Do It Yourself — But Do It Right — with the Customer Survey Guidebook!

You’ve been put in charge of a survey project but have no background in surveying. Blog articles provide hit and miss information. So, you pick up some survey books.

  • Okay, the theory is great, but where do I start?

    The survey books left your head spinning. “The theory is interesting, but where do I start?” You want a guide.

  • That’s why we wrote The Customer Survey Guidebook

    We wrote The Customer Survey Guidebook to walk you through the steps of creating and executing a successful survey project.

Customer Surveying: A Guidebook for Service Managers (a.k.a., The Customer Survey Guidebook) is not an encyclopedia on satisfaction surveys or a textbook on survey theory. Rather, its 256 pages aim to provide the tools the survey novice needs to collect useful information about customers’ or employees’ views — or any other group you need to research. The Customer Survey Guidebook introduces theories and concepts, but always with a focus on practical application, such as proper survey question design.

The term survey guide is used very explicitly here. A guide in the classic sense helps show the path through unknown territory, helping the journeyer to avoid pitfalls, but also answering questions along the way and pointing out features that enhance the value of the trek.

We’re out of stock!

We have exhausted our inventory of Survey Guidebooks.  A new edition is in the works and will be available later this year.  Please contact us to be placed on a notification list when the new edition will be available.

The Customer Survey Guidebook plots a path for the surveyor from project planning, survey questionnaire design, survey administration, to data analysis and reporting. A trail map is used as a metaphor for the typical trail a surveyor would follow in the life of a survey project. At each stop on the trail, the tasks are described with the pros and cons of various options outlined.

Much of the book uses an “FAQ” format, anticipating the questions a novice surveyor might have and answering them concisely in a bulleted format. Think of this book as “Customer Surveys for Dummies”® but written at a slightly higher level. (“Dummies” is a registered trademark of IDG. We tried to interest IDG in the title, but they declined.)

The Customer Survey Guidebook pays particular attention to options for survey questionnaire design and potential pitfalls. Chapter 4 describes how to determine what questions to ask, then covers all the various types of survey question formats from nominal to ordinal to interval rating questions. Rating scale construction is covered in depth.

The next chapter turns to survey administration, covering the advantages and disadvantages of each of the major survey administration methods. Sample size requirements and statistical accuracy are also covered, along with ideas on how to increase response rates.

The sixth chapter addresses survey data analysis, illustrating how to do it using Excel. Screenshots will help you learn how to apply the spreadsheet formulas to your own survey data analysis.

Throughout the book 67 figures and charts are included. Four exercises will help readers practice their new-found skills.

How to Order

We are out of copies, but the book is available through resellers on Amazon.  A new edition is in the works.  Please contact us to be notified when it’s available.

If you prefer to have hands-on instruction, consider our Survey Design Workshop. Workshop registration includes a copy of the Survey Guidebook!  If you buy the Customer Survey Guidebook now to get a flavor of the Workshop, we’ll credit you the purchase price should you attend the Workshop — but only if you purchase through Great Brook.

Survey Design Workshop

Table of Contents

Table of Figures & Exercises
Introduction
Chapter 1: Basics of Customer Surveying

Chapter 2: Pitfalls on the Survey Trail

Chapter 3: Survey Project Management

Chapter 4: Designing the Questionnaire

Chapter 5: Administering the Survey

Chapter 6: Analyzing & Presenting Results

Chapter 7: Taking Action

Chapter 8: Survey Automation Tools & Survey Outsourcing

Appendix: Discussion of Exercises
Bibliography
Index
About the Book
About the Author

Publisher: Customer Service Press

  • 256 pages
  • Softbound binding, 6.5″ x 9″
  • 67 figures and charts
  • 4 exercises
  • Price from Great Brook: US $ 29.95
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Need more assistance than a self-help guide?

Survey Design Workshop

Our Survey Workshop series provides three intensive days of training with a survey expert. Even those attending with some background in survey projects are amazed at how much they didn’t know. Plus, your registration includes the Survey Guidebook. If you buy the book from us now and attend the Workshops later, we’ll credit you the purchase price.

Survey Mentor

Our Survey Mentor suite of targeted consulting engagements also goes beyond self-help — and the Survey Guidebook is a deliverable in most of the Survey Mentor products.

Customer Surveying has been adopted as a required text book for:

  • Harvard University’s Certificate in Management marketing course
  • Indiana University’s Evaluation of Information Systems course.

Harvard Management Communication Letter (October 2002) cites Fred Van Bennekom and his Customer Surveying book.