 6 and 12 months to see if the changes have indeed made for
improvement in customer satisfaction.
Although not all operators in the portable toilet industry believe surveys are important enough to dedicate time and
resources to them, it is clear that surveys can be extremely useful when given the proper consideration and follow-
up. Customers want to have a voice and the survey is a medium for them to tell you how they think your company
can improve. The real question is, do you really want to know what your customer thinks of your product and
customer service?
customers coming back to an operator. If they continue to see this high standard being produced from a company,
a trust is built up and a long-lasting business relationship will form. This customer will then go on to recommend
the company to other potential customers and the business will thrive. If, however, a customer is disappointed
with either the service or the product, and nothing is done to retain that business, the customer is likely to look
elsewhere, and he or she will still contact those other potential customers if only to warn them to stay away. It is
imperative, therefore that businesses are able to see their service and products through the customer’s point of
view, in order to continue to raise the standard of customer satisfaction. One way of monitoring this is to create,
distribute and analyze customer satisfaction surveys.
“Like most companies, we think we do a great job,” said Ray Alvareztorres, who uses customer surveys at Alpine
Portable Restrooms. “We think it’s a good idea to objectively check to make sure our customers agree. They
(surveys) point out to us any cases where there’s a disconnect between the job we think we’re doing and the
customer’s perception of that performance. Ultimately perception is reality. How the customer thinks we
performed will have much more to say about their next buy decision than how we think we performed for them.”
There are several ways a customer satisfaction survey can be helpful. The primary focus is to identify key
opportunities for improvement. When a company stops looking for ways to improve its products and service, it
quickly slips into the unattractive status of mediocre. Customer surveys can highlight changes that need to be
made, whether it be in a product that is unsatisfactory, or an employee whose customer service skills need to be
honed.
“Results tell us if we have a recurring issue in one particular area,” advised Alvareztorres. “If our survey
results are particularly good on average, we can share that with customer and prospects as part of ongoing
marketing efforts.”
On the flip-side, customer satisfaction surveys will also send a clear message to the client that the company
is seeking to meet his or her needs diligently with fervor, and not with apathy or laziness. Customers will see that
this company seeks to please and is not content with anything less than the highest standard of product and
service. If for some reason the customer does have a complaint or is dissatisfied with the service provided, this
will give them an outlet to vent their own frustrations and give you an opportunity to make amends. Many times
consumers will refrain from giving honest feedback to a company, unless asked for it, but will cease doing business
with them while advising others to do the same. In this case, you have not had the opportunity to mend the
problem and assure the customer that improvements will be made. Make sure it is well known to both customers
and employees that the company is interested in customer feedback and will use it to improve overall service.
Alvareztorres explained that the customer satisfaction survey, “shows care and attention to service quality,
particularly when negative feedback or perceived service issues are promptly followed up with the customer.”
Surveys can also be a way to motivate employees to work hard and provide better customer care, as they know
their performance will be evaluated. This push towards excellence will inspire employees to be proud of their work,
knowing that they work for a company with high standards. When positive results come in, employees should be
congratulated and praised. If negative comments are returned, employees must see management making
adjustments and encouraging them to improve in those areas that are lacking. Overall, the survey results will
inspire employees to work harder towards excellence and to avoid the trap of mediocrity. As Russian-born
American novelist Ayn Rand once said, “The quickest way to kill the human spirit is to ask someone to do
mediocre work.”
Aside from the evaluation of product and service, surveys can assist in determining certain vital information
that may help increase business and lower costs. It is very acceptable for a survey to ask questions such
as, “Where did you hear about our company?” or “How do you prefer to contact us?” These questions can
reveal what means of advertising is being most effective for reaching new clients and how to make it most
convenient for prospective customers to make contact. If 50% of new customers advise they found the
company in the yellow pages, it is a clear indication that this means of advertising is working. If surveys reveal
people prefer contact by Internet rather than phone, it would be wise to make sure the company website has
convenient ways of getting information. This type of market research can be monumental for discovering
new ways to draw in business.
Although there are many positive reasons for incorporating customer surveys into the flow of business, some in
the industry question the usefulness versus the cost of printing and analyzing results. Others wonder whether or
not the surveys are providing a true picture of how the customer views the service provided.
“The biggest problem with a written survey is when you get someone to fill one out and they are having a
bad day,” advised Bobby Spurlock of Spivy Rentals Inc. “Your responses are going to reflect just that. The
thing to remember is that a client can usually only remember one thing that you did correctly, but ten things
that you did wrong. We do not use surveys, but we do hear from our clients, both the good and the bad.
With most of our larger projects we follow up with them at various points to see how our service has
been—what we are doing right and what we can do better.”
Creating a survey to send or hand out to customers requires a good deal of planning and thought. Take some
time to consider what information you want to gather from the survey and begin constructing questions that
will extract that information. Avoid using broad or general questions, as they are not as useful. Ask specific
questions and either use multiple choice answers or leave space for the customer to write comments after
each question. Although comments can be more difficult and time-consuming to analyze, they will reveal
much more useful information than multiple choice or answering on a scale of 1 to 5.
Once the survey questions are developed, format the survey in a way that is easy to read and follow. Customer
surveys should look classy and professional. If it looks cheap, people may not feel it is worth their time to
complete. Make sure employees know to present the survey with enthusiasm and to explain that the survey is
important for providing the best service possible to the customers. Should clients wish to take the survey home and
complete, make it convenient for it to be returned by including a return envelope with free postage.
As the surveys begin to come flooding back, a method must be in place for analyzing the data. While some
companies choose to out-source this research, others simply assign a few people to manage the task of
computing results and presenting findings at weekly or monthly meetings to management. Follow-up on
surveys is essential. If the results are not examined and utilized when appropriate, there is no point in doing
surveys. If the company does not treat the customer’s comments as important information, this will create
or increase frustration rather than satisfaction. If employees do not see management taking survey results
seriously, they will quickly determine that it is a show and the quality of service may drop. Employees will
follow the lead of their superiors. If management treats the surveys seriously, so will the employees.
Involving employees in the organization in this assessment of survey results can encourage innovation and
make for easy transitions if change is required. Do not be afraid to ask employees what they think about
these issues and if they have suggestions for improving in areas of weakness.
Once analyzing is finished and improvements have been put into place, it is good to let customers know how their
survey results lead to positive changes in the company’s performance and product. Keep them involved in the
process. Perhaps ask them for additional feedback. Customers will be thrilled that they have been taken seriously
and kept in the loop. Re-analyze results after 6 and 12 months to see if the changes have indeed made for
improvement in customer satisfaction.
Although not all operators in the portable toilet industry believe surveys are important enough to dedicate time and
resources to them, it is clear that surveys can be extremely useful when given the proper consideration and follow-
up. Customers want to have a voice and the survey is a medium for them to tell you how they think your company
can improve. The real question is, do you really want to know what your customer thinks of your product and
customer service?