Increasing survey response rates

Anita Toth

I gave this response in another thread and thought it might be helpful to people.
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1. The biggest thing is to structure your survey correctly so your response rates are high right from the start.
   
   Regardless of the survey platform, there are ways to create surveys to have high response rates.
   
   
   Here's how to do that:
   
   1) set up in your mind that the survey is a conversation (not a one time deal). This is important for #2. 
   
   2)  have 1 goal for the survey ( you can have other goals in other surveys) because you're setting this up as a conversation
   
   3) decide how often this survey will be sent out
   
   4) choose 3-5 questions to ask (mix of closed and open questions)
   
   5) decide how you'll close the loop 
   
   6) remember to close the loop with customers
   
   
   Important
   1) This is a conversation. You'll be sending smaller emails over a period of time (weekly, monthly, every quarter). 
   2) By closing the loop with customers, they will be more likely to respond to your next survey. By making it a conversation, you increase the response rate and you get better data.

Closing the Loop

Closing the loop with customers can mean:

1) speaking directly with them via video or phone
2) sending an email with fun or interesting facts from the survey
3) sending a short personalized video to them

You can get as creative as you want with closing the loop. The point is, customers will be surprised (and delighted) that their voice was heard. By closing the loop each time, they know they'll get a response back. This makes them more likely to respond to future surveys. PLUS it also helps to build trust and loyalty -- all in one go.

Carl Hoffmann

@Anita Toth Love the emphasis on CTL and my favorite calls have been when they say "I'm just glad my voice is being heard.  Didn't know it was."  I've only spoken to customers directly on the phone for follow up, so I would be interested in some examples of #2 and #3.

Anita Toth

@Carl Hoffmann

So nice to hear customers say they've been heard.  I love that you're picking up the phone to chat with them. ?

Here are some examples:

#2. Emails  

Depending on your brand, you can add use any of the following:

--> quantitative facts about the survey

                  -- 30% of respondents in (industry/niche/segment/geography etc) answered ' yes' to Question 1
                  -- 2/3 of respondents are (title, years in job, age, gender etc)

--> qualitative facts
            -- verbatim quotes "I found this one hack I use has helped me get faster at uploading my files."

--> actions taken

           -- verbatim thoughts from the C-Suite or senior mgt or team members about their thoughts on the survey results

           -- changes that were made as a result (or will be made) and the impact it'll have

            
--> humour 

            -- closing the loop can be a serious tone or a funny one, depending on your brand

--> the topic for the next survey 

            -- build some excitement around the next survey and what it will reveal


#3. Videos

-- all the same content as #2  ?

 

1. The biggest thing is to structure your survey correctly so your response rates are high right from the start.
   
   Regardless of the survey platform, there are ways to create surveys to have high response rates.
   
   
   Here's how to do that:
   
   1) set up in your mind that the survey is a conversation (not a one time deal). This is important for #2. 
   
   2)  have 1 goal for the survey ( you can have other goals in other surveys) because you're setting this up as a conversation
   
   3) decide how often this survey will be sent out
   
   4) choose 3-5 questions to ask (mix of closed and open questions)
   
   5) decide how you'll close the loop 
   
   6) remember to close the loop with customers
   
   
   Important
   1) This is a conversation. You'll be sending smaller emails over a period of time (weekly, monthly, every quarter). 
   2) By closing the loop with customers, they will be more likely to respond to your next survey. By making it a conversation, you increase the response rate and you get better data.

Closing the Loop

Closing the loop with customers can mean:

1) speaking directly with them via video or phone
2) sending an email with fun or interesting facts from the survey
3) sending a short personalized video to them

You can get as creative as you want with closing the loop. The point is, customers will be surprised (and delighted) that their voice was heard. By closing the loop each time, they know they'll get a response back. This makes them more likely to respond to future surveys. PLUS it also helps to build trust and loyalty -- all in one go.