Should I use an email, in-app, or text survey?
Each survey channel has pros and cons. In general, the best way to decide is to think through the pros and cons of each, and which is the best fit for your business.
Email surveys have lower and slower response rates than the other channels, but they can be a great way to collect qualitative feedback. Customers who take the time to answer email surveys are likely more invested in a brand and more inclined to describe the “why” behind their answers.
On the other hand, in-app surveys have higher response rates than email but will get less qualitative feedback. These surveys are great for getting contextualized feedback as the survey recipient is using or just used the application. Uber, for example, asks all customers to rate their drivers post-transaction. They are sent this survey via the app. While many customers do the initial rating, they are less likely to provide in-depth comments. Another thing to consider is that not all businesses have mobile apps. Plus, if they do have an app, not all customers have it downloaded.
Text surveys also have higher response rates than email. Plus, they are a great way for brands to get immediate feedback as the average text response time is 90 seconds. Additionally, SMS allows for rapid two-way conversations, which allows businesses to send follow-up questions to get qualitative feedback. And, text surveys can allow you to reach people who don’t have an app downloaded.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that customers must first consent to receive SMS messages from your business or give you their phone numbers. This can be a roadblock.
Overall, all channels have pros and cons. Consider sending a survey on multiple channels to see which one has the most respondents. Or, use an omnichannel approach to reap the benefits of each survey channel.
What are some best practices for sending text surveys?
There are many best practices for sending text surveys to mobile devices. Here are a few to keep in mind:
- Get permission to send texts to your customers or employees
- Keep the survey brief
- Test different send times
- Don’t send too many surveys via SMS
- Send a gentle reminder to participate if they didn’t initially respond
- Personalize the survey or survey invite when possible
- If you use a survey link, ensure it is mobile friendly
How much does it cost to send a text message survey?
The price depends on your SMS service provider and how many surveys you want to send. Textline offers customers three pricing plans based on their needs. You can also fill out our Enterprise Form if you have special requests. We’ll work together to figure out the best pricing plan for you.
When is the best time to send an SMS survey?
It depends on the type of feedback you are requesting. For a survey soliciting satisfaction feedback post-service, you would likely want to send it right after or shortly following it. For example, if a customer visits a hair salon, it would be best to send the text survey within a few hours. However, if you are looking to collect customer feedback about a particular product they purchased, it could be better to send the survey a few days later. That’s because you would want to ensure the customer had time to try out the product.
Another thing to keep in mind is the type of survey. For example, NPS surveys aim to measure customer loyalty rather than satisfaction with a particular interaction. That said, businesses may not want to send the NPS survey immediately after a support interaction because it is more likely to measure that customer’s satisfaction with the event. On the other hand, CES surveys are great to send immediately following a support interaction like returning a product.
Should I use numbers, multiple choice, or open-ended questions in my surveys?
There are pros and cons to each question type. But ultimately, it depends on the survey type and what you are looking to do with the feedback. Many survey questions ask customers to rate their experience on a numerical scale. However, other surveys may ask customers to pick one of four options, while others want to get qualitative feedback with open-ended questions.
Here are a few examples of when to use a numerical, multiple choice, or open-ended question.
Numerical
- NPS surveys. A measure of customer loyalty, NPS surveys ask customers to rate how likely they are to recommend a product or service to a friend or family member. In this instance, customers should be asked to rate on a numerical scale of 0-10.
- Satisfaction surveys. Customer satisfaction surveys like CSAT ask customers to rate how satisfied they were with a product or service. Often it is easiest to use a scale of 1-5, with 1 being very unsatisfied and 5 being very satisfied.
Multiple choice
- Internal poll. Consider using multiple choice if you are sending a group a survey to determine preferences. For example, asking employees what they prefer for lunch. Would you prefer chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp tacos for lunch? This narrows down the options.
Open-ended questions
- Follow-ups. A good way to use open-ended questions is during a follow-up. Consider asking customers why they decided on a particular numerical score to get qualitative feedback. Ask them: Why did you select a score of 8?
- Brand awareness surveys. If you are interested to understand brand awareness, open-ended questions can be a good option. For example, consider asking customers: When you think of men’s grooming products, what companies come to mind?
Can I send a survey link via text?
Yes! With Textline you can send a text message with a link to an online survey. You can create the surveys through websites like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms. In the text message, you’ll want to make it clear that the recipients must click the link to take the survey.
How long should text surveys be?
Text messages are limited to 160 characters, so it is important to keep your text message survey questions short and concise. Plus, you want to keep the overall survey short as human attention spans are short. Many surveys like CSAT and NPS are designed to be one or two questions long, making them great for SMS. If you have a lengthier survey with more questions, you may want to consider sending a link to a web survey.
Should you offer rewards for taking surveys?
It is not always necessary, but incentives can help you boost your survey response rate. One study found the likelihood of a customer returning a completed survey increased by 30 percent when incentivized. When selecting an incentive, think about what would motivate your customers. There are many incentives you can offer, such as an exclusive discount, free product, or raffle entry.
