How many questions does your current customer service survey have on it? 10? 20? By adding too many questions on your surveys, you could be deterring your clients from filling them out. Each question takes up more of your client’s time. Time that they may not feel they have to give to a survey. At the end of the day, there is only one open-​ended question you need to be asking your clients. A question that will prompt all the feedback you could ever need from a client.

“How easy am I to do business with?”

This is the question CustomerThink writer Shep Hyken recommends asking your clients. Leave it open-​ended to encourage more detailed responses. Hopefully you’ll get elaborate answers, both good and bad. The bad, especially, will help you develop a better customer service strategy down the road.

But why this question, specifically? Because convenience is the name of the game. Brick-​and-​mortar stores are beginning to struggle because of the ease of ordering products online. Why call your friends when texting gives you both the opportunity to respond at your leisure? Your clients are looking for the most convenient experiences in both their work and personal lives. You need to deliver convenience in order to keep them happy. That is why asking them about the ease of your service should be your top priority.

But what happens if the client’s response is too vague to get any good information out of? That’s when you hit them with the follow-​up question: “Is there one thing you can think of that would make doing business with me better?” This is where you pay particular attention to the follow-​up answers, advises Hyken. The follow-​up answers are laying out your best customer service strategy in black and white.

“How easy am I to do business with?” is the question that will either give you exactly how you need to change your customer service strategy, or it will pave the way for the follow-​up question that will.