How many survey requests have you gotten in the past month? If it’s anything like my inbox, I’m guessing the answer is SEVERAL, or maybe even too many to count. I had one from Google, one from my kid’s pediatrician, one from the YMCA, etc. There is a good reason that I am receiving these surveys – because the organizations that are sending them are looking for feedback and insights into their customer’s experience. They can use that information to learn what they are doing well, what they can improve on, and most importantly, how they can use the data to attract more business.

If surveys are on your mind for 2018, you have come to the right place! Here are some tips for creating a survey that your customers will not only open, but respond to as well.

• Tell people why they should participate. Think about this: By asking someone to take a survey, you are asking them to take time and energy from their day to ultimately help your business. Let’s not keep your reasons for the survey a secret – be honest and transparent about the reason for the survey.
• Write the questions in an engaging way. Just because it’s a survey doesn’t mean that the questions have to be bland and boring. To keep your audience’s attention, your survey should sound, well, human. Minimize your use of acronyms, jargon, and words that might be confusing.
• Keep it short and sweet. For most businesses, 5-8 questions will suffice to get the answers you really need. Too many questions could overwhelm your audience and drive them away from completing the survey. If your survey must go longer than 8 questions, be sure to set expectations up front for the length and provide a progress bar at the top of every page.
• Wrap it up by putting it in the customer’s hands. Always end the survey with a freeform box for the respondent to share their opinions with no restrictions. This can provide great insights that you may not have even thought of when creating your survey.

Surveys are a great way to give your customers a voice when it comes to your products or services. Let us know if we can help you put your survey together!