Customer Service Surveys Have Run Amok

[Emergent, RN]

At work today, one of the girls who comes in to do patient callbacks was there. In the background I heard her call people over and over again, asking the same questions, over and over.

I got home and checked my email. I just bought some tickets on Expedia for a trip I'm planning, the other day. There was another survey, requesting me to take just 15 seconds to let them know how they did, what I thought of them, how I felt about my experience buying airline tickets.

Has anybody studied who exactly are the ones to answer the surveys? I doubt if it is an accurate representation of customers. Busy people don't have time for things like that, unless they are busybody people. And the surveys themselves are usually quite superficial.

It seems that every time i buy even the smallest thing, someone is asking to get my opinion of how I enjoyed the experience, how could things have been better. Why even when I do online education for work, they want me to rate their presentation. In fact some of the in-service ed won't let you finish until you've rated and graded the course.

Please rate my thread when you are done reading this.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

The one I really love is Amazon. They keep asking me to rate my experience with whatever seller I bought from. Every time I try to submit a rating or comment, though, I get an automated response saying my feedback doesn't meet their standards (or something to that effect). I've gotten to the point where I just delete their emails asking for feedback.

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

******* likert scale.

Although regarding Amazon, they do have excellent customer service, and have always been very responsive when I've had issues, some of them major.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

******** likert scale.

Although regarding Amazon, they do have excellent customer service, and have always been very responsive when I've had issues, some of them major.

I absolutely agree about Amazon. I've never had a problem with any of the sellers I've dealt with from Amazon. It's definitely my favorite place for online shopping.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

The place I work uses the EMR system that everybody just hate, and which is served by habitually useless "helpdesk". After each episode, you are asked to fill an online survey. So, one day, being sick and tired of this royal mess, I just started to do it. Every single time, using the real numbers and writing real comments ("the real level of my satisfaction belongs to the realm of negative numbers"). They say my opinion counts? Good, let's see how much it does.

In a couple of months, I got a call from them, believe me or not. The lady on the other end wanted to know why I was so desperately unhappy all the time. When I told her about half a dozen of bugs slowing the system down and patients crying in pain because their meds could not be scanned (well, I exaggerated a touch), she was shocked that "nobody else was ever complaining".... well, didn't you guys say that my opinion counts?

Next week, company people were noted on floor. We'll see what happens.

[poppycat, ADN, BSN]

I just remembered the PG survey that's my biggest headache. I see my psychiatrist about every 3 months. A week or so after my office visit, I get the survey. It's actually from the hospital system she's associated with. None of the questions on it are pertinent to the reasons I see her. For example, "is this the doctor you see for all of your medical problems?", "do you call this doctor after office hours for advice about illnesses in your family?". Obviously they have no idea what a psychiatrist does. Yep I see her when I have a cold!

And if I just send the survey through my shredder to ignore it, another one will appear in my mailbox 2-3 weeks later. I've gotten to the point where I just write "does not apply" to answer every question.

[smartassmommy]

I actually got one of those surveys after I had my preemployment labs done. So yes, I agree, the surveys have run amok!

[nurseqt77, ASN, RN]

I am a survey hypocrite. I read all of them before I purchase a bobby pin, but I buy a Microsoft Surface, which I adore, but I can't be bothered with answering the feedback email. I hope my patients are more considerate when Medicare send them their surveys!! It would be great if everyone on the planet knew how good my patients think I am. I had to go to the ER a few months ago, which hasn't happened since I was a child ( a very very long time ago, trust me), and they were so awesome, I vowed to complete the survey, but the link in the email didn't work, so that was all it took to discourage me from making a positive impact in someone's day, which seems kind of pathetic now that I think about it. But yes, all the surveys about every single aspect in our lives....that's overkill. I refuse to discuss the satisfaction I perceived following my last oil change.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

I voted 1. Why? Because you didn't have my favorite cable channels, I hated the food, I didn't get all the pain medicine I wanted to feel high, my nurse didn't have a smile plastered on her face as she told me to quit smoking, my nurse had other patients to take care of, I wasn't allowed to get 3 lunch trays on the cardiac low fat diet, and I heard somebody whispering in the hall at night while I was up with my TV blaring.

[RNperdiem, RN]

My phone keeps ringing for election "opinion polls", the PG form I got in the mail after my son's hospital trip ran 4 pages of detailed questions, and it seem every other receipt I get at the stores has the clerk circling a website survey recommendation.

With such survey overload, I am opting out on almost everything unless I have some really useful feedback to give.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I love the term "run amok".

I don't like customer service surveys either, and never participate.

Such a huge waste of time.

The website I visit for CEUs won't let me complete until I rate. I just go right down the middle with zero thought to what I'm rating.

Everything gets a 3 because that's the easiest.