1. Do it Now
Response rates increase when you ask for feedback immediately after the goods/services are delivered. Immediate feedback is also 40% more accurate than feedback collected just 24 hours later.
2. Pick the right channel
Are you looking for the right respondents in the right place? An email survey may reach more people than one sent by text message (SMS), especially when every survey is optimized for mobile. Embed the questions within the body of the email to make responding easy.
3. Keep it Short and Focused
Long surveys (more than 12 minutes) bore respondents and reduce response rates, so keep your survey short and focused, especially if there’s no incentive.
4. Be Honest About the Expectations
Tell your respondents up front how long the survey is going to take – no more than 9 minutes for a mobile survey. A progress bar during the survey is a turn-off – customers respond better to more human text cues such as ‘Nearly there! Just a couple more questions.’
5. Motivate your Target Audience
Your survey should be interesting, enjoyable and easy to do – include clear questions, attractive design and graphics, and maybe some humour if it aligns with your brand. And incentives – such as entry into a prize draw or redeemable points – serve to thank respondents for their time and motivate them to complete the survey.
6. Make it Personal
Personalising your survey can increase response rates dramatically – up to 48% in some cases. Customising it with information you already know about your respondents can add a warm, human dimension that invites responses. An example might be, ‘Hello Sara, we hope you’re loving your new boots. May we ask you some questions about your shopping experience with us today?’
7. Send a Gentle Reminder
When you haven’t heard from a respondent, send between one and three reminders, using refreshed language each time so you’re not simply repeating the original. You need to strike the balance between a gentle nudge to respond and annoying spam. Get it right and you could increase your response rate by up to 36%.
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