When requesting feedback, be explicit about how you will interpret each score
To meet and exceed market expectations, feedback is crucial. The nuances of how you collect feedback, such as the audience you target and the questions you ask, can have a significant impact on eventual outcomes. One seemingly trivial decision that can significantly influence outcomes is how you ask stakeholders to score an experience. This is often done using a five- or ten-point scale, sometimes represented by numbers, stars or words.
When measuring satisfaction, I always default to a four-point rating with explicitly labelled options. With any fewer, you cannot cover the full spectrum from very dissatisfied to very satisfied. With any more, the meaning of each option becomes less clear and more open to interpretation. On a scale of one to ten, who can agree on the difference between a seven and an eight?
Typically, I will use the following scale:
- Very unsatisfied
- Unsatisfied
- Satisfied
- Very satisfied
This scale makes the meaning of each score explicit, leaving less open for interpretation by the respondent.
Lastly, to score overall performance, I calculate the percentage of positive responses (i.e., what percentage of respondents answered with a four or five?).
2 May, 2020
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