How to Get the Most Out of Online Customer Surveys

Online surveys are a great way to get valuable feedback - from both your current and potential buyers.  But how you go about wording your survey questions, and who you hope to get responses from, can skew the results.  Here’s how to craft a great survey that gives you the business insights you’re looking for.

1. Choose the right kind of survey tool - There are lots of websites which offer hosted survey solutions that you can customize to fit your needs.  Surveymonkey.com and Zoomerang.com are two of the most popular.These intuitive, point-and-click survey builders start out free, which limits the number of questions and responses you can receive, as well as how long the results are available to view.  They also have paid versions available, starting at $20/month.

   Once you have a survey tool set up and ready to collect responses, it’s time to craft your survey in a way that not only makes people want to participate, but gives you the information you need to build your business.

2. Ask yourself what you want - Knowing the answer to, “What do I want out of this?” will help you create a more straightforward, easy-to-answer survey.  Not knowing exactly what you want will leave your customers to only fill out part of the survey - if they fill it out at all.
3. Place your survey strategically in your website - Nothing is worse than visiting a site for the first time and seeing a box drop down asking for a minute of your time to share your reactions to the site.  My initial reaction is to close it and feel annoyed at the site for rushing me to form an opinion when I just got there!  How’s that for a reaction?Instead, place your survey at a point where you know people will feel comfortable responding, such as on the Thank You page after they’ve purchased from you - or, in the case of people who don’t buy, consider an exit window that opens to ask why they didn’t purchase today.  Their answers can go a long way in creating a better “user experience” on your website.
4. Keep your survey short and simple - Don’t overwhelm users with a lot of questions, or questions that require serious thought.  I recently tried to fill out a survey with around 30 questions, asking me to rank different items from 1-12.  No problem, right? Wrong.  Only after I diligently rated each item did the survey inform me that each section had to add up to be 12. So I would have to change my (honest) ratings to make that happen.  Forget it. 
5. Analyze the responses - Real customer feedback can genuinely help you pinpoint errors, confront issues and make your site and your product or service a more consistent and user-friendly experience. Above all, don’t discount a user’s opinion just because they prefer your competitor or had a bad experience with your customer service.  They may be venting their frustration, but underneath it all is an honest desire to help you better your own business.

Keep these tips in mind, and you’ll have created an outstanding survey that asks the right questions, targets real responses and encourages open feedback.  For more information on adding a survey to your site, why not get your free web design quote today?