Restaurants

On-Site Distribution, IVR or Web on Receipt

On-Site Distribution

There are a variety of ways to assess customer satisfaction on-site whether the establishment is a restaurant, a retailer, or even a service. One of the primary approaches to collecting data on-site is via paper surveys. Alternatively, invitations to respond to telephone or internet surveys can also be distributed on-site.

Paper questionnaires have an immediacy that is hard to rival. Unlike most other approaches, it puts the questions and the issues in front of the customer, often at the time of purchase. But this methodology also has serious drawbacks-most notably the ability of store personnel to filter the results. That is, store personnel can fail to give a questionnaire to someone who would be likely to give a bad report, or they could alternatively fill-out one or more questionnaires themselves. While Sterling doesn't generally recommend this approach, it still has some justification as noted below.

Paper questionnaires are very inexpensive to administer and to process. One of the largest costs is the business reply postage. Custom-made self-liquidators can also be pricey in small quantities but much less so for larger applications.

Self-liquidator take-one. Small cardboard dispensers positioned on or near checkouts with a supply of card-style survey forms can be made available for customers to take at their convenience. Usually the survey form has a business reply side, which allows it to be dropped in the mail for return and processing. Dispensers can be refilled for on-going programs, or they can be discarded after one use for one-time programs.

Clerk distributed. A supply of forms is provided to each clerk who provides one to each customer as the bill is paid. It is also possible to use this approach to sample from the population by only providing a survey card to every nth respondent. For example you can survey one in ten, by using a voucher number or transaction number as the basis, and then only distributing survey cards to numbers ending in the digit "2" or "7" or whatever you choose.

On-receipt. It is also reasonable to provide feedback information by printing it on the receipt. Naturally the space available is critically limited, so feedback is of a very limited nature. Much more often used is the on-receipt invitation to complete a survey using some other approach such as IVR (Integrated Voice Response) or Web. The on-receipt real estate lends itself well to this approach.

Advantages of On-Site Survey Distribution

The primary advantage of on-site distribution is low cost. However, while this approach is cost advantageous, it is also less likely to yield an accurate view of the customer experience.

Disadvantages of On-Site Survey Distribution

Non-random sample. With on-site distribution, it is difficult to obtain a random sample of customers, which limits the generalization of the survey results.

Employee tampering. Clients who use on-site distribution rely heavily on lower level employees to distribute the surveys. Employees may be tempted to avoid handing out surveys to dissatisfied customers or only distribute surveys to those customers who are likely to give high ratings. Even worse, it is fairly easy for employees to "stuff the ballot box" with their own favorable responses. These efforts can undermine an entire survey program.


IVR Questionnaires

IVR stands for Integrated Voice Response, and involves using a voice-mail-like technology for survey research. Customers dial an 800-number and listen to a recorded voice ask them questions. They answer the question by touching the appropriate button on their telephones. The process is identical to dialing into a business and following the telephone prompts to get to the right department or person, a process most everyone knows how to do. IVR has the ability to provide multiple language scripts, which can be an advantage where there is a component of a customer base for which English is a second language.

IVR technology is able to incorporate many features of good research design, including consistency of presentation, item rotation, and question branching. IVR is inexpensive, but the surveys must be short in duration or else customers will be less likely to complete them.

Advantages to IVR-Based Research
  • Lower in cost than more traditional operator-assisted telephone research systems
  • Easy to utilize good research practices
  • Makes it more difficult for employees to "stuff the ballot box" since a transaction number is required in order to complete the survey
  • Automation of voice messages assures consistent application of the survey

Disadvantages to IVR-Based Research
  • Works best with very short surveys
  • May require the use of an incentive to garner participation
  • The automation factor may irritate the individual on the other end of the line


Invitation on Receipt

One common approach to using IVR is to provide an invitation to the customer on a bill or receipt. For example, a restaurant invites every nth customer to complete an IVR survey by inviting them in writing in the middle of their transaction receipt. This approach is also common for web surveys. A bell on the cash register can be programmed to ring and alert the clerk to the invitation so that the clerk draws the customer's attention to the invitation. The 800-number or web address is printed on the survey so the customer easily retains a printed record.

In addition, the receipt can be used as a coupon for continuity programs by rewarding the customer who completes the survey with a code word. The code word is provided to the customer at the end of the IVR or web survey; the customer writes the code word in a space provided on the same receipt and presents the receipt back to the store where it was obtained for a second transaction with a discount or incentive of some type.

One appeal of this approach is that specific transactions can trigger an invitation. A retailer can survey customers who purchase an advertised product, a restaurant can survey customers that purchase a new menu item, and so forth. Thus, the survey can be focused narrowly (or broadly) as desired.

Advantages of invitation on receipt
  • No employee tampering
  • Easy to administer

Disadvantages of invitation on receipt
  • Need incentive –- it can otherwise be difficult to get people to complete