1. Now is the time for qualitative insight

We strongly believe that your survey should speak to customers in their language, look at the relationship from their perspective, and ask about the things which matter most to them. That means using qualitative research to explore how customers see their relationship with you before you design your survey.

But what happens when things change?

The last few years have seen huge upheavals for UK businesses, and it doesn't look like the near future is going to be much smoother. Your customers are working in new ways, dealing with new pressures, and that means their needs are changing too. Now is the time to engage them with qualitative insight so that you can make informed decisions about your future strategy, as well as your customer experience.

Depth interviews with key clients will draw out customers' changing needs, explore their views of what the future will look like for your sector, and ensure your quantitative research remains fit for purpose. Even without the quantitative research, a select 8-10 depth interviews will give you a much richer understanding of what is important to your clients and doesn’t require a large commitment of time.

2. Map the journey in order to control it

Mapping the customer journey is essential if you're going to take control of it, but many B2B organisations haven't yet explored the potential of this powerful approach.

As we explained in this free webinar, mapping the B2B customer experience demands a different approach to some key aspects of how the journey is mapped, but that shouldn't put you off using this powerful technique.

Mapping the customer journey allows everyone in the organisation to sign up to a shared vision of what the journey looks like, understanding their own contribution to it, and encourages a systematic approach to making improvements.

You don’t have to map all your journeys to get the benefit, focussing on the journey that isn’t as frictionless as you’d like or requires more patience from clients will help you design your service levels.

3. Make sure you're talking to the right people

Organisations often worry about the sample size of their surveys, but in most cases a more important question is who is taking part.

Rather than focusing on the overall number of survey responses, you need to think about:

• Response rate. Who are you not hearing from? Which customers are choosing not to take part, and why?

• Roles. Are you including all relevant decision makers, influencers, and users of your products? What about end users? Does your survey reflect the different needs and perspectives of these groups?

• Non-customers. There's a lot to learn from lapsed customers and prospects, alongside your loyal customers, to build a rounded picture of the market.

• Build in client exit interviews with those that are choosing not to renew, or have chosen to switch suppliers.