Online surveys are a great way to collect information from employees, customers or general audiences to help you define future directions for your business. However, while these are great tools, they still have to be used correctly. Any mistakes in developing your set of questions can result in incomplete responses that offer limited, if any, value to your business.
So, how do you create powerful online surveys that get completed so your business can move onto the next stage in your organization’s development?
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1. Disguise The Survey As A Quiz
Sometimes, the word survey can have negative connotations for your audiences. Therefore, one effective way to get around this is to rename them as quizzes. Keep those ‘quizzes’ short by just asking five or six questions with a rating system at the end with a text box to collect qualitative information.
2. Limit The Number Of Surveys
Sometimes you can ask audiences to complete too many. Therefore, you should reduce the number of surveys you send out to audiences. However, different audiences can have different frequencies of interaction. For instance, those who are prospects should be given just one survey. However, brand ambassadors can be given several in a year.
3. Keep The Number Of Questions To Below Ten
Many surveys go on for too long. You need to make sure that you don’t have surveys that are longer than ten questions. The ideal length is around five to six questions.
4. Think Of The Respondents
There are several ways that questionnaires can be written that can infuriate audiences and make it harder to complete. One common problem is that questionnaires often include jargon and are negative. You should also create questions that are short, concise and have a clear purpose. This makes it easier for audiences to understand questions and respond.
5. Be Positive
Being negative can make it a challenge for getting audiences to complete requests for feedback. Therefore, always try to remain upbeat and positive.
6. Respect Privacy
Some surveys will not get completed because audiences don’t think they’re privacy is being respected. You need to include a link to your privacy policy in any content you’re sending out. Moreover, your questions need to be less demanding for personal information. Always ask yourself whether you need the information you’re asking.
7. Use A Progress Bar
You might only have ten questions, but audiences might not realize that when they start. Therefore, you need to show them that they are making progress. This can be done with a progress bar. As the respondents go through the questions, they see how close they are getting to the end of the process and feel happy about their progress.
8. Make The First Page Simple
The first page should always be simple. The less there is on the page, the less intimidating it is for audiences. Therefore, you should have forms that are more attractive to complete. To get an idea of how simple your survey should be, try to keep the word count on the welcome page to less than 400 characters.
9. Optimize Surveys For All Devices
While lots of people use desktops, there is a trend for more people to use mobiles to access the internet. You need to make sure that you’re creating content that can be displayed on any device including mobiles.
10. Use Logic Skip
Sometimes you might have questions in your survey which may lead to others. For instance:
– Do you work from home?
This question could then lead to another question:
– Do you like working from home?
However, if the respondent said they didn’t work from home, the second question is irrelevant. Therefore, you should add in a logic skip where, if they say no to one question, they’re moved past irrelevant questions.
11. Check Your Content With Others
Don’t let your hard work go to waste. Always ensure that you’re checking your survey with a trusted other who can say what needs improvements. Even if it is hard to hear criticism, the improvement that can be realized through feedback is worth it.
12. The Anita Effect
Research has found that when you’re working in a male dominated demographic, if the survey is sent by a female, there is a larger response rate.
13. Think Of A Catchy Subject Line
When sending your survey, be sure that you’ve got a catchy subject line. Subject lines are linked to open and completion rates. Therefore, always test your subject lines on test audiences to see if you can increase completion rates.
Conclusion
There are several ways through which you can improve the response rate you get from surveys. Try some of the 13 suggestions we’ve made above and see the number of responses soar. After which, you can take steps, in order to improve your business and take it up a notch.
How do you improve response rate in your surveys? Have you got any more tips?
Let us know in the comments below.
More about surveys:
4 Ways To Share Survey Results With Your Team, click here
How To Improve On Rating Scale Inefficiencies, click here
Why You Don’t Fill Your Survey With Leading Questions, click here
How To Deal With Inadequate Responses, click here
How Your Survey Can Help Trigger Profitable Revenue, click here
Read the french version:
12 astuces pour améliorer le taux de réponse sur un sondage en ligne, click here