Great article Jim, thanks for sharing this research. One of the keys to solving this dilemma for companies desperate for customer feedback is attempting to get it in an appropriate way. Surveys have run amok in many companies, and the number of questions, and scale of the survey is often highly disproportionate to the interaction or product in question. Here's a recent example I experienced myself: https://www.customerthermometer.com/customer-surveys/when-surveys-run-amok/

I don't think customers have a fundamental problem giving feedback to the companies they but from. But I do think the feedback process needs to be treated with a great deal more sensitivity and intelligence in many cases. Just because you can send out surveys at every opportunity doesn't mean it's okay.

Great points in here Leslie. We see this happen a lot too. The score is tracked by management as a benchmark, but often the "closing the loop" aspect of NPS is lost. It's critical to give the guys on the ground serving the customers the power to fix things if customers are unhappy. Promoters can only be created at grass roots level, by staff action, not simply by the act of measurement. As we like to say, you need to move the needle, not just look at it!

Completely agree with this sentiment Adam. Also, I'd add that contextually sensitive surveys, as close to the interaction with the brand as possible, help to engage staff involved in customer service too. If customer service is important to a brand, and they demonstrate that at every opportunity by asking customers how they can improve, their staff will become acutely aware of how their actions impact customer satisfaction. It becomes part of the fabric of the way they do business.

Great article Susan, I had a very similar experience myself this weekend where I was sent a 6 question survey in response to a simple email I sent a hotel chain. I wrote a post about it literally this morning: http://www.customerthermometer.com/voiceofthecustomer/customer-satisfact...

Surveys are running amok and need to be considered as part of the customer experience, not tacked on at the end with no thought to how it will impact customer perception. Social media has changed the way people interact with brands and long surveys, whilst they still have their uses, must be supplemented with fresher, more visual and innovative methods.

When sought correctly, customer feedback can actually be fun and interesting for customers to give. But the received wisdom around methodology needs to change dramatically.