There are few organizations that operate without the need for consideration of customers and the service with which they are provided. For the many that do have to consider those factors, one of the most effective ways to measure the customer’s perception of the service experience is to conduct intelligent online surveys.

 

Fortna, a provider of distribution consulting services and warehouse control software, views client satisfaction issues as a top priority. The company is consistently monitoring the opinions of its clients regarding the effectiveness of Fortna’s services and the performance of its people after implementation of projects. In the past, the company’s marketing department spent hours or even days traveling to its clients at dispersed locations for face-to-face, fact-finding interviews.

 

Neil Medley, Marketing Manager with Fortna, noted that the company does large projects requiring resources from various internal departments, and that client feedback on the performance of each department is considered critical. Fortna previously attempted surveys manually, through the mail and by phone, but the time required was excessive and the completion rate was poor. Additionally, the client is less likely to tell the company exactly how he or she truly feels in a face-to-face meeting.

 

After reviewing several different online survey solutions, Fortna’s marketing department received a recommendation from the company’s HR department to try WebSurveyor—a tool the HR department was already using. After a quick capabilities review, the marketing team adopted WebSurveyor as well.

 

According to Medley, the solution is effective, easy to use and has the professional look that Fortna clients are accustomed to receiving from the company. From the moment Medley used a sample survey, he was convinced of its effectiveness. Medley highlighted that the system is so simple to figure out and user-friendly that he didn’t have to involve any IT resources, including WebSurveyor’s tech support.

 

The survey that Fortna launched did take a few hours to design due to the complexity of the survey itself, although Medley reported that the deployment was relatively fast and painless. All clients receive the same basic survey, save for small custom changes. Fortna previously completed two to three client surveys a year, but now can get feedback from 20 to 30 clients annually.

 

Medley credits the survey program’s success to the anonymity of WebSurveyor. Respondents tend to be more comfortable giving honest feedback knowing that their responses will not be directly tied to the individual. Additionally, clients are more likely to complete the entire survey when they can use a Web interface—a format that allows clients to provide feedback on their own time.

 

Medley found the most surprising aspect of WebSurveyor to be the effectiveness in truly uncovering the client’s perception of Fortna’s services, people and software. The company can immediately begin investing time addressing any issue that the client rated “less-than-excellent” and focus on providing even better service to the customer.

 

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