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Surveying customers after they’ve made a purchase — or signed a service engagement or support contact — is one of the best ways to identify which customers you might be in danger of losing. Using Web survey software, for example, a business can gain immediate access to research, allowing it to quickly address any customer issues. According to Jeffrey Henning, founder of Vovici, which offers comprehensive survey software, panel management, and online community solutions, there are four key areas a survey should take into consideration:

1. Customer satisfaction. Ask, “What is your overall satisfaction level with our company? Not at all satisfied, slightly satisfied, moderately satisfied, very satisfied, or completely satisfied?” Sometimes dissatisfied customers will stay with you because of inertia or a lack of alternatives. But you don’t want hostages, you want cheerful repeat customers. To achieve excellence, consider any answer other than “completely satisfied” to be disappointing, and try to address the reasons for customer dissatisfaction.
   
   
2. Probability of repurchasing. Ask, “How likely are you to repurchase from us? Not at all likely, somewhat likely, moderately likely, very likely, or completely likely?” Given the high cost of marketing to acquire new customers, you need to delight existing customers so that they come back and buy again.
   
   
3. Likelihood to recommend. Ask, “How likely is it that you would recommend us to a friend or colleague? Not at all likely, somewhat likely, moderately likely, very likely, or completely likely?” If you are seeking growth, you need your customers to be your evangelists. If you want them to get the word out about your business, determine what separates the experience of customers who are “completely likely” to recommend friends from the rest of the crowd, and try to provide the same experience to all customers.
   
   
4. Customer effort. Ask, “How effortless was your interaction with us today? Completely laborious, mostly laborious, somewhat laborious, neither laborious nor effortless, somewhat effortless, mostly effortless, or completely effortless?” When following up with customers after a service request, the key is to make the interaction as painless as possible. The more effort the customer has to expend to resolve an issue, the more likely they are to say negative things about your company — and take their business elsewhere.

Regardless of the questions you use in your research, always ask customers to explain the reasons for their ratings. By filtering their answers, you can quickly learn where to improve.