Customer Satisfaction Survey - Strategic Direction

Hi Sui,

Measuring customer feedback on a scale like the one you reference is a popular - and good - thing to do.  However, these measurement scales don't provide the complete picture.  Here are some of my thoughts on what you've asked:

- I think this particular question needs more context.  For example, I wouldn't assume that your survey respondents have a full or complete understanding of the strategic focus of your business. It's fine to ask them to rate it, but I would first ask them:  "How well do you understand the strategic focus of our business?"  

- You might think about the way you've phrased this question.  It sounds like a question that is more meaningful to the internal product and leadership team than to the customer or user.  Would you get better data if you phrased it differently?  What about something like this:  "How well do we understand your requirements as a customer and translate that understanding into product or company strategy?" You could use the same response scale.

- While it seems clear how to use the rating scale, you should always clarify what the scale endpoints represent.  Is "1" very high or very low?  I like to add a phrase like:  "Please respond using a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 = low or worst and 10 = high or best."

- It is easy to be misled by the rating this question will ultimately provide.  Let's suppose, for sake of discussion, that the calculated mean for this response is 7.3.  Is that a good rating or a bad one?  If 10 = best, then you can argue that it is a fairly good response.  However, it tells you nothing about the trend.  What if the mean for this question last year was 8.1?  Then you have reason for concern. On the other hand, if the rating was 6.9, you can celebrate!  For this reason, questions like this one need to be asked on a regular basis, so you have some trend data.

- Questions like these, where you're looking for a quantitative response, are often helped by providing (and encouraging) comments.  I suggest you include a comments box for every question.  Most survey respondents won't use it, but those who do will provide valuable, qualitative input.

To summarize, I don't think this question is a loaded one, but I do think you can do some things to put it in better context and gather more meaningful responses.