With the ever-increasing use of surveys and studies to evaluate customer needs and behaviors, online surveys have become an effective learning tool for marketers that are primarily engaged with consumers. So if you decide to use an online survey as a tool, what should you expect?
Any business, regardless of size, product, or service needs information on what their customers wants his needs and expectations.
Until recent years, the task of gathering market information was costly, in both time and labor, with companies relying on bulk mailings, personal interviews, and telephone surveys to gather quantitative primary research that aimed to collect specific data from a sample audience. Now, online surveys, studies and research are more cost-effective providing real-time results that be used in a number of ways, earning a position in any marketer’s toolbox.
Marketers, armed with real data can map trends and experiences matching their products and services to meet consumer needs, subsequently increasing satisfaction levels and working toward retaining consumer loyalty, even using the data to come up with the ‘next generation’ of product or service.
The value of online surveys is the flexibilities offered. Using online surveys marketers can establish user profiles—maintain participant anonymity segment and personalize content to contain quality data. Also online surveys generally produce a higher response rate, which allows marketers to target a larger audience at a generally lower cost than other methods, and electronic delivery eliminates the need for manual data entry.
The level of complexity of online surveys tools vary from offering a simple spreadsheet tabulation and download, to tools that offer multiple tabulations, arguments, data merge, export into other databases, and generate a large selection of graphs, spreadsheets, and charts that can be sliced and diced many ways.
New technologies go further adding real-time results—- giving companies the ability to see results as they occur, providing an overall idea of consumer response -- an exit poll—based on fact. The same fact that is aggregated in the survey analysis.
Real-time Tracking Offers The Advantage of Changing Course.
For example: Let's say in a 15 question Online Survey, you notice at the tenth question a number of participants stopping there, eschewing the data. If you are using real-time tracking, you recognize that there may be a problem, and that it is quite likely centered on question 10. Because you are getting this data in real-time, you have the opportunity and advantage of the ability to do something to modify your survey; you may change the number of total questions, graphics or take other action.
The point is, working with real-time applications you have control over the situation at every step of the process and as such can take a proactive role instead of only being able to react after the problem has occurred.
Any marketer can tell you that to pause during a campaign in order to make a change is far less costly than running the campaign knowing that the data is not statistically helpful, and or worse, creating the need to re-execute, delaying the entire project while waiting to obtain good data. Only an accurate measurement is worthwhile when developing plans for marketplace positioning and growth.
As With Any Information, Results Are Only Good If Applied.
Survey data should easily integrate with the customer database; made available to other departments within company. Most data has many applications, and is certain to be of value to marketing and customer service as well as product development, services, etc.
Knowing what consumers think or feel, as individuals and or as a group gives companies the ability to segment or personalize content. Contact becomes more relevant to the consumer as companies give consumers information that they need and can use, all in real-time, consequently increasing satisfaction and loyalty rates.
What To Use Surveys For:
* Initiate consumer relations
* Gain insight to consumer needs
* Measure markets
* Identify new markets, opportunities
* Platform for consumer feedback
* Measure satisfaction levels
Additional Uses Of Survey Results:
* Consumer reaction to new offers, products, services
* Initiate consumer relations
* Respond to consumer concerns
* Gain insight to consumer needs
* Identify new markets, opportunities
* Increase consumer loyalty, retention
* Information for identify competitive advantages
* Identify trends and opportunities
About Survey Results
Depending on a number of variables, including timing, content, target audience, size, salutation, headline, delivery method, i.e.: through email or pop-up, pop-under, online surveys have varied response rates.
We would be remiss if we stated one response rate for all types of surveys, yet one observation has proven consistent over the past 10 months in the surveys aimed at the consumer, and customer satisfaction, response rates (both positive and negative hover between 8 and 19%.
A Word About Best Business Practices for Emailed Surveys
Ask the consumer and/or participant for permission to contact them by email. As a matter of good practice, each email sent should include a short sentence reminding the person that they gave their permission for you to contact them by email, and they can change their minds and decide to ‘opt-out’ of future correspondence anytime. Always provide an easy to use opt-out link, and honor the request within 10-days. [CAN-SPAM LAW of 2003]
Of course we all hope our customers will never opt-out, but if they do, here are some tips before you drop them from your list - remember at some point in the past they liked hearing from you, just keep the 10-day limit in mind.
In acknowledging their request your response should be gracious, thanking them for their prior patronage, even go as far as to ask if there is something you as a business can do to change their minds –- view their request as an exit poll. Include a free form space for the consumer to vent before they go, if they chose to add their comments, it will give you some last minute insight why they are opting out. You’d be surprised at some of the answers, and who knows it might be something that you can remedy and you may re-convert that customer back to your business. Close by letting them know they can opt-in again at any time.
Ms. Hardy is a former journalist turned communications professional who develops marketing programs and public relations management for non-profit organizations and corporate America.
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