I went into a staff canteen the other day and the person on the cash till took my money and then asked if I could complete a survey about the quality of the service. I did not know if it was generally about the canteen or how she took my money.
You can't have your car serviced these days without being asked to complete an online questionnaire. Virtually any service industry seems to think they must seek their customer's views at every turn.
I suggest that in fact surveys are creating a false or misleading view of the true quality of the product or service or what customers really want. Asking a customer for their "unsolicited" opinion almost always creates an artificial response. Like the "quality trained" waiter in a chain restaurant who comes to ask what you think of your food one minute after it has been served and virtually before you have taken your first bite.
And does the result of these stereotype surveys create a better, more creative environment for any industry? I don't think so. I saw a great quote recently from Henry Ford: "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."
You can't have your car serviced these days without being asked to complete an online questionnaire. Virtually any service industry seems to think they must seek their customer's views at every turn.
I suggest that in fact surveys are creating a false or misleading view of the true quality of the product or service or what customers really want. Asking a customer for their "unsolicited" opinion almost always creates an artificial response. Like the "quality trained" waiter in a chain restaurant who comes to ask what you think of your food one minute after it has been served and virtually before you have taken your first bite.
And does the result of these stereotype surveys create a better, more creative environment for any industry? I don't think so. I saw a great quote recently from Henry Ford: "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse."
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