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Let's Ban Surveys



Why are post marketing surveys so popular now?  It seems as though every interaction we have generates a survey request.  You purchase an appliance--a survey arrives.  You use a video chat application--another survey.  You listen to an audiobook--you are asked to write a review.  Speak on the phone with a customer representative and invariably you’ll be asked to complete a survey about your experience.  You hire a repair person--another survey.  It’s overwhelming.  You could spend all your time doing nothing but surveys. 


I remember having my car serviced at a San Francisco dealership and the poor representative followed me out to my vehicle as I was leaving to plead privately for ratings of  “excellent on all items”,  explaining that a “good” was considered as terrible as a “poor” rating for them.  Interactions like that give the impression that surveys are being used to pressure and control customer service workers instead of being used as a tool to help managers implement better service policies.  


Physicians too, are subject to being surveyed and it’s not an enjoyable experience.

As physicians, we are tasked with giving patients what they need, not what they want.  While it’s nice when those two things are the same, often they are not.  Confronting patients or disabusing them of erroneous medical ideas are part of our jobs, but this aspect of medicine does not lend itself to generating great surveys.  Do we really want patients who receive a cancer diagnosis to receive a survey about their experience?  


I recently had an interaction with a cemetery where my father’s ashes are interned.  Guess what?  I received a survey asking me about my experience as a customer.  While I have stopped doing most surveys sent my way, I thought it might be interesting to see what kind of questions our cemetery asks. My favorite inquiry was when they asked if I had made any arrangements for my own demise, and if I would like a friendly call from a customer representative?  I thought about it briefly, but then realized that could generate another survey.  


Customer satisfaction surveys are overused, and have become oppressive to the people being evaluated.  Join me in calling for a ban on these annoying intrusions into our lives.


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