Every survey is sent out with the goal of getting the best response. But while QuestionPro’s online survey tools makes it easy for anyone to create, send and analyse surveys, getting quality and complete responses can still be a challenge. This is particularly of concern when considering the fact that average survey response rate is only about 10-15%.
On the bright side, with over 15 years of experience in powering thousands of businesses around the Globe with survey platforms, we at QuestionPro have observed time and again that certain techniques when applied carefully can drastically improve the quality of responses as well as completion rate.
LEARN ABOUT: Top 12 Tips to Create A Good Survey
Here are 5 time-tested hacks you can immediately use in your next online survey:
1.) Add a “human touch”
Yes online surveys are created digitally and analysed through intelligent software. But your readers are all humans! This is why you need to “humanize” your surveys whenever and whichever way possible. This includes making questions sound more like a conversation that you are having with your answerer. And this includes using “custom variables” which we will discuss just below.
2.) Use Custom Variables in survey design
One of the smartest ways to personalize a survey for your reader is by using Custom Variables. This means allowing user to input some personal data in a demographic question in the beginning of the survey and then using it to customize the survey for them. For example, if you capture someone’s name then use that to address that person in the survey questions. Secondly, Custom Variables can also be used alongside logic-based surveys where data from one question is used to customize the questions in another.
3) Use images wherever possible
We humans are wired by nature to like images and colour and relatable images in surveys can go a long way in getting you better responses. Images can either replace a text completely, as is often the case in fashion or geological surveys, or it can be added as a complement for better engagement.
4.) Replacing texts with emoticons
You may be a very professional organization but believe it or not, even the CEO of a global MNC will prefer to see an emoticon in a survey they are answering rather than just answer in plain texts. QuestionPro’s set of emoticons in surveys have been tested to be more engaging for your audience. Moreover, thanks to platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook, almost anyone capable of taking an online survey is also well aware and accustomed to these emotional icons.
5.) Use Question types in sets
It’s great to use a variety of question-types in your survey to make it as easy as possible for your audience to answer a particular question. However, it is best to keep these various question-types in serial sets, as too much diversity can confuse the readers and may prompt them to end the survey without completing. It may also contribute in errors when an answerer does not notice a sudden change in options, especially if they are numeric.
