Target Method for CSAT

Sometimes I question the thought process behind customer satisfaction techniques, especially when they are completed by large companies that likely have more of a research team involved in the creation of these studies than other companies. This came up recently at a trip to Target. I was looking for a GPS for my car, and found one that was inexpensive and seemed like a good choice.

I purchased the GPS directly from the electronics counter (rather than in the traditional checkout line). Right after I finished paying, the clerk (who was also the person that helped me pick the GPS) stopped me and mentioned that they had a survey they’d like me to take in order to win $5,000. This happens all the time at a variety of stores.

Normally I ignore it for reasons that will be explained momentarily. But in this case, the clerk was insistent. He asked if I would be willing to take it right now, and directed me immediately to one of the counters where the survey was already loaded.

He then entered in my code and left me to fill out the survey.

This entire process seemed strange to me from a customer satisfaction perspective. Indeed, it was hard for me to see how this could bring back any relevant data at all. There were three main flaws with how this was conducted. 1.

Forcing a Happy Customer to Take a Satisfaction Survey There is value to getting feedback about a specific customer experience. But there seems to be less value if the employee that provided the service immediately and in a friendly manner is the one directing you to take the survey. Are they encouraging those with bad experiences to take the survey? What if the simple act of walking me to the survey changed my results? It’s hard to believe that this method of selecting people to take surveys is going to produce anything reliable.

Even if my receipt selected me at random, it’s unlikely that my choice to participate could truly be considered “random,” because when the employee that helped with service is directly responsible for bringing you to the survey, they are introducing a human element into the equation that is going to skew results. In the next article, we’ll look at some of the other issues I saw with the Target method of requesting customer satisfaction. Related Blog