Customer Satisfaction Surveys – The e-Performance Observatory Pinpoints New Limits in the Declarative Methods !
online survey : e-Performance Observatory reveals a gap of 25 % between the customer satisfaction declared and the actual performance measured
LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The e-Performance Observatory pinpoints average differences of more than 25 % when confronting customer satisfaction expressed and the actual performance measured via their ability to achieve tasks online. To optimise the conversion potential of a site, the common single “satisfaction barometer” could turn into a seriously misleading driver, leaving project managers unable to see the trees for the wood.
Online surveys : an overall growing market share with potential issues
According to the latest Esomar report, online surveys reach a 20% share of the overall survey market. A significant bulk of those surveys aims to address the satisfaction and customer experience topics online. The goal is to collect feedback from the customers via their assessment of the web site. However, such declarative data seem often to have limited reliability when assessing the actual behaviour of people on Internet.
Stake on Internet : confront behavioural data with the declarative ones
With a statistically reliable sample of customers put in a real use situation online, Yuseo collects at the same time relevant behavioural data (online customer paths) as well as the perception feedback while navigating (questionnaires). Thus, it jointly allows to measure the actual performance of the site (ability of the users to complete the task in hand) and assess the satisfaction while browsing (perception as expressed).
The e-Performance Observatory (www.eperformance-observatory.com) relies on such quantitative customer centred method to deliver a competitive performance benchmark of players. Independent and objective, this evaluation genuinely measures the overall customer experience while actually using the sites.
Facts : behavioural data enhance the limits of the single online declarative surveys
The 3 editions of the e-Performance Observatory, show the gaps, sometimes significant, between what people actually say when navigating on a web site and their actual behaviour. Such results confirm the fact that a web customer has little ability to truthfully assess his own actions online. This issue proves the relevancy of the questioning on the limits of the traditional survey methods purely relying on declarative data collection.
On Internet, more than on any other media, costumers are more and more demanding and companies are willing to optimise their web marketing investments. Building up a detailed and genuine understanding of the customer journey online is a core issue to fully grasp the potential of each visitor to their site.
The following figures can be somewhat breathtaking and aim to challenge the reliability of some of the indicators currently used online :
E Buyer : Satisfaction declared 66 % vs Performance measured : 41 %
Littlewoods : Satisfaction declared 62 % vs Performance measured : 44 %
Find all details on www.eperformance-observatory.com
Since January 2001, Yuseo (www.yuseo.com), leading French specialist in interfaces ergonomics (HCI) promotes the mix of Quantitative and Qualitative usability surveys to deliver performance via a comprehensive understanding of the specifics of the user experience.