Credit union member surveys are an excellent way of soliciting member feedback. That member insight can lead to important policy changes, new services, and more. The best part of surveys is that they give a voice to all of your members, rather than only the loudest.
It’s certainly possible to hear member feedback from non-survey sources. However, the information you get from those sources may not be high-quality. In this blog, we’ll look at the dangers of relying on non-survey member feedback.
Who Gets to Speak for All Members?
In a perfect world, all members would speak for themselves. However, in practice, it’s more likely that the people who feel most comfortable speaking are those that are heard.
If your credit union doesn’t give each member a chance to chime in, you risk hearing from only your most vocal members. If you give undue attention to your most vocal members, your understanding of overall member satisfaction may get skewed.
Here are the ways that non-survey member feedback might be compromised.
Members Bring Up Issues to Employees
If you’re getting member feedback through your employees, remember what’s at stake.
First, employees may want to deliver more good news than bad for fear of consequences. Thus, they’re less likely to pass on negative feedback and more likely to pass on positive feedback. Similarly, employees are more likely to sugarcoat or downplay the significance of member issues.
Relying on your employees for accurate member feedback is likely to skew toward positive results.
Most importantly, relying on employee-reported feedback doesn’t solve the biggest issue: who volunteers feedback. We’ll explore that possibility below.
Members Bring Up Issues to Management
It’s rare that people ask to speak to managers to compliment a job well done. More often than not, speaking with a manager indicates that someone’s expectations have not been met. At all.
People who feel comfortable with or entitled to offering an unasked-for opinion are more likely to feel passionately about their issue. Unfortunately, it’s very likely that their passion stems from frustration or anger rather than from elation.
Relying on direct member feedback is likely to skew toward negative results.
If you want a balanced, accurate view of how the majority of your members feel, you’re better off with a survey. Here’s why.
Surveys Give Equal Voice to All Members
It would be a shame if a small, vocal minority of members complained loudly enough for a credit union to change something, only for the credit union to learn that most members preferred the old way better.
Most members who have only a minor gripe about something will feel empowered to address that issue in a survey, even if they wouldn’t bring it up to an employee or management.
Surveys reduce the friction inherent to member feedback. Don’t put the onus on the member to speak up about their experiences. Do ask them about their experiences and show that you’re actively soliciting feedback.
How Can I Start Sending Out Surveys?
Credit unions have several choices when it comes to surveying their members. We’ve even put together a comparison of three great survey platforms that work for credit unions.
If you’d like to learn more about credit union member surveys or what kind of questions you might ask, follow the links below. Or, if you want to get started making your own surveys, you can request a demo.
Best Credit Union Member Survey Strategy for Transaction Surveys
