Five-page document includes customer survey and accompanying letter.  

Introduction

About 100 days after close, it’s a good idea to take the temperature of the two companies’ customers. Chances are they may have experienced some turbulence caused by the transition. They’ll probably appreciate a little special attention at this point, so it certainly can’t hurt to touch base and find out if they’re experiencing any problems that you might not otherwise be aware of. It may be uncomfortable to go looking for bad news, but it’s even worse if customers have a problem with your business and don’t tell you about it. It’s up to the buyer to keep the lines of communication open. A survey is one way to promote a dialogue with customers and give them an opportunity to tell you how well the combined organization is meeting their needs. 

This survey:

  • Communicates to customers that the company is concerned about any impact the deal may have had on them.
  • Helps the company find out if customers are confused or unhappy about new policies and procedures.
  • Explores whether or not customers are experiencing billing or customer service problems.
  • Determines whether or not the customer intends to do business with the company in the future.
  • Finds out if the customer is happy enough with the company to recommend it to others.
  • Asks if a customer knows who to contact for questions or problems.

To improve the response rate, the buyer should consider offering a free gift to customers who complete the survey. This will give customers a token of appreciation for their continued patronage. The gift does not have to be elaborate or expensive. A baseball cap with the company’s logo can serve a dual purpose of making the customer happy and creating a walking advertisement for the combined business. 

Even if the response rate isn’t great (and survey response rates are usually extremely low), the survey sends a message to customers that the buyer cares. Even if they throw it away, the survey still sends a message that says “What our customers think matters.” 

 

[ Sample Cover Letter for Post-Close Customer Survey ]

 

Date

 

Dear _______________________,

 

As you may remember, it’s now been approximately three months since ____________________________________ and ________________________ joined forces. One of the primary reasons for doing the deal was to combine our strengths so that we could serve our customers better.

The transition has been a lot of work for our staff, but they have completed the integration in record time and with minimal disruptions. I’m extremely proud of the hard work and dedication they’ve demonstrated over the past several months. They’re excited about the future and recognize that joining forces has put us in a better position than ever before to meet our customers’ needs.

Now we’d like to make sure that you’re okay. We’ve changed and rearranged some things, and we want to make sure that we haven’t negatively impacted you in the process. While our intentions have always been good, sometimes mergers can cause unintended consequences. In growing bigger and better, we want to make sure that things are better for you as well.

Therefore, we’d appreciate it if you’d take about three minutes to complete the attached survey.

If you provide your name, we will send you a free gift as a token of our appreciation for filling out the survey.

If you’d prefer to talk to someone in person about problems or concerns . . . or if you would just like to tell us we’re doing well, feel free to call me at ___________________.

I’d really like to hear from you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Executive

 

Customer Survey

Please answer each of the questions below honestly and objectively. We want to understand your current satisfaction with our new organization and the priority and importance of each item to you.

Under Rating:

Please use the following scale:

1 = Disagree Completely

2 = Disagree Slightly

3 = No Opinion

4 = Agree Slightly

5 = Agree Completely

Under Importance:

Please rank the task/item:

1 = Not important to me.

2 = Only slightly important to me

3 = Somewhat important to me

4 = Very important to me

5 = Extremely important to me

 

RATING

 

IMPORTANCE

5

4

3

2

1

 

5

4

3

2

1

 

 

 

 

 

I am pleased that your companies have joined forces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I anticipate that I may benefit in the future from your merger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe the community may benefit from your merger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I understand how any policies or procedures that support customers have changed since your companies joined forces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I appreciated receiving a letter, personal phone call, or visit from a member of the combined company to announce your transaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I feel I have been kept up to date about what is going on in the combined company and have received useful information during the transition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe the management of the combined company listens to customer issues and concerns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not had any major customer service problems during your integration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have had no problems with billings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know whom to contact if I have a question or concern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I intend to continue to do business with your company in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will recommend your company to my neighbors, friends, and relatives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What one thing would you change about how our company does business that would add value to your business?

 

 

Additional comments:

 

 

Optional:

Customer Name:

Phone Number:

Email:

Street Address:

City/State:

Zip:

 

Related Articles