Designing a Survey Your Customers Will Actually Complete

Use a personal connection to alert customers that a survey is on its way and is important
Ask for your customers’ help in the opening communication
Use a stamp for mailed surveys
Keep the number of questions fewer than twelve…ten if possible!
Make questions sound like a conversation
Surveys need to have emotional attraction...make yours interesting and appealing
Make the survey and envelope look unique and intriguing
Let respondents know why the survey and what will happen with the results
Make the survey matter to them
Make the survey matter, period!

One more thought: Regardless of the scientific gobbledygook that you are likely to get from the folks down in market research, asking your customers to rate their service experience from “unsatisfied” to “very satisfied” is like asking them to give you no grade higher than a C!

As we often discuss, satisfied means “met my needs,” was “adequate” or “sufficient.” It also means “finished, done, no more for me.” Look it up in the dictionary! If you asked a 10 year old to evaluate his or her weekend at Disneyworld, you are not likely to hear “I was very satisfied.” Service is emotional. Use the language that fits it!