1. NorthSky Nonprofit Network Creating Customer Satisfaction Surveys Presented by Christine A. Ameen, Ed.D. Ameen Consulting & Associates (ameenca@ameenconsulting.com)

2. Agenda 1.Defining who is your customer 2.What questions do you want to ask and why 3.Qualitative versus quantitative questions 4.What scale to use 5.Tips for writing questions 6.How to get the feedback 7.How to analyze the responses 8.Using what you learn.

3. Definition: Customer A customer may be: 1.Someone who uses your services 2.Someone who pays for services 3.Someone who refers clients to you 4.Who else?

4. What Questions Should I Ask? What Questions Should I Ask? The typical key elements to ask about: 1.Physical Surroundings 2.Procedures 3.Interactions with Staff 4.Timeliness 5.Understanding of client need 6.Outcomes 7.General Satisfaction.

5. Some cautions about questions 1.Don’t ask a question for which you don’t want the answer! 2.Don’t ask a question that is “nice to know” 3.Don’t ask for demographic information unless you are going to use it; if you ask, make answering optional.

6. Step 1: List your questions CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WORKSHEET 1

7. Quantitative and Qualitative 1.Quantitative questions result in answers that are “numerical”, e.g., a rating 2.Qualitative questions are open-ended and require the respondent to write an answer 3.Use both in customer satisfaction tools.

8. What scale to use 1.Avoid using “yes/no” responses in data collection for questions where a scale can be used 2.Consider using an even-numbered scale, e.g., 4 points, to avoid a middle point where the respondent can go to avoid making a choice 3.Most scales have between 4 and 7 points. Fewer than 4 makes it more difficult to show change; more than 7 may be confusing to the respondent 4.The points on scales should be anchored with language that helps guide how they’re to be used (e.g., 1=not at all; 3 = sometimes, etc.).

9. What scale to use: Examples The frequency scale: Not at Rarely Sometimes Often All the All Time 1 2 3 4 5 Lead in: How often do you do the following things

10. What scale to use: Examples The importance scale: Not at all Somewhat Very Important Important Important 1 2 3 4 5 Lead in: To what extent are the following things important to you

11. What scale to use: Examples The agree scale: Strongly Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Disagree Agree 1 2 3 4 5 Lead in: To what extent do you agree with the following statements

12. Tips for Writing Questions 1.Start with an easy question first 2.Put the most important questions at the beginning 3.Ask only one question at a time 4.Don’t use abbreviations unless you define them 5.Avoid leading questions, e.g., “to what extent do you agree that our program is great?”

13. Tips for Writing Questions 6.Be culturally sensitive 7.Usually, the shorter the question, the better 8.Identify time frame if that is important 9.Organize questions according to content or the type of scale used 10.Demographic questions are asked last if at all 11.Include instructions right on the tool.

14. Step 2: Select your scale and rewrite your questions CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WORKSHEET 1

15. A QUICK EXAMPLE Patient Satisfaction Survey SAMPLE

16. TRY IT OUT FIRST 1.Pilot test your survey 2.Use clients or people who are similar to your clients 3.Test with 10-15 participants 4.Ask them to suggest language for any question that was confusing 5.Ask them for advice on how to get people to participate

17. How to get the feedback 1.Who to survey? Entire population Sample of population 2.How to survey? Email the survey Email a link Administer during or after an event Don’t put it in the mail!

18. How to get the feedback 3.Explain what the survey is for and how you will use results 4.Guarantee confidentiality and/or anonymity 5.Explain what to do if participant doesn’t want to answer a question 6.Include a due date for completion.

19. How to get the feedback 7.Assure participants that their answers will not affect the services they receive 8.Consider incentives: A drawing for a prize Everyone gets a small gift certificate Other ways?

20. A word about emailing surveys 1.Create an interactive PDF file 2.Create an interactive Word file 3.Include very specific instructions about how to open, complete, save and send the file back to you.

21. A word about using web-based surveys 1.Create your survey using Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com) or Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com)www.zoomerang.comwww.surveymonkey.com 2.Basic analysis services are available with these options 3.You email the link to your survey on the website

22. How to analyze results 1.Percentages of types of responses: 30% said not at all 2.Averages: On a scale of 1 to 5, the average was 3.8 3.Percentages of categories of responses: 65% made a positive comment about the intake process

23. Putting it all together 1.CSQ-8: CSQ-8CSQ-8 2.CSQ Excel FileCSQ Excel File

24. Using what you learn A. How would you rate the quality of the service you received? B. Did you get the kind of service you wanted? C. To what extent has our program met your needs? D. If a friend were in need of similar help, would you recommend our program to him or her? E. How satisfied are you with the amount of help you received? F. Have the services you received helped you to deal more effectively with your problems? G. In an overall, general sense, how satisfied are you with the service you have received? H. If you were to seek help again, would you come back to our program? 3.7 3.4 3.5 3.6 2.9 2.6 3.7

25. Using what you learn 1.Set your benchmark before you start 2.Base conclusions on 30 or more surveys 3.If you make changes because of this feedback, tell staff 4.If you make changes because of this feedback, tell clients

26. Thank you for attending my session today! If you have any feedback for how I can improve my training style or content, please email me your suggestions! (ameenca@ameenconsulting.com)ameenca@ameenconsulting.com