Companies must constantly tweak and adapt their product or service offerings based on the needs and preferences of their customers. This is why customer insight is so valuable—and why customer surveys are necessary at every stage of your business’ journey.
While customer surveys have been the traditional method of tapping into these insights, they often face low engagement challenges. Email requests go unseen or ignored, paper forms end up in the trash and calls from unknown numbers are ignored or blocked.
So, how do businesses ensure their surveys are seen and responded to?
The answer is SMS surveys. Delivered directly to a customer's mobile device, these concise questionnaires offer a direct and efficient channel to collect feedback.
Text message surveys are changing the way businesses interact with their clientele. Let’s discuss how to leverage this powerful tool.
What Are Text Surveys?
SMS surveys are concise, targeted questionnaires delivered directly to a customer's mobile device via text message. Traditional survey methods often require users to click on a link, open an app or visit a website. However, SMS surveys prompt immediate engagement by popping up where most users check frequently—their text messages.
These surveys operate on two principles: simplicity and immediacy. After your business decides on what questions to ask, you can craft a rapid-fire questionnaire tailored to the SMS format.
The survey is then sent out to a predefined list of recipients who've previously opted in to receive text communications. Customers can respond directly via their messaging app upon receiving the text, making the process seamless.
To enhance engagement, companies often incorporate rating scales, multiple-choice questions, or even open-ended queries, thus ensuring they capture a broad feedback range.
Benefits of SMS Surveys
In an era where customer feedback is paramount, SMS surveys are a premier tool for businesses. Here's why:
- Unrivaled open and response rates – Traditional survey methods like email can't hold a candle to SMS regarding engagement. SMS boasts unparalleled open rates of 98% and response rates of 45%, dramatically increasing the likelihood that your surveys will be seen and responded to.
- Convenience for customers – In our fast-paced, mobile-first world, convenience is king. SMS surveys offer recipients the flexibility to respond on the go, from the comfort of their mobile device and at a time that suits them.
- Real-time feedback – The immediacy of SMS ensures that feedback is received in real-time. This rapid turnaround allows businesses to address any pressing issues or capitalize on positive feedback swiftly.
- Swift data analysis – With responses collated in real-time on the survey platform, businesses are positioned to parse the data quickly. This means you can gather insights, adjust strategies and implement actions immediately, keeping your business agile and responsive to shifting customer needs.
Types of SMS Surveys
There are no limits to the types of surveys a business can send customers. By utilizing a variety of survey types, you can ensure that you gather feedback related to every facet of your operations and customers’ experiences. These include:
- NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys – Measure customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your product or service to others.
- Polls – Gather general opinions on various topics, helping to make quick, informed decisions.
- Customer experience feedback – Understand the overall satisfaction levels by capturing feedback on specific interactions or transactions.
- Text-to-vote – Engage audiences by letting them vote on choices, typically used for contests or community decisions.
- Post-purchase surveys – Gauge customer satisfaction levels with their shopping experience and the service or product immediately after a purchase or transaction.
- Product feedback – Directly solicit opinions on specific products to refine your offerings further.
- Service quality surveys – Evaluate your services' performance and identify improvement areas.
- Event feedback – Capture attendees' experiences and insights after events to refine future occasions.
Tips & Best Practices for Creating Effective SMS Surveys
For convenience, you may be tempted to recycle or repurpose surveys used for other mediums like email. However, what works for email or calls may be less effective for SMS. You must adapt and optimize surveys for each platform.
To that end, consider the following factors and best practices as you create your SMS surveys:
- Conciseness – SMS is built for brevity. Keep your questions short, direct and to the point.
- Personalize – Start with the recipient's name to grab attention and add a human touch.
- Opt for multiple choice – If you have to pick one format, multiple choice is ideal for SMS since it makes responding quick and easy.
- Limit length – An ideal SMS survey should be limited to 3-5 questions to ensure completion.
- Time it right – Send surveys when recipients are most likely to respond, like mid-afternoons during the middle of the week.
- Include a clear CTA – Ensure there's a clear call to action, guiding recipients on how to respond.
- Provide an incentive – Offering a reward or discount can increase participation rates significantly.
- Respect privacy – Make sure that all data collected is stored securely and only used for its intended purpose.
- Gain and maintain consent – Per TCPA rules on marketing text messages, only send surveys to customers who've given explicit permission to be contacted. Always offer an easy opt-out for those who wish to withdraw their consent.
How to Send a Survey Via Text with Texting Base
Ready to launch your SMS surveys? Start by setting up a dedicated business phone number, then import your contact list. Once you have your audience set, craft a concise and engaging survey.
Remember, the survey's design, timing and personalization are paramount to its success. Finally, choose the right platform to send and analyze these surveys.
That's where Texting Base steps in. As a top-tier texting platform, we provide all the tools you need to create, dispatch and evaluate your SMS surveys, ensuring your business stays in touch with what your customers truly want.
Ready to start with your free SMS messaging platform? Try Texting Base today.
