4 Ways to Highlight First-Time Guest Surveys
We’ve talked before about our First-Time Guest surveys: the four questions that go out to every guest who gives us their contact information. Those surveys are a way to keep our finger on the pulse of what’s actually helpful to our guests versus what serves as a distraction.
More specifically, we use those surveys for three immediately-actionable ways, looking for specific positives, specific (fixable) negatives, and general trends.
You can see the two relevant posts here:
But there are other ways we want to make sure we’re keeping these survey results in front of our staff and key volunteers. Keeping those top of mind makes sure that the right eyes are getting on the right data, and that we’re not losing touch with those we’re here to serve.
4 ways to highlight your First-Time Guest surveys:
1. Post them in your office.
Back in the day when (a) we mailed out actual postcards for the guest to fill out and return, and (b) our staff was all housed in one location, we had a bulletin board in our office kitchen dedicated to survey display. Often I’d walk in to see a staff member reviewing the surveys as they waited on their coffee to brew. It was a great – albeit informal – way to keep the stories in front of them.
2. Send them in a weekly email.
Once our surveys went digital and as our staff grew, we transitioned from the cork board to a regular email that goes out to Guest Services Directors, Campus Pastors, our Steering Team, and any other staff member who wants to get it. Most Mondays, they’ll get a copied-and-pasted list of all surveys that we received the week before. They can quickly find their particular campus feedback or check out what errybody had to say about errybody.
3. Use them to encourage a specific volunteer / group of volunteers.
I mentioned this in another post, but when we get “specific positives” – as in, a guest calls out a volunteer or a particular experience as a highlight of their visit – we’ll make sure that volunteer knows about it. That campus Guest Services Director will also often use that story in Volunteer Headquarters as a way to remind their team of the win.
4. Talk about them as a training tool.
I enjoy using specific talking points from surveys during volunteer onboarding. These points are helpful for providing real-time coaching. I also use them for giving reports to my supervisor or members of our Steering Team. Giving real-time anecdotal data has proven helpful to all of us, making sure we all know what our guests are experiencing, and how we can replicate the good and eliminate the bad.
If you go through the trouble of sending out surveys, don’t neglect the opportunity to do something with those surveys. Which of the above “4 ways” can you implement this week?
