Customer surveys are one of the most proven ways to quickly gather data on your customers. It’s critical to know exactly what your best customers think, giving your business the position and opportunity to keep them happy and cultivate them into brand advocates. Follow these five tactics below to create effective and proven customer surveys that turn into a reliable source of customer information.
Keep it simple and short. When was the last time you spent more than 30 seconds taking a survey? Exactly. Keep the questions simple, short and easy to understand. Brevity is important for the survey. Don’t turn off otherwise willing customers.
Be specific and clear. A great survey is specific and clear. Ask about specific concepts, services and products to provide easily identifiable results you can use. Be clear about what you’re asking about and avoid general questions that cover different areas.
Avoid leading questions. Reliable and accurate results will come from questions that are neutral with no assumptions. Avoid questions that lead respondents toward a certain answer, as well as those that use assumed facts, bias or preferences. They can really mess with your results.
Think about your end goal. You might only have one opportunity to gain honest opinions from your customers. You must cut non-critical questions from your surveys. Use only questions that have a specific purpose and a reason for inclusion that provides important results.
Importance of timing. Many studies suggest that survey open and click-through rates are historically higher on different days and at different times. Take heed of this research and keep close track of your result ratios to find the best timing for your surveys. Also think about the [timing of your survey in terms of when the product or service was consumed.
Offer incentives. Want people to do something for you? Give them something in return. Offer incentives like a discount, account credit or free giveaway for their time. Research suggests that incentives can increase survey results by up to 20 percent.