If You Don’t Ask, Your Customers Won’t Tell

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Surveys have drawbacks when it comes to predicting customer behavior. People don’t always answer questions honestly, there’s a chance they don’t even understand what you’re asking, and they might offer a half-hearted response simply because they’re sick of thinking about your product. Worse still, says a Kellogg study, their biases about your company may lead them to offer up inaccurate information — the type that leads to expensive and ineffective corporate strategies. Fortunately, the study provides an easy way to neutralize and learn from customers who are prejudiced against your business.

According to the research, which was conducted by Kellogg professors David Gal and Derek Rucker (pictured), a phenomenon called response substitution may rear its head unless you ask the right questions. Here’s how it works: If a consumer receives poor service at a restaurant, he might form a negative opinion of it. If someone later asks him whether the restaurant has good food, he might take the opportunity to express his negative sentiments about the establishment, even if the food was delicious. The customer’s desire to express himself makes him eager to share his thoughts, even if they are un