Monotony is never a good practice for any industry, but it can be downright dangerous to the big picture in market research. When it comes to multi-channel survey methods, it is important to remember a few key details about how to execute online and telephone surveys. The first key fact is to remember to mix up the mediums and the questions used for the same survey, depending on the format.
Since the typical respondent will process online and telephone surveys very differently, you need to plan your surveys accordingly and adjust the questions to fit the channel. There are a few basic ways that an average person will respond to the survey whether they have to hear it or if they will read it.
For example, you must make the online survey questions easy for the respondents to skim and read quickly. One tip to simplify this process is to use bold or underlined typeface for key phrases. By contrast, when a person receives a telephone survey, you want to maintain a natural flow while the interviewer reads the questions. It is important to eliminate redundant phrases or complex sentence structure so you can keep your phone script sounding natural. This will help keep the respondent engaged in the conversation.
The main object of designing survey questions whether for online reading or over the phone, is to collect detailed information from your pool of individuals. Keep the format of your channel simple and clear, and make it either easy to complete (online) or engaging (phone). By doing this, you will increase your chances of successfully gathering immense data that will greatly benefit your client or business partner.
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