5.03 – Get Accurate Insights With Winning Surveys
The way you ask questions matters. Vague questions lead to vague answers, which might not provide the right guidance. Simply asking yes-or-no questions won’t reveal the degree of positive or negative feelings toward an issue or aspect of your brand experience, nor will it allow for effective comparison and prioritisation of answers.
Determining the Right Format for the Metrics You Need
A useful metric for evaluating customer experience with your product is a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being low and 5 being high. Anything more complicated can make it difficult for respondents to answer, increasing dropout rates and jeopardising the collection of important data. For example, you can use a scale with variables such as Disagree Strongly, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Agree Strongly.
Your high-rating attributes from a survey represent features you should promote to consumers and highlight in social media posts and online platforms. Low scores can help identify areas for improvement and set priorities for enhancing customer experience. To clarify which aspects require the most attention, ask customers to rank the importance of each item listed so you can focus on the more critical attributes. Many online survey tools offer various options for responses, including ratings, rankings, and open or essay responses, each providing a different perspective.
Most online survey platforms provide guidance on writing and formatting questions. They offer articles and tips on using ratings, rankings, multiple-choice, or open-ended questions effectively. In many cases, you can adjust templates to reflect your specific questions or view examples of successful surveys to understand what works best. Take your time to explore the available tools to find one that fits your budget and can grow with your needs.
Segmenting Your Surveys
Set up your surveys among different demographic groups within your industry to identify various decision processes, emotional needs, price points, purchasing cycles, and more. Sort groups based on their relationship with you, such as:
- Lapsed customers
- Current customers
- Potential customers with prior contact (often referred to as a warm list)
- Prospects with no prior contact (often referred to as a cold list)
- Male versus female shoppers
- Baby boomers versus millennials
A survey is only as good as the insights generated and your ability to get people to respond. Write meaningful questions clearly, format them to provide the most actionable insights, and adapt them for various customer segments.
Managing Survey Fatigue
Survey fatigue is a key reason for declining response rates. It results from asking too many questions and surveying too often. Asking one to three questions tends to work best. Simply asking customers to give you a 1- to 5-star review upon completing an online transaction or customer service interaction can also provide great insights without asking too much of your customers.
Defining Your Objectives
Before crafting a survey that provides the insights you seek and gets the response needed to act confidently, ask yourself the following questions:
- What do I need to know about my customers to serve them better?
- What is missing in my knowledge about my customers regarding who they are, what goals they seek to fulfil with my products, and how my products simplify or improve their lives?
- What do I need to know about customers’ personality traits, emotional drivers, and feelings toward my category and brand to prepare more relevant creative and promotional campaigns?
- How do I plan to use the information I collect?
After defining your information goals, start developing your survey. Ensure your questions are clear and easy for respondents to answer quickly.
Using Clear, Concise Wording
Here are some guidelines for asking questions that get answered and provide valid results:
- Ask only one question per inquiry. Avoid questions like "Do you think customer service and product variety are important?" as they don't clarify whether respondents are answering about customer service or product variety.
- Don’t ask about things you don’t need to know. Do you really need to know your customers’ income or education level to serve them?
- Don’t get personal. Avoid questions that go beyond public activity or presence, as customers may feel uncomfortable and concerned about how you will use the information.
- Ask questions about things you can act on. For example, "Do you agree that the wait time for us to serve you can be improved?" shows you want to know what can be better.
- Mix up the format of your questions. Instead of only multiple-choice or yes-or-no questions, include various question types to keep respondents engaged and provide additional insights.
- Always include one open-ended or essay question to hear your customers’ voices.
Use clear, simple words that do not have double meanings. For example, use “exaggeration” instead of “hyperbole” and “contradiction” instead of “dichotomy” to ensure all participants understand your meaning regardless of their vocabulary skills.
When creating surveys for customers, you are also sharing information about your brand. Use these tools to communicate key differences about your products or services in an informative manner. For instance, you might ask, “Did you know that ABC Brand maintains the highest customer satisfaction rates in the quick print industry?” This type of leading question helps identify how effectively your message is getting across while sharing something of value
Using Repetition as a Reality Check
Asking the same question in different ways can help gain insights into how unconscious emotions may influence customer attitudes and behaviour. This strategy can identify conflicts between what customers say and what they are likely to do.
For example, a natural gas company surveyed customers about climate change and found a disconnect between the values expressed and intended actions. Those who highly valued environmental protection scored low on willingness to contribute even $5 a month to help out. This contradiction between expressed values and actions illustrates the proverb “Actions speak louder than words.”
By following these guidelines, you can create effective surveys that provide actionable insights, helping you understand your customers better and improve your marketing strategies.
