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Surveys are an invaluable tool when it comes to gaining inside information on what your customers really want. However when it comes to maximising the effectiveness of your content a strategic approach is always worthwhile. If you want to ensure that every question you ask hits the mark, read on for our top tips on how to draft hard hitting customer surveys that generate meaningful data.

Comply with the KISS rule

As a general rule of thumb, the KISS principle should apply to all questions. The acronym stands for ‘Keep It Short, Stupid!’ and essentially rules that all questions should be asked in the shortest and simplest way possible, without losing their intent.

Pepper surveys with open ended questions

While ‘yes/no’, multiple choice and scale rating questions are the easiest to answer, surveys should also be peppered with open ended queries that give customers an opportunity to spill their thoughts on various different subjects. A good strategy to encourage customers to open up is to start with a simple scale rating question, then follow up with an open ended “why do you feel this way?”

Ask one question at a time

It can be tempting to squeeze multiple questions into one line but ultimately, this just confuses and frustrates respondents. Instead, stick to one at a time and elaborate in a separate or sub question if necessary.

Keep rating scales consistent

If you’re using rating scales make sure they remain consistent throughout the survey. This will create a streamlined experience and ensure that answers are accurate and free from confusion.

Offer customers a bonus for their participation

It can be extremely difficult to convince customers to take the time to fill out a survey. Entice them in by offering bonuses such as discounts, credits or giveaways. Even the smallest of incentives can generate impressive participation rates.

Make data processing easy with survey scanning tools

Once you’ve gathered your data the next step is to process it into meaningful information. This is often the most tedious and time consuming element of customer surveys. Make the process easy by utilising survey scanning data capture technology that sifts through results and processes them into useable data in a fraction of the time it would take a human to complete the same task.

Ready to make the most out of your customer surveys? Head to Pearl Scan today for quotes on professional survey scanning tools that will turn your results into expedient information that you can use to grow, expand and enhance your business.

So you're being proactive with surveying your customers. You have all of the information on paper but now the process hits a huge inefficient stumbling block. What do you do?

Why do we need surveys?

Surveys are an excellent way for companies to gather the thoughts, views and demographics of their customers and potential customers. They can tell you about your customer service or let you see what services your customers would like to see among many other things. Traditionally, surveys were conducted on paper with tick boxes and comments sections and that's the way most people still see it. With the rise of the digital age though, a lot of companies ask customers to complete online surveys for easier completion and quicker data gathering. However, there are still a number of traditionalists out there who feel paper surveys filled in immediately after their experience with the company provide a greater level of accuracy.

Problems With Traditional Surveys

There is one main problem with conducting surveys on a traditional paper-based format and that is time. With the sheer volume of surveys collected by most organisations, it can take a serious amount of time, not to mentioned manpower, to collate all the relevant data before any action can be taken. The information contained in completed surveys could be very useful for any organisation but if the data is not recorded correctly (due to human error) or takes too long to reach the relevant people, that can have damaging effects on progress in the company.

So how can we keep the benefit of accuracy of opinions with paper surveys but provide a future-proofed and efficient way of collating the data?

Digitising Surveys

Survey scanning provides to perfect solution. By scanning surveys, you can have all of your data collated digitally to provide accurate and efficient readings of your surveys. This data can then be stored electronically on a USB, CD, DVD, shared network or in the cloud. You can say goodbye to having to hire extra staff to deal with the surveys and even generate revenue in the process. Let's take a closer look at the benefits digitising surveys can bring;

Benefits

• You can free up space because once your surveys are fully digitised, you will no longer need the hard copies.
• You will save all of the time previously wasted trying to collect the data yourself.
• You won't need to hire extra staff as the job can be cost effectively outsourced.
• With proper data capture technology, you will get more accurate results.
• You can secure the information so it is not lost, stolen or damaged.

How to Scan Surveys

Here at Pearl Scan, we offer a completely bespoke survey scanning service. Our solutions are cost effective and will save you a great deal of time especially since we handle the entire process from collection of your documents to delivery of the relevant data in digital format. We can capture tick boxes, multiple choice questions and we can even manually enter handwritten text. We can deliver your data in whichever format you prefer such as CSV, XML, SPSS, Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access and all of our services are fully accredited with recognised security certificates. If you would like some more information, take a look at our dedicated page or get in touch today for your free, no obligation quote.

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