Don't Survey Your Customers! 不要对你的顾客进行调查

Scaled customer surveys are among the most widely used tools in business. Unfortunately, they're also some of the worst. There's nothing evil about surveys, but they can turn an inherently simple task, such as gathering customer feedback, into something complex and unwieldy. When that happens, there's a good chance it won't satisfy its original purpose, which in this case is making improvements. Why exactly are surveys the wrong tool for most organizations? Let's explore the reasons and then consider an alternative approach that's far more appropriate.
打分式的顾客调查表是工作中应用最广的工具。遗憾的是，这些调查表是最差劲的。调查本身没什么问题，但它们可以把本来十分简单的工作，诸如收集顾客反馈信息，演化成为及其复杂和不切实际的东西。这样，极有可能无法满足最初的目标，在这儿就是实现改进。为什么对大多数组织来说调查表是个错误的工具呢？让我们探究其因，然后想出个更适宜的替代方法。

Surveys don't produce timely data
调查不能产生实时数据

Most traditional customer surveys are sent out periodically to a sampling of an organization's customers, typically once or twice a year. This is a manageable frequency from an administrative standpoint because implementing a survey requires a significant dedication of time and effort. The downside is that by the time the organization receives the feedback, the information is at least six months old and usually much older. The information is almost worthless because customers have already acted on their perceptions before the organization has had a chance to do so. Customers don't wait around to tell you what they're going to do before they do it. If you're not tuned into your customers on a regular basis, you'll never know what hit you.
大多数传统顾客调查表就是给组织的顾客抽样群定期（一般为一年1到2次）寄出调查表。从管理的角度来看，这是很容易管理的频次，因为实施一项调查耗费大量的时间和精力。其负面效应是组织收到反馈的信息至少是六个月以前的，或者更早。这样的信息几乎没什么价值，因为顾客依据其感觉在组织有机会采取相应措施前就已经行动了。顾客可不会在其行动前，呆呆的等在那里告诉你他们要你做什么。如果你不定期去了解你的顾客，你就无法知道是什么撂倒了你。

It makes more sense to gather customer feedback continually. Make the customer feedback process something that's always happening, not a grand event that occurs once or twice a year. This consumes far fewer resources, and it also ensures that the information is current. If you can't take action on customer perceptions within a few weeks of the perceptions being formed, there's a strong chance that you will lose your window of opportunity.
经常收集顾客反馈是很有意义的。要使顾客反馈过程经常化，而不是一年一到二次的重大工作。这会耗费极少的资源，同时可以保证信息的及时性。如果你在几周内没有行动去采集顾客已经形成的感知，极有可能会使你失去机会。

Too many questions 太多的问题

Another downfall of most surveys is that they try to do too much. They probe the customer experience from every imaginable angle. Although admirable, this approach results in long, unwieldy surveys that most customers run away from as fast as they can. I have personally gotten into the habit of scrawling "TOO LONG" in huge block letters on these kinds of surveys. I'm providing feedback, but not exactly the kind expected. Most people don't even bother to provide this much; they simply toss the long surveys into the trash.
另一个大多数调查表的败笔是有太多的问题。调查表涉及了探查顾客经验的方方面面。尽管精神可嘉，但这种方法的结果导致产生冗长的不切实际的问卷，大多数顾客溜之大吉。对待这样的问卷，我个人的习惯做法是在巨长的问卷中随意涂抹。我是在提供反馈，但不是你确切期待的那种。大多数人甚至不为提供这样的信息而操心，将那冗长的问卷扔进了垃圾桶。

The key to successful customer feedback is to ask about the few aspects of the customer experience that matter the most. By asking about everything under the sun, you're establishing the expectation that you'll take action on everything, which is impossible. You're also telling your customer, "Your time isn't very valuable, so the imposition of this long and boring survey should be no problem for you." Focus on a few vital issues, and these obstacles go away. The dilemma is that most organizations don't know what the few vital issues are--thus the need for long surveys. Your organization must back up and get its arms around the things that really matter to your customers.
成功顾客反馈的关键是询问几个关于顾客最关切经验的问题。通过询问天下所有的问题，你在给顾客建立一种期望你就对这些问题采取措施，这是不可能的。你也告诉顾客，“你对时间无所谓，所以让你强迫接受这冗长的令人厌烦的问卷对你来说是没什么问题的”。抓住几个关键问题，这些障碍就消失了。可问题是大多数组织并不知道那几个关键问题是什么——因此需要冗长的问卷。你的组织必须备份并深入理解顾客真真切切关心的问题

Difficult to design 问卷设计的困难

If you like defusing explosives, you'll love creating surveys. They include so many failure modes that they're nearly impossible to design correctly unless you do it for a living. Why are they so hard? Let's examine two of their more challenging aspects: questions and scales.
如果喜欢捅马蜂窝，你就会喜爱调查表。调查表包含太多失效模式，以至于几乎不可能正确设计调查表，除非你以此为生。为什么这么难呢？让我们来研究一下调查表较难的项目：问题和打分。
Most surveys comprise a series of questions or statements, followed by a response scale. The response scale usually represents degrees of satisfaction (e.g., "very satisfied," "satisfied," "neutral," etc.) or degrees of agreement (e.g., "strongly agree," "agree," "neutral," etc.). Both of these scales present huge challenges. Most people don't have the writing skills to craft clear, unambiguous survey questions. The result is that the questions don't accurately reflect the attribute that's being queried. In the spirit of getting the job done, customers will often take a guess at what the questions really mean. Like all guessing games, sometimes they'll be right and other times wrong. At best, your data will be 50-percent valid--not a very good percentage.
大多数问卷包括一系列问题或陈述，并附以相应的分值。分值通常为满意程度（即，“非常满意”，“满意”，“中性”等等）或者同意程度（即：“严重同意”，“同意”，“中性”等等）。这两种分值具有极大的挑战性。大多数人没有提出清晰明确问题的写作技巧。其结果是问题本身没有准确反映询问特性。为了应付了是，顾客常常会猜想问题是什么意思。像所有猜谜游戏，有时候他们猜对了，另些时候猜错了。你得到的数据充其量50%有效——这可不是很理想的百分比。
In the unlikely event that the survey questions are clear, there's still the obstacle of designing a logical response scale. This would seem to be an easy task, but it's extremely complex. Typical errors I've observed are scales that aren't balanced, scales that are biased, scales that don't have equal intervals between the points, scales that don't match the question or statement, and scales that have too many degrees of resolution. If the scale is flawed, then the data that come from it are also flawed. Junk in, junk out, as the saying goes.
就算调查问卷问题清晰，还会有设计符合逻辑的相应分值的障碍。这看起来很容易，却是及其复杂。我观察到典型的错误有分值分配不平衡，分值有轻有重，在各个问题点间分值没有相同的间隔差，分值与问题或陈述不相匹配，以及分值拆分过多。如果分值有问题，那么由此而产生的数据也会有问题。正如老话说的那样，垃圾中的垃圾。

No direction for improvement 没有给改进措施指明方向

The fourth downfall of traditional surveys is that they don't provide much guidance for improvement. Sure, they provide data, but what actions are you going to take based on those data? For example, let's imagine that you've asked customers to rate the technical knowledge of your sales force. The average response is 3.4 on a five-point scale, roughly halfway between "neither good nor bad" and "good." What does this number really mean? Even more important, what are you going to do about it? The data help you produce fancy charts, but they probably won't steer you toward specific improvements.
传统调查第四个败笔是没有给改进提供帮助。是的，调查表提供了数据，但你能基于这些数据干些什么呢？例如，让我们假象一下你请顾客给你的销售团队技术知识打分。在五分制下通常的反馈分值是3.4，大概是在“不好也不坏”和“好”之间。这样的分数真正意味着什么？更重要的是，你拿这个分数干什么呢？这样的分数可以帮你生成奇妙的图表，但不能把你引向特定改进措施的轨道。
If you aren't able to take action on survey data, their value as improvement tools is zero. Had you asked customers an open-ended question such as, "What do you think is our biggest customer service weakness?" you might have received some feedback that provided a clear path for improvement. In the world of customer perceptions, data don't always rule. Perceptions are by their nature qualitative and subjective, and the attempt to produce data from such a fuzzy source can be misleading. It's better simply to get actionable information than to attempt to turn human beings into precise measuring instruments. If you capture customer perceptions, analyze the trends and take action, you've accomplished a great deal.
如果你不能依据调查数据采取改进措施，那么作为改进工具的调查方法的价值为零。你是否问过顾客可自由回答的问题，如“你如何看待我们顾客服务的最大弱项？”。你也许收到某些提供清晰改进方向的反馈。在顾客感觉世界里，数据并不经常起作用。本质上来看，感觉是定性的和主观的，那种试图从模糊源产生的数据易被人误解。获得可执行的改进措施的信息远比试图把人转变为准确的测量仪器来的容易。如果你能捕获顾客的感觉，分析趋势并进行改进，那你太有才了。

So, what should you do? 那么，你该做什么呢？

I've made the case that a traditional customer survey using scaled responses probably isn't the best way for most organizations to capture feedback. If not a survey, what should you do? Here's what I recommend:
我列举了传统附有相应分值的顾客调查并不是获取顾客反馈最佳的方法。如果调查表不是最佳方法，你该怎么做呢？以下是我的建议：
Step 1: Examine your existing customer interactions. Your interactions with your customers are limitless. These contacts are conducted via telephone, e-mail, mail, fax and in person. Because you already have numerous contacts with your customers, there's no reason to invent a new contact for the sake of collecting customer feedback. Make use of the connections you already have, and all parties will generally be much happier.
第一步：考量你现行的顾客交流方式。与顾客交流的方式无穷无尽。包括通过电话、email、传真以及个人交流。因为你已经有许许多多的顾客联系方式，就没有理由为收集顾客反馈发明一个新的交流方式。采用你已经拥有的联系方式，大家皆大欢喜。【此处“大家”一般指的是销售人员、顾客满意度信息的收集人员、还有顾客——jelly注】

Step 2: Choose an interaction suited to collecting feedback. Not all customer contacts are created equally. Certain conditions should be met when you decide which contacts will be leveraged for collecting customer feedback. In general, the contact should be neutral, routine and candid. Here's what each of these mean:
第二步：选择收集顾客反馈信息的交流方式。并不是所有的顾客交流方式都一样的。当你决定哪种联系方式用于收集顾客反馈信息时，应具备某些条件。通常，交流方式应该是中性的，程序化的和公正的。
• Neutral: The contact isn't related to an existing problem or complaint. Attempting to collect feedback when a customer already has a problem is obnoxious and counterproductive. Use an interaction that's neutral in tone and purpose, such as a query or order placement.
l 中性：交流方式与现有的问题或抱怨无关。当顾客已经有问题的时候，收集反馈信息的试图是令人讨厌的，并不能达到预期的目的。
• Routine: The contact happens on a regular, routine basis. Feedback collected from routine interactions of this sort is likely to be fresher.
l 程序化：以定期例行公事的方式交流。以此法收集的反馈可能更及时。
• Candid: The contact occurs between parties that trust one another and are willing to communicate freely. A candid relationship is key to collecting accurate and representative perceptions.
l 公正：双方之间的接触的条件是相互信任，并且自愿沟通。公正的关系是捕获准确的和具有代表性感觉的关键。
Step 3: Develop a tool that's matched to the customer interaction. Choosing the right tool for the job is critical in every endeavor, and that goes for collecting feedback, too. Once the organization has selected an appropriate customer interaction for collecting feedback, it must develop a tool that works in that context. This is a subjective task, and certain guidelines can assist in knowing what tools work best in different situations:
第三步：开发一种与顾客交流相匹配的工具。尽一切努力选择正确的工具至关重要，并也能收集反馈信息。组织一旦选择了一个适宜的收集反馈信息的顾客交流方式，组织必须为此开发出工具。这是项主观性的工作，在了解什么工具在不同环境下最适合方面下面的指导可以提供帮助：
• Telephone contact: An unobtrusive tool that's conducted at the end of a routine telephone call. Brevity is critical with this kind of tool because most people are anxious to get off the phone once their business is completed.
l 电话交流：在日常电话交流结束时引入的一种对话简短的工具。简短是这类工具的关键，因为人们在完成业务交流后急切希望结束谈话。
• In-person visit: A tool that enables the company to see its product in use, just as the customer experiences the product or service. The tool should also enable different people to be queried, depending on the nature of the feedback sought.
l 个人拜访：该工具能够使公司看到其正在使用中的产品（即顾客经历公司产品或服务）。根据需要得到的反馈信息类型，也可以用该工具询问不同的人群。
• After service or consumption: A tool that enables the customer to conveniently provide "flash feedback." Make the return of this feedback seamless. If the customer has to expend any effort to return the feedback, it probably won't be returned.
l 售后服务或消费后服务：该工具可以使顾客方便地提供“灵机一动”式的反馈。使得这种反馈进行无缝隙的回答。如果顾客已经付出了任何努力来提供反馈信息，这种反馈信息可能就不会有了。
• E-mail: A live link within the body of the message that takes the customer to a simple and visually appealing evaluation of their experience. Make sure the link works fast and is compatible with a variety of Internet browsers and computer monitors.
l Email：在信内加入个链接，使得顾客进入一个界面简洁，视觉效果良好的顾客经验评价表。要保证链接迅速，兼容各种浏览器和计算机监视器。【浏览器和显示屏（宽屏等）及其分辨率不同可能会影响页面的视觉效果——jelly注】
Benchmark customer feedback tools with other organizations. There's no virtue in being original. Borrow good ideas and approaches as you see them. Hundreds, if not thousands, of examples exist for each of the tools described above. See what other people are doing and adapt the methods to your own needs.
与其它组织的顾客反馈工具进行对比。在此没必要创新。可以借鉴好的想法和方法。上述工具每一种都有成百上千种个例子。看看别人怎么做的，拿来为己所用。
Step 4: Focus on open-ended questions. If you want to grab the attention of your customers, ask them what they like and don't like. It's that simple. Asking simple, open-ended questions of this sort enables the customer to dictate the content of their feedback. What's important to them is what you'll hear about. This is exactly the sort of feedback you want. Trends in open-ended feedback will inform you on the issues that customers care most about, something that many organizations don't understand.
第四步：关注可以自由回答的问题。如果你想引起顾客的注意，问问他们喜欢什么不喜欢什么。就这么简单。询问简单可自由回答的问题可以使顾客口述反馈内容。他们认为重要的东西就是你要听到的东西。这恰恰就是那种你想要的反馈信息。可自由问题的反馈倾向将告诉你顾客最关心的问题，许多组织无法理解的问题。
Open-ended feedback also provides a clear path to improvement. Numerical ratings can help you prioritize issues, but they don't tell you exactly what to do. Open-ended feedback can. When 75 percent of your customers answer the question, "What makes you most frustrated about being our customer?" in the same way, you know exactly what you need to do to improve. There's no ambiguity.
可自由回答的反馈信息也给改进措施指明了方向。打分可帮你把问题分出轻重缓急，但无法告诉你该做什么，而可自由回答的反馈可以告诉你该做什么。当75%的顾客用相同的方式回答了问题——“作为我们的顾客，什么是你最闹心的？”——你就可以准确知道什么地方需要改进了。非常清晰。
Open-ended feedback doesn't help you make fancy charts. But do you really need more fancy charts to cover the walls of the conference room? No, you need improved customer satisfaction and loyalty. Open-ended feedback will reveal exactly what actions lead to long-term success, which is much more important than fancy charts.
可自由回答的反馈信息无法帮你画出奇妙的图表挂在会议室的墙上。非也，你需要的是你已经改进措施后的顾客满意和忠诚。可自由回答的反馈信息可以准确揭示走向长期成功的措施，这比图表更重要。
Here are my favorite open-ended questions. Three are about all you need. They will quickly point the way to improvements that matter to your customers.
以下是我喜欢的可自由回答的问题。这三个问题你都需要。这些问题可以迅速指明那些对顾客至关重要的改进措施。
• Do you have any problems with our products that you haven't told us about?
• Is there anything you think we do particularly well?
• What could we do in the future that would make your job easier?
l 你对我们的产品还有什么没有告诉我们的问题吗？
l 你认为我们有什么做的较好的工作吗？
l 以后我们可以做些什么工作可以使你的工作更容易？
Step 5: Act on your opportunities. Action is the most critical step of the entire process. It starts with identifying trouble areas. Problems that are revealed through feedback must be addressed immediately. This is the business equivalent of triage: Stop the bleeding and stabilize the patient. Let's hope you won't discover too many issues that require triage, but it's better to learn of these proactively while the customer is still your customer, and not a former customer.
第五步：抓住时机赶紧行动。行动是整个了解顾客反馈的过程里最重要的步骤。它起始于识别发生问题的范围。由顾客反馈信息所揭示的问题必须马上挑明。这就如同于治疗类选法。止血稳定病人。希望你没发现太多的需要分类处理的问题，但当顾客依然还是你的顾客而没有成为逃跑的顾客时，预先知道这些问题就更好了。
After addressing the trouble areas, the organization must analyze the trends. Open-ended feedback follows the same rules as most traditional numerical data: It tends to clump into categories. Group the feedback into categories and apply Pareto analysis to the results. Your opportunity areas will quickly emerge. Input these opportunities into your corrective/preventive action system and track them to completion. Treat every improvement action as a mini project, with assigned tasks, responsibilities, time frames, resources and reviews. The more sunlight shines on your improvement action, the better it will be. In other words, communicate widely. The final communication about your improvement will be to your customer: "Here's what we've done based on your feedback." These may be the most important words you ever say--and you don't have to use a traditional customer survey to say them.
在挑明这些出问题的范围后，组织必须分析其发展趋势。作为传统数据可自由回答的反馈信息遵循相同的原则——趋向于分类。把反馈信息分门别类，并运用排列图法进行分析。你改进的机会区域间会冒出来。把这些需改进的区域输入到纠正/预防措施体系并跟踪直至完成。把每个改进措施作为一个小项目来对待，分配任务、确定职责、安排时间、协调资源并组织评审。对改进措施关注的越多越好。换句话说，进行大范围的沟通。改进措施最终的沟通是面对顾客。“基于你的反馈，这是我们所做的”。这句话也许是你说过的最重要的话了，并且不是用传统顾客调查法对他们说。

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