Customer behavior analytics and surveys are like yin and yang, like Bonnie and Clyde, like Flip and Flap: radically different yet inseparable. They complete each other, but one can never replace the other. The knowledge we gain from surveys tells about customers’ feeling, values and needs, while behavioral monitoring concerns actual choices and decisions. According to Forbes, only 26% of CEOs acquire such complete, in-depth insight into customers’ opinions.
Never replace analytics with survey
Data you collect thanks to Marketing Automation regard real, actual actions your customers perform. Information from surveys on the other hand are often declarations, more emotional and revealing how they would like to see themselves and what do they need. But you require both to get a full picture.
Know your aim before you start writing
Before you start working on creating and editing your survey, ask yourself:
- What do I want to learn?
Make your answer as precise as possible. What exactly do you want to improve (what aspect of shopping process or which given product or what particular problem) or introduce?
- Who to ask?
Do you address your survey to engaged customers or to users of free trial version? Will you be able to sort out model recipients?
- Can I get that knowledge other way?
Don’t ask questions you can answer yourself, e.g. thanks to analytics or A/B testing. Recipients will feel that you waste their time, and you will get less credible answers.
- How will I use the knowledge?
Can I put the knowledge I will obtain from surveys in practice? If I get insights, will I implement new solutions? Do I have resources for it right now? If not – why to do a survey?
Recipient Segmentation
Why is it crucial? Because advanced customers can deliver completely different feedback than beginners. Veterans show you new possibilities, new features and options, while newcomers point out how to make your product more user-friendly and intuitive. So each group requires its own set of questions to squeeze informative potential in them.
When you send the same text to all, you fail to get all the benefits discussed above and might annoy customers.
Writing a survey
When creating and editing a survey take into consideration the following:
1. Less is more. Be concise and delete unnecessary questions. It should take 5-10 minutes to fill and consist of no more than 15 questions, 7-10 are optimal (according to KISSmetrics)
2. Clarity. Make sure that your recipient won’t have to deliberate over the meaning of questions.
3. Avoid Yes/No questions. They’re often biased and rarely give some useful knowledge.
4. Use multiple choice questions, offering always “Other” option, with a box for user to fill.
5. Use 1 – 2 open questions. Choose them carefully.
6. Ask questions concerning customer’s situation, focus on him/her:
- What is your biggest challenge in..?
- What disturbs you about…?
- What feature do you miss in…?
- What doubts did you have before purchase?
- What information didn’t you find on our website and needed it?
7. Care for neutrality. Be sure that your words or phrasing don’t make user biased or don’t suggest something. Make them as balanced as possible.
8. Avoid too general and vague questions. You can spot them easily, as they contain words as: often, in general, sometimes…
9. Let somebody read it before you send it. The best option would be somebody from the outside, e.g. working in another department. Make sure that it’s understandable for non-experts.
10. Don’t ask for solid numbers or anything what is hard to remember. Nobody will care enough to remind oneself of exact data and you will get inaccurate information.
Want to learn more? Read:
How to avoid Lead Nurturing mistakes
How to build a loyalty program
Do you use surveys? Do effects satisfy your expectations?
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