We’re diving deep into the topic of customer feedback in our latest series of articles for auto businesses. After outlining why it’s important, we covered 9 ways to collect customer feedback and then looked at customer satisfaction surveys. That last article aimed to give a high-level view of creating and executing customer surveys. Today we’re going to dig into the details by examining the types of customer satisfaction survey questions you may want to use and specific questions you may consider. Let’s do it!
6 Types of Customer Survey Questions
As you set out to create your survey and learn what customers think about your auto dealership or repair shop, it’s important to understand the various types of customer survey questions you may ask. Each type of survey question has its purpose and will help you gather different information from the customer. So, what do you want to know? Keep that question in mind as you read the information below.
1. Binary Scale Survey Questions
Binary scale customer survey questions are simple because they give customers two options: yes/no, thumbs up/thumbs down, a happy face/sad face, etc. The benefit of asking a question like this is the simplicity, but on the other hand, the answers don’t allow for any ‘shades of gray.’
An example of this survey question would be, “Were you satisfied with the car buying experience at our dealership? (Yes/No)”
2. Scale Survey Questions
Sometimes you don’t want or need ‘shades of gray,’ so asking a binary question is ideal. But if you want to allow for ‘in between’ answers, you may consider using a scale survey question. A scale question asks people to rate their experience on a scale (for example, 1-5) or using labels (like strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree).
For example, you may ask, “On a scale of 1-5, where 1 means you were highly dissatisfied, and 5 means you were highly satisfied, how would you rate your satisfaction with the car buying experience at our dealership?”
3. Semantic Differential Survey Questions
Another alternative to asking a binary question is to use a semantic differential. This type of question identifies two poles (ends of a spectrum) and allows survey-takers to select a place anywhere in between.
For example, you may ask, “Please rate the pricing at our dealership.” The word ‘expensive’ could be at one end and ‘inexpensive’ at the other, with notches in between. Customers can then choose a place between the two poles representing their opinion.
4. Ranking Survey Questions
Ranking survey questions are used when you want the survey respondent to rank a variety of answers based on what is most important to them. In ranking questions (depending on the survey software you choose), the survey taker can drag each answer into their desired order or put numbers next to each one to indicate rank.
For example, you may ask, “Please rank what is most important to you when choosing a vehicle.” The answer choices could include price, selection, location of the dealership, prior experience with the dealership, a recommendation from a loved one, etc. Customers would then drag the answers into their order of importance or place numbers beside each one, with 1 being the most important factor.
5. Multiple-Choice Survey Questions
Multiple-choice questions tend to be used for categories. For example, you could ask, “What kind of car did you purchase?” and give options like sedan, truck, SUV, etc.
The example above demonstrates a ‘single-answer’ multiple-choice question, where the survey taker can only select one option from the list. However, you can also use multiple-answer questions in your survey.
For example, you may ask, “What kind of vehicle(s) were you considering during the buying process?” The answers may also be a sedan, truck, SUV, etc., but, in this case, the customer can choose all that apply.
6. Open-Ended Survey Questions
A final type of customer survey question to consider is the open-ended survey question.
So far, this list has focused on what are known as ‘close-ended questions.’ Binary, scale, semantic differential, ranking, and multiple-choice survey questions are all close-ended questions because the survey taker must choose from the limited answers you provide.
In an open-ended survey question, the survey taker is free to elaborate and share whatever is on their mind. Open-ended questions are typically accompanied by an empty text box where the respondent can write an answer.
For example, you may ask, “What could we do to improve the car-buying experience at our dealership?” and leave a text box for customers to share their thoughts.
Choosing the Right Survey Question
You can choose from many different types of customer survey questions. So how do you select the right kind of questions for your survey? Here are four guiding principles:
In the end, you’ll want to strategically use several types of customer survey questions to get the information you need. By mixing it up, you’ll avoid survey fatigue. You can also combine questions to understand the customer’s experience fully. For example, you may ask the customer to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1-5 and then follow up with an open-ended question that asks them to explain the score they gave.
10 Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions for Auto Dealerships
As you let the information about types of survey questions sink in, we want to share a few specific customer satisfaction survey questions that auto dealership owners may consider asking in their surveys.
Analyzing the Answers to Your Survey
Choosing the right survey questions for your customer satisfaction survey can be tricky, but this article will get you on the right path. Not only have you learned about the major types of survey questions you can ask, but you also have several specific examples of questions to use in your survey.
But after the survey is live and the answers start streaming in, what next? Well, that’s the topic for our next article, where we will share advice on analyzing the responses you receive so you can make sense of the feedback and act on it. Until then, there’s plenty of work to create your survey! Refer to this article (and our general tips here) as you set up a customer survey, and we will be back with more next time.
To learn more about the author, visit https://clarityvoice.com/
This question gives you further background into the customer mindset. Some customers are emotional/impulsive buyers, while others are more practical buyers.
The practical buyers normally come from those who have the role of travelling officers or are making a purchase on behalf of a company. We will get into the B2B side of things in part two of this article.
This is a time gauge question which gives you the ability to assess how soon the prospect will be looking at changing. Most financial institutions run their vehicular loans for a period of five (5) years.
However, within the last three (3) years the increase in foreign exchange and motor vehicle taxes (MVT) the list prices of vehicles have increased considerably pushing the loan term to seven (7) years.
Based on the customer's response to this question, you will know if they are closer to the end of the five or seven-year term. This helps with the assumption they are actually in the market and have started the process of looking.
Here is where you start digging a little deeper into their likes or dislikes. As technology, specs, features, bells & whistles change so has the customers. Some customers may give you a snapshot as to what is important to them now especially if anything changed their lives over the last five (5) years.
Based on how well you've been listening you may not even have to ask this question as you may have already discovered the reason. Asking the question is good for validation and there are many different reasons why people purchase vehicles. Here are just a few;
New job with/without car package
A new addition to the family
The family got smaller (bigger car no longer needed)
Son/daughter is a new driver
Was previously in an accident, the vehicle is written off/totalled
The customer is road safety conscious
Change in job/personal activity (e.g. picked up off-roading on the weekend)
The warranty is almost up
Problems with the previous dealership, so looking for a new vendor
Something with a lower monthly instalment
Better overall total cost of ownership (TCO)
These questions trigger responses that will give you a lot of leverage on how to position your sale. The key to picking up on this is being an active listener and proficient in asking more questions when you don't get the answer you may be looking for.
Also Read Article:
“FINDING THE INFLUENCER” The Users
6) What's most important to you?
This is where you are basically asking the customer to shortlist all the things they like about a certain vehicle into one or two specific features. This gives you the ability to zone in on what will push them to the closing stage once those specific criteria are met.
If the customer says reliability, then you get the opportunity to speak on how reliable your recommendation is and its value to their reason for purchasing. Keep in mind that some customers may choose the credibility of the dealership and how they do business. So in this instance, there is no need to talk about the car but about your after-sales service.
7) The Recap Question:
Selling is about discovery, even if the customer walks into the showroom and expresses an interest in one of your vehicles, it's your responsibility to make sure they are looking at this for all the right reasons.
You don't want to try to close a deal on a sedan when they really need a SUV. That's a misaligned sales approach to the customer and the potential for you to lose the deal for the sales rep.
Take the time to ask these questions, make up some more questions on your own, practice asking with your sales managers, team lead or teammates so that you get better at it and give the customer an exceptional consultative experience.
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