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Bonnie Granat asked:
> Would it be a good idea for a freelancer to conduct follow-up
> with customers on their satisfaction with the services they
> received? If so, would a quick, three-question survey in
> e-mail be sufficient? Any thoughts?
As Darren B and David N also suggested, giving a survey is pretty much
necessary in order for you to get a sense of whether or not the customer is
likely to return; but be careful how you word it, so that you actually get
meaningful responses. I also second the comment that using snail mail is
preferred, since it shows that you are interested enough in their opinions
that you are spending the $ to send a "real" letter. Using a self-addressed,
stamped envelope with the survey is the best way to go; send it within 2-4
weeks of the project completion to the person who signed the contract and
the people with whom you worked (these may not be the same audience). Limit
yourself to one page, five questions and leave a space at the bottom for
generic comments.
Some suggested questions: Was the work completed according to the terms of
the agreement? Were you pleased with the work product/outcome/document(s)?
Were your interactions with the Company pleasant? Would you recommend our
services to someone else?
Use a Likert-scale form of responses with no more than 4 or 5 options.
For example: Strongly
disagree Strongly agree
Were your interactions with the Company pleasant? 1 2 3 4
5
Putting them this way also allows you to collect the feedback and
numerically track in it a spreadsheet, so you can get a statistical picture
of the way you are being perceived by your clients.
As for gifts, Darren's idea is great. But I would add that many companies
prohibit employees from accepting gifts with a market value of >$20 or $25;
so your best bet is something like a coffee mug, or coffee, or gift
certificates, etc. (I regularly use two coasters I picked up - a "thirsty
stone" and a leather one, advertising a great company that provided chemical
and safety training for us, and some of the best ice cream on the planet.)
HTH!
Joe Hauglie
Technical Editor, Texas Instruments - Tucson
jhauglie -at- ti -dot- com
