Every business/service I deal with emails me a survey. Why?

[Cyrano]

I receive email survey requests from every service company and major business I've dealt with and has my email address. They want to know if I'm satisfied with them. And if I don't reply, they send it again. And again. -- Why?

It's not for a mailing list they can sell. They already have my email address.

I know that many (all?) are not looking for my actual satisfaction. But they all emphasize how important my satisfaction is to them. They're obviously looking for something else. (I never reply.)

I'm sure many of you get these same emails. Does anyone know what they're really looking for?

[Mr.Bill]

1. Are they offering you anything

for taking the survey, like a free gift or a discount on a product?

[Cyrano]

5. Not that I recall.

They just focus on "how they can improve" whatever service/product I got from them.

[Mr.Bill]

6. If they are a franchise business,

it may be the franchisor that demands these surveys. Car dealerships are notorious for these surveys. It's a way of protecting their brand when it's in the hands of a franchisee.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. Why do you think it's not about your experience with them?

[Cyrano]

7. When virtually every company that provided a product/service

is asking you about your satisfaction, there's something else going on. I'm not being paranoid. Think back a few years. How often did any company that provided you with a product/service send you a survey? There's a reason it's being done and my instincts say it has nothing to do with my satisfaction.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

8. A few years back, it took a lot more effort to survey people. Automated software makes it very easy to

contact people, compile responses and analyze the data. That's it.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Every time I do a hospital visit, I get one in the mail.

I've done a 1/2 dozen....all good feedback. Next one gets returned with a note: "finished with filling out the surveys."

[Attilatheblond]

4. And if not surveys, they want your 'product reviews'

but I am pretty sure they don't read them or they would stop asking me.

[fierywoman]

9. My garbage collection company sends me email surveys. What is there

to say? I put out my garbage on the appropriate night. The next day I find my trash can empty.
So?

[Irish_Dem]

11. Our garbage man forgets to pick up somebody's

Trash once in a while.

People get hopping mad and complain.

They throw my neighbor’s trash can in the street and I go pick it up for my neighbor who is disabled.
I don’t really mind.

Her trash can lid flies around when it is windy. I have to go find it.
Has turned into a hobby.

[usonian]

13. Be sure to thank them!

There was a garbage company that advertised on their trucks:

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
Or twice your garbage back.

(I never fill in surveys)

[fierywoman]

20. Ha-ha, that's funny!

[Irish_Dem]

10. Pretending to care about our opinions??

Is it just marketing, they don’t care about our answers?

[Cyrano]

12. I really don't know.

But the reality is that it's becoming a universal practice among those who sell products and services. Did they all attend the same seminar? Did some MBA write a paper explaining why surveys are good for business? Beats me. But when I start getting regular survey emails from vendors of every sort, I'm pretty sure it's for their benefit, not mine.

[Irish_Dem]

16. Every time I get any medical service I get a questionnaire

Afterwards.

Yes they all went to the same marketing seminar.

[MineralMan]

14. Actually, those surveys are legit, mostly.

I just did one for an HVAC company that came to clean and check my AC outdoor unit before cooling season. Like everyone, they sent a survey link to me. It led to a Google survey, and will show up as a review if someone looks for reviews on Google for that company. It's a little bit of a risky move by the company, since bad reviews also show up. I didn't give a bad review, though.

Other businesses use surveys to monitor customer satisfaction with individual representatives, as well. You get a survey request, but the questions are about how you were served by an employee. Depending on what the customer says, the employee gets an "attaboy," or a talking to. The employee doesn't get a choice, so the idea is to improve employee interactions with company reps.

Franchising companies use surveys to help them monitor how their franchisees are doing with customer relations. Useful.

So, if you don't want to respond, just ignore those survey links. If you want to help inform the business about your thoughts, go ahead and do them. They do get looked at, I guarantee.

[marybourg]

15. I'm finding that instead of a simple "tell us how we're doing",

they now want you to do an online Google or Yelp review, which is made to look like a survey. Until you get to the end.

[usonian]

17. It could be for bragging rights.

So that they can post "99% of customers (who cared to respond) rate us as first class." perhaps for Yelp, or "Customer Reviews"

But sometimes service techs are rated by their bosses by surveys, so I respond to those, if I know that's the case.

[brooklynite]

18. How do you KNOW they don't want your input?

[lindysalsagal]

19. And they come before they've provided the item or service. Right makes no sense.

Unless they're trying to deliberately get bad information.

[maxsolomon]

21. I'm now getting REMINDER emails that I haven't responded to their Survey.

It's out of control I tells you.

[beaglelover]

22. Some service provider's compensation is linked to customer satisfaction.

Which is not a bad thing, but I agee, the constant surveys gets annoying.