We’ve spoken about the logistics of customer research incentives and truth be told, they’re an important part of customer research. Here are three reasons why you need customer research incentives for your next research project.
There’s something to be said for writing a good thank you note. My mother has always imparted to me the importance of saying thank you. I still write thank you notes (and mail them) after my birthday and Christmas. It takes a minute, and stamps are weirdly difficult to track down or keep track of in my house, but it’s such a nice way to connect with friends and family, something more than a text or a social media like. The “thank you” is a personal touch. It communicates respect in addition to just appreciation.
I’ve imparted the importance of thank you note writing to my eight-year-old daughter, and while she doesn’t love it yet, I hope that the people that receive them, love them. But really, who doesn’t love the sweet handwriting of a child?!?! For me, there’s something so thoughtful about receiving a thank you note and sending it. The extra step, though small, can leave a lasting impression. Maya Angelou said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That’s what a thank you note does. It makes the writer and the receiver take a moment and feel the thank you. I like to think that the fact I write thank you notes is something people will remember me for when I am gone, and maybe it’s just part of who I am now. I hope it’s going to be a part of who my daughter comes to be.
When it comes to sending business-related thank you’s, email is the generally accepted standard, as it’s a little too personal to be giving out your home address to anyone and everyone. Emails are lovely, and, if you use the right words, often they can be just as meaningful as a handwritten thank you. I’ve also found that attaching a gift of some kind to an email is the extra step, the one that makes them feel your gratitude. It’s also a great way to build relationships. In this screen-first world, connections are getting harder and harder to make. But, saying thank you, and sending a gift is a unique way to connect with your customers to build lasting relationships.
Thank you’s show respect, they illustrate your own brand (personal or corporate) and they help build relationships.
All three of these reasons are exactly why we recommend sending incentives along with every customer research interaction. We have specific guidance about how much to pay, when to pay and all of that, in this blog post about customer research incentives.
Sometimes it’s difficult to execute on the incentives: it’s hard to determine what to send, it’s hard to make sure everyone received it, it’s just one more step in the research process, but it’s an important one. Oooo, yeah, and we made it super easy with our integration with Tremendous.
Watch a demo here.
