SMS has changed a lot since the first of it’s kind was sent back in 1992, so how can you benefit from its new features? One of which being SMS surveys.
When you want feedback fast, SMS Surveys work harder than any other platform. 93% of us have a mobile phone (source: Ofcom), 98% of text messages are read, and 45% are responded to (sources: mobilemarketingwatch.com and smartinsights.com).
Furthermore, an IPSOS study revealed that 95.3% of consumers would be likely to complete an SMS survey, so you’re looking at a highly effective, and affordable, means of gathering customer feedback.
It goes without saying the quality of the feedback you receive will depend on the quality of the survey questions, so to help, we’ve compiled 5 top tips to consider when building your SMS Surveys.
1. Maximise engagement
Make sure you introduce yourself by having an opening message with a sender identity your recipients will recognise. When it comes to questions keep them numbered (to indicate how far through the survey the recipient is) and to the point.
Aiming for a maximum of 4 to 5 questions will maximise your response and completion rates and therefore improve the quality of the results.
2. Personalise
Depending on your target audience you should include merge data to personalise the survey for each recipient – their name, the event they attended, the product they purchased etc.
This should achieve a higher volume of responses and better quality feedback as recipients feel more engaged.
3. Vary responses & encourage interaction
To combine both quantitative and qualitative insights from your survey, it’s a good idea to use a branched survey. This allows you to show a different follow up question depending on the recipient’s response, so that you are asking questions relevant to the responses provided.
For example, if a recipient rated you 9 or 10 out of 10, then the next question might be to find out if they would buy again. If the recipient had a bad experience, you can instead find out what went wrong and take action to ensure this does not happen again.
4. Timing is everything
The speed in which your SMS Surveys are sent is a big factor in responses. Make sure you’re asking your next question within 5 seconds of a response being received to create a conversation.
Consider your audience and determine the best times to gauge their opinion. Sending out an SMS Survey at 8:00 AM to a demographic who largely work office hours may not achieve the best results, whereas lunch time would be the perfect time to catch your audience while they have time to look at their phones.
If you have a development team who can work with you to automatically send a survey after a purchase or service provided, catching people while the experience is fresh in their minds is also a sure-fire way to increase response rates.
5. Incentivise your SMS Survey
Whether through a competition, discount or limited-time promotion, further your response rates by offering an incentive for your customer’s valuable time and feedback.
If you would like more information and best practice guidance on putting together your first SMS Survey then contact our team on 0345 356 5758.
