As such, we recommend a somewhat “old school” approach. Hand out paper copies at the end of your CAB meeting. Provide your members adequate time to quietly complete them – while they are there in the room and their ideas are still fresh. Then collect the completed surveys, compile the results and review them with your team in your next CAB management meeting.
What should be included in these post-meeting surveys? Here are eight must haves:
1. Quantitative data
Ask your members to rate various aspects of your meeting on a scale of 1-10. Ask about session topics, meeting presentations and materials, value of interacting with their peers and host company executives, meeting social activities, etc.
This way, you can capture such scores, and compare and contrast them to subsequent CAB meetings you may (should) have. Did scores increase from last time? Why or why not?
2. Meeting aspects and sessions
Ask open-ended, qualitative questions that allow your members to praise whatever part of the meeting they liked the most. Then ask what sessions they found the most valuable. This will provide valuable feedback to the topics that resonated most with them, and who your better session leaders are for possibly bringing back to future meetings.
Example survey questions: What aspects of the CAB did you like best? Which sessions did you find to be the most engaging and relevant?
3. Potential changes/improvements
Ask your members what kind of improvements would make future meetings better. This might include more time for colleague engagement, longer break times or anything else on their minds that you can implement for the next meeting.
Example survey question: What would you change for the next CAB meeting, if anything?
4. Compare to other CABs
Ask your members to rate how your meeting went compared to other CABs or similar customer forums they may participate in. Is your meeting much better, average or below standard? This might provide some insights as to how much you can or should be improving your CAB program.
Example survey question: Rate the standard of this meeting compared to similar forums you have attended?
5. Desired topics
Ask your CAB members topics that they would like to discuss at your next meeting. Sometimes their responses will be to repeat sessions from the CAB meeting that were particularly valuable or warrant some additional discussion. Or they may go in a different direction and suggest topics that didn’t come up that they would like to see or learn from next time. Obviously, such feedback is the very best driver when it comes time to drafting your next CAB meeting agenda.
Example survey question: Any recommendation(s) for topics for the next meeting?
6. Guest speaker
Ask your CAB members if they would be willing to present or lead a session at your next meeting. After all, such sessions can be very insightful to your other CAB attendees, as it allows real-world insights into how other companies are addressing shared challenges, and often lead to further engagements between members – and sometimes uncover sales opportunities for host companies.
Example survey question: Would you be willing to present at a future CAB meeting? If so, what topic might you address?
7. Marketing champion mediums
Ask if your CAB members if they would be willing to participate in additional marketing or brand champion opportunities. These might include precious sales references, videos or case studies. Obviously these are gold in the marketing realm, so make your team aware of these opportunities. Have your team follow-up ASAP after the meeting.
Example survey question: Would you be willing to participate in any of the following customer advocate opportunities? (write a checkmark list of opportunities)
8. CAB direction
Ask your members if they have any additional desires or requests about your CAB program in general. This might include topics themes, board membership, meeting cadence or meeting locations. Such insights ensure your meeting direction is on track and supporting your CAB charter document.
Example survey questions: Any comments on the future direction of the CAB? Any additional comments about this CAB meeting?
Survey Your CAB Members After Every CAB Meeting
Post-meeting CAB surveys allow you to capture immediate feedback from your members while their feedback and desires are fresh, and allow you to create the best meeting possible in the future. Take the time to do it well and thoroughly, and take action on the valuable insights and desires you receive. If you’re looking for help to elevate your CAB meetings and CAB member engagement, contact us for a free CAB strategy call to discuss your program goals and we’ll provide recommendations.
Ignite Advisory Group is the leading global authority on Customer Advisory Boards and Customer-Led Boards. Ignite’s proven methodology for managing and evolving Customer Advisory Boards includes a 4-stage process, encompassing 48 deliverables and measured by 20 metrics to deliver a clear ROI. To learn more about Ignite, visit our website, read our blogs, and follow us on LinkedIn. To find out how your company can benefit from Ignite’s CAB methodology and process, contact us today.