Customerville
PRO Resources
Measuring customer experience
is now part of the experience
PRO Guide Series
Feel-Good Feedback:
The Oxytocin Survey
That warm feeling you get from a great conversation isn’t just a perception.
It’s a physiological response caused by a hormone called oxytocin. Studying what
people need to have that response allows you to make sharing customer experience
feedback as enjoyable for your customer as it is vital to your company.
You know those special interactions that seem to
stimulating, the type of conversation we’re talking
make your brain glow with warmth and energy?
about is different. It’s a dialogue, and when it works,
Like that conversation with your daughter covering
you feel good. Turns out, that good feeling is more
the merits of One Direction, the time you spent your
than just a perception.
whole night out with friends talking about that new
book, Lawrence in Arabia, or that in-depth discus-
When you make those connections with people,
sion with your colleague about why Peter Dinklage’s
there is an amazing response mechanism firing off
character, Tyrion Lannister, is clearly the best one
in your body. At the bottom of your brain, right in
in Game of Thrones.
the center (about level with the top of your nose) is
the pea-sized pituitary gland that’s pumping out a
Whatever the intellectual backdrop—high or low
hormone called oxytocin. This particular hormone
culture, serious or funny—those types of exchanges
plays a role in all sorts of good things. It helps us
form a connection. They're about a shared expe-
feel relaxed and calm, cements personal bonds and
rience. While lectures can also be interesting and
even increases our ability to withstand pain. Lots of
Customerville · PRO Guide Series
Feel Good Feedback: The Oxytocin Survey
Page 2
mothers are familiar with oxytocin, not only because
Feedback as an Oxytocin Producer
doctors use a synthetic form to stimulate contractions
during childbirth, but also because it plays a key role
Okay, we can all agree that oxytocin is a pretty cool
in mother-child bonding.
hormone, but what does all of this have to do with
feedback? Well, if you look at customer feedback as
According to neuroeconomist Paul Zak—whose 2011
we do, the answer is a lot. Think about the last survey
TED Talk turned him into the international guru
you took. Chances are, it felt more like a mortgage
of oxytocin—you can activate this hormone easily.
application than a great conversation. It probably kept
Simply giving a hug (shoot for at least eight a day
pushing more and more information at you without
to keep your oxytocin levels strong) or watching an
really listening to what you had to say. Whether you
emotionally powerful movie with someone you love.
had a great customer experience or a poor one, we’re
Giving a gift or connecting with friends and family
guessing the survey didn’t change at all.
via social media can also do the trick. Even eating
chocolate can generate an oxytocin surge. Is this the
greatest hormone or what?
Good feedback surveys are like a good conversation. They pay attention.
They respond to what you are saying. They make a connection. If your surveys
are not making those connections, your customers will quickly tune you out.
Customerville · PRO Guide Series
Feel Good Feedback: The Oxytocin Survey
Page 3
Merrimack Pharmaceutical’s customer experience
survey is a great example of a survey that makes
and maintains a social connection.
The survey introduces the
respondent to real people
involved in the customer
experience, giving the same
social context people experience in a real conversation.
Desired outcomes are positioned using hero statements
and aspirational language.
The survey pays attention,
changing aspects of its
appearance in ways that mimic
how human listeners adjust
facial expressions depending
on what we’re hearing.
In this Merrimack survey, the
background color dims if a
respondent signals a disappointing experience. Part of
creating a warm connection
(even when things don’t go well)
is showing a clear response.
Customerville · PRO Guide Series
Feel Good Feedback: The Oxytocin Survey
Page 4
Imagine how different that feedback survey would
Good feedback surveys are like a good conversation.
have felt if it had contained more than just blocks
They pay attention. They respond to what you are
of text. What if there were pictures and drawings
saying. They make a connection. We’re not surprised
of real people who asked you questions? What if
that positive human interactions—connections—
instead of just moving to the next question when you
cause a powerful and enjoyable biological response.
expressed your unhappiness, the survey adapted?
Yet companies don’t always ensure that their feedback
What if the content shifted tone, asked for details,
surveys have a similar effect. If your surveys are
then confirmed that you would hear from somebody
not making those connections, your customers will
from the company right away?
quickly tune you out. And we can’t blame them. After
all, who wants to waste time on negative experiences
when it’s so easy to feel good?
A Powerful Survey
Establishes an Emotional
Connection to Customers
Customerville · PRO Guide Series
Feel Good Feedback: The Oxytocin Survey
Page 5
Video:
Engaging Customers
in Sharing Feedback
Your CEM initiative requires
healthy participation levels by
your customers. Here's how
we ensure this happens.
Video
Talk To An Expert
In the research phase of your CEM project?
Talk to an expert—no pressure and no strings attached.
USA [email protected] +1 206 224 6200
Europe [email protected] +34 722 776 601
Webinar: The Surprising
Cause of Survey Fatigue
You hear the term "Survey Fatigue"
a lot, but its root causes are actually
poorly understood. Listen to a recorded
webinar, which brings together concepts
from design to research on Asperger's
Syndrome.
Webinar
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