Designing a great customer satisfaction survey is a challenge. It’s hard to know the right questions to ask, the right tone to use, the right people to target. And if you add in a desire to impart any sort of retainable value for survey participants on top of collecting the information you need, well, even the most efficacious of researchers can easily become stymied. In an attempt to help struggling market researchers with the task, Global Research Business Network (GRBN), the “largest research business network in the world,” partnered with over 35 companies to develop Engage, a handbook detailing tips for creating quality surveys that can serve as positive touchpoints for data collectors, as well as the businesses that hire them. According to GRBN, companies should begin with the following 10 tips if they want to build better customer satisfaction surveys and improve response rates:
- Be Respectful – A survey is useless without people to take it. Let an appreciation for your respondents guide your design.
- Aim to Provide a Positive Experience – Yes, a survey’s purpose is to gather data. But good researchers know how to make the experience of taking it a positive one for respondents. A good user experience increases brand awareness and serves as a positive brand touchpoint.
- Focus on Respondents – Think not only about how to satisfy data needs, but also how to satisfy participant needs.
- Remember the Basics – Good surveys are always straightforward and honest, as short as possible and beneficial to respondents in some way.
- Be Transparent – Tell your respondents what you need and why. Let them know how you will protect their information. Clear expectations, as well as full disclosures, build trust with your survey participants.
- Make It Personal – Good surveys have relevant, interesting questions for respondents that clearly point to an understanding of their unique experiences.
- Value Time – No one wants to waste time. Keep surveys as short as possible.
- Share Findings – Educate respondents by providing information on how their answers compare to those of others. Feeding respondent curiosity often results in better user experiences, thus, improving a brand’s perception within the marketplace.
- Express Appreciation – People like to be acknowledged. Always remember to thank participants for their time and effort and give a brief explanation of how their input will be used.
- Study Feedback – Request feedback from respondents and make sure to analyze it so that you can improve subsequent processes. Every survey experience should be an opportunity for future advancement.
Learn More
Just because creating the perfect customer satisfaction survey can be daunting doesn’t mean companies can’t get it right. Our team at Communications for Research (CFR) has over 20 years experience designing, administering and analyzing surveys. Contact us to learn how we can help your business deliver a survey experience that raises positive brand awareness across any industry, as well as produces solid, actionable results.
