With the availability of SurveyMonkey and other easy-to-use tools for designing surveys and collecting and analyzing responses, it's no surprise that more and more companies are using surveys for gathering customer insights.
Unfortunately, in the rush to send out a survey, people often make one or more of these 7 common mistakes:
Moving too fast - It takes time to create a survey that will get you the answers you need. It takes time to test, revise, re-test, and revise again if necessary. You'll also need time to create messages that inspire people to take your survey and questions that motivate them to complete it. And you'll need time to review and analyze the results - and decide what to do with them. Make sure to plan for every step.
Not starting with the end in mind - Before putting any work into the design of the survey, software you're using, or even timing of the project, think about how you'll be reporting the results. Imagine the story you want to tell. Do you need to compare customer segments? Do you want to identify trends over time? Confirm what you think you already know? It's the only way to create questions that match your ultimate needs.
Not checking what you already know - Once you draft your questions, think about whether or not any of this information is already on hand. Perhaps you've surveyed another group a short time ago, or your sales team routinely collects similar insights. And don't forget to check your CRM for any data that might be worthwhile.
Trying to teach - A survey is meant for collecting information from the people whose opinions matter most to you. Always design your questions for listening, and use other methods for training or for promoting your point of view.
Asking too many questions - Just because you have someone's attention, it doesn't mean they've given you permission to ask every question that's on your mind. Stay focused, and only ask what you need to know right now and what you can't gather elsewhere.
Using too many open-ended questions - We want people to speak freely, but think of the nightmare involved with analyzing all that free text. Design questions in a way that enables insights, and include at most one question for open-ended responses. Make sure to use a word cloud or other specialized tool for analyzing text.
Tainting the waters - Consider the power of words when constructing your questions. Be careful that you're not inadvertently creating a bias or leading respondents to a particular answer. For example, instead of asking "What did you enjoy most?" - or even worse - "What did you enjoy least?," try just asking "Do you have any additional feedback?". I promise you will still learn what people liked or didn't like.
The tools may have simplified the process, but make sure you take time to do your survey right. This may be your only chance to ask those burning questions and get the answers you need.
With the availability of Survey Monkey and other easy-to-use tools for designing surveys and collecting and
analyzing responses, it's no surprise that more and more companies are using surveys for gathering customer
insights.
Unfortunately, in the rush to send out a survey people often make one or more of these 7 common mistakes:
Moving too fast - It takes time to create a survey that will get you the answers you need. It takes time to test,
revise, re-test, and revise again if necessary. You'll also need time to create messages that inspire people to take
your survey and questions that motivate them to complete it. And you'll need time to review and analyze the results
- and decide what to do with them.
Not starting with the end in mind - Before putting your efforts into the design of the survey, the software you're
using, or even timing of the project, think about how you'll be reporting the results. Imagine the story you want to
tell. Do you need to compare customer segments? Do you want to identify trends over time? Confirm what you think you
know? It's the only way to create questions that match your needs.
Not checking what you already know - Once you draft your questions, think about whether or not any of this
information is already on hand. Perhaps you've surveyed another group a short time ago, or your sales teamroutinely
collects similar insights. And don't forget to check your CRM for any data that can be analyzed.
Trying to teach - A survey is meant for collecting information from the people whose opinions matter most to you.
Always design your questions for listening, and use other methods for training or promoting your point of view.
Asking too many questions - Just because you have someone's attention, it doesn't mean they've given you permission
to ask every question that's on your mind. Stay focused, and only aks what you need to know right now and what you
can't gather elsewhere.
Using too many open-ended questions - We want people to speak freely, but think of the nightmare involved with
analyzing all that free text. Design questions in a way that enables insights, and include at most one question for
open-ended responses. Make sure to use a word cloud or other specialized tool for analyzing text.
Tainting the waters - Consider the power of words when constructing your questions. Be careful that you're not
inadvertantly creating a bias or leading respondents to a particular answer. For example, instead of asking "What
did you enjoy most?" - or even worse - "What did you enjoy least?," try just asking "Do you have any additional
feedback?". I promise you will still learn what people liked or didn't like.
The tools may have simplified the process, but make sure you take time to do your survey right. This may be your
only chance to ask those burning questions.