A Simple Story on the Importance of Using Surveys for Your Business
Business Advice for women entrepreneurs and small businesses
The setup for the educational luncheon was proceeding well until I noticed the venue’s music wasn’t playing. Music is an essential element at any event because it helps reduce the awkwardness of silence as guests arrive and mingle. I have always wanted my guests to feel comfortable the moment they arrive.
After asking the venue to turn the tunes on, there was a 30 minute lapse in the response time to tell me they forgot there was a crew on the top of the building working on the sound system – something a staff member should have known earlier. As I started my welcoming presentation, the music came on interrupting my speech and then it stayed on without the venue able to turn it off. 25 minutes later the music finally stopped but not before my analytical self felt the event was ruined.
The message to this story doesn’t lie in understanding things will happen beyond your control when you are planning events or the unpreparedness by a management team to find a solution or communicate an unpleasant situation in a timely matter, it was about the response of my audience. I assumed because I was exasperated by the music situation that my guests were too. Only after reading through the event surveys did I discover it didn’t bother anyone else but me.
If you believe surveys are not useful, vital instruments of truth for your business, events or programs, than think again. Analytical evaluations, like simple surveys, take the guess work out of knowing whether clients are satisfied. Surveys lend an essential eye into your customer’s mind that you can’t read from a stage with or without the music playing. Positive surveys might be music to your ears. Consider incorporating surveys more often to assist evaluation of a program realistically, not emotionally, through the people whose opinion matters most – your customer.
Women TIES 