How can you make a survey work for you?
Or, in other words how do you carry out a survey? It amounts to the same thing really, but one naturally follows the other, because if you know how to carry out a survey it will definitely work for you in the long run. If you feel a little overwhelmed and you need a helping hand to carry out your first survey, then our guide on how to carry them out should help.
Meaningful data – equals meaningful sales
When you put a survey together it needs to be able to track meaningful data, that means the right questions, the right people, the right attitude and the right kind of interpretation of the data once it’s completed. If a survey is poorly written then it won’t yield any meaningful information and be rendered useless. This is a poor waste of your time and your participants, leaving both you and your customer feeling frustrated at the end of it.
Of course finding the right way of collecting data about potential customers is important and can produce great results.
Questions, questions, questions
The key is to focus on your respondents, not on the answers so much, although they’re important, you need to have the right questions in order to get the right answers. Always make sure you explain why you’re asking the questions and why your participants are being asked to take part. This way you’re appealing them and asking them nicely to take part in something that has logic, a valid reason for why it is being carried out.
Also keep in mind the following:
- Why is it necessary to take part, what makes it worthwhile?
- What are the benefits for them taking part?
- What will you do with the information?
- Are their personal details safe?
Once carefully set up, the questions should work for you and help you get better answers.
Language
Please remember to keep it simple. It should be in a personable, well written manner, which is easy to understand without being condescending. Use every day language, keep jargon, acronyms and difficult phrasing out. Remember:
- To thank them in advance before you ask them anything
- Use words of encouragement to put them at their ease
- Show how you appreciate them taking part
- Provide helpful text
- End on a high note
Make sure there’s a question in there that allows them to have the last word. Put them in control. You’ll be surprised at the information you glean from them. What advantages are there to handing things over to the participant at the end of the survey?
- They can provide ideas and opinions of their own that you may find useful
- They may find themselves going back to topics where the questions seemed unclear – this helps you to improve your survey
- Sharing ideas about other relevant products or services you may find helpful
- Sharing anecdotes
- Sharing thoughts on your organisation.
Take the survey yourself
Finally, sit down with a coffee and take your own survey before it goes live – how does it fair? Is it good enough to carry out on live participants? Would somebody want to take part, do you think? Is it too short, or perhaps too long?
Finishing off
Make sure you let people know what their input was for, what it did. Get back in touch and let them now the results, share the results and that way your customers will be happy to carry out another one in the future. They’ll also feel that you listened to them and it will act as a way of bonding with them.