Customer surveys are an excellent way to gather valuable feedback and obtain new leads. Unfortunately, mistakes can lead to lackluster results. It takes proper planning and follow-up in order to get more participation and leads. Here are a few ways to help you get the most out of your customer surveys.
Vary Your Questions Depending On Your Demographic
Your questions should be different depending on if you are targeting potential consumers, clients or current employees. For example, if you are targeting buyers you may want to ask them what they liked or didn’t like about your product and what they would like to see improved. If you’re targeting your own employees you may want to ask if they feel like they have the opportunity for professional growth or feel challenged in their daily duties.
Offer An Incentive
You’re going to get many more participants if you offer an incentive for taking your survey. Contests and giveaways are an excellent opportunity to encourage people to participate. Let them know that are having a contest and that each participant will gain one ticket entry. Target your giveaway to your audience for best results.
This technique can be used in both online and in-person surveys. If you’re conducting a survey online you can also ask participants to follow all of your social media channels in return for an entrance ticket. Don’t ask them for too many things as it may deter survey takers but remember that people are more likely to jump through hoops of the giveaway is truly phenomenal.
Personalize It
Don’t just hand over the survey to the customer and call it a day. If it’s an in-person survey at a trade show, you’ll want to engage and build a rapport. Train your representatives to answer questions in a way that meshes with your overall brand and vary your approach and responses based on your target demographic.
Brand Your Surveys
Personalize your surveys by adding your business logo and using brand colors. This will make your company look more professional and customers will be more likely to trust you with their personal information such as an e-mail address.
Avoid Too Many Questions
The main reason why many customers fail to complete a survey is due to an excessive amount of questions. Try to keep your survey at 7 questions maximum and keep it as concise as possible. Remove any questions that are not completely essential. A high number of abandoned surveys will skew your results since you won’t have enough data to make solid conclusions.
Follow Up Immediately
Timing is key when it comes to following up. You’ll want to follow up within a day or two either via e-mail or with a phone call. You’ll want to connect as soon as possible while the other person still remembers you.
