An exceptionally high opening rate, the exclusive character, the closeness to the customer – there are many good reasons that make SMS a great medium for conducting a survey. However, before you send out your first SMS survey, you should be clear about a few details. In addition to having a well-defined target audience, there are other things to consider when designing your survey. This post will help you set your first SMS survey up for success. We will also show you some examples in case you are still looking for inspiration for your own SMS survey.
What you need to consider before launching your first SMS survey
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Before the survey
Before you create and send your first SMS survey, you need to consider some basic things. For example, you should think about how you want to design your survey, for what purpose you want to send this survey and what scope it should have. Based on this, divide your primary target group into meaningful recipient groups and create them in our webapp if needed.
If you have completed these steps you can start to produce the content of the survey. We also recommend that you prepare your recipients for the survey by asking them about their interests, and explain to them why you are conducting the survey.
How to design your SMS survey
Surveys are a great way for you to get detailed information. However, there is often no added value in answering your questions for your recipients. Therefore, it is especially important to design your survey in such a way that it is as pleasant as possible for your potential participants to answer. To do this, you should pay particular attention to these points:
Address participants personally. A message that addresses your recipients personally is much more likely to be answered. In any case, you should personalize the survey as much as you can. This creates more relevance with your recipients and makes them more likely to want to participate.
Be as brief as possible. Ask focused, simple questions, don’t give too many answers to choose from, only ask as many questions as absolutely necessary. Your goal is to get as many respondents to complete the survey as possible. Also make sure to test the survey ahead of time to discover any unclear sections before launching the final survey. This will help you avoid excessively high dropout rates.
Thank your recipients. If you don’t want to or cannot offer an incentive to your participants, you should thank them even more for their help. Do not just take the fact for granted that customers are willing to help you without getting anything in return.
SMS or landing page
If you want to launch an SMS survey, you can choose between two options: Either you conduct the entire survey via SMS and allow customers to respond to the SMS directly, or you send a link to your landing page where you conduct the survey. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, which one suits you best depends entirely on your individual needs and priorities.
If you let your recipients respond to your SMS directly, the effort required to answer your questions is particularly low. In addition, people who do not have access to the Internet can take part in the survey as well. However, if your recipients do not use an unlimited phone plan that includes SMS, they may need to pay for their answers.
A landing page, on the other hand, allows you to visually customize your survey to match your branding. However, in order to participate, your recipients have to overcome the first hurdle and click on the link to the survey, which usually reduces the participation rate.
Transparency creates acceptance
Before you get started with your first SMS survey, you should ask the selected recipients if they want to participate in your survey. You should also clearly state what you plan to use the information for that you receive from them. An example: Do you want to use the data to improve your customers’ buying experience? If your recipients know this, they will feel that their opinion is important to you and will likely be happy to help.
You can learn more about how you should ask for information from customers in our post on Zero Party Data.
Examples of survey types
Are you still looking for inspiration for your first SMS survey? Of course, you can basically ask any kind of question and there are hardly any limits to your imagination. However, some survey types are more suitable for businesses than others. Let’s take a look at some useful SMS survey types that you can use for your business.
The consulting survey
Do you offer a consulting service to your customers? The more your employees know about the customers who want a consultation, the better the quality of the consultation. An initial SMS survey can help you get to know your customers and therefore assess their needs more effectively. Based on this data, you can then offer the best possible advice. Of course, it is also possible to conduct a purely SMS-based consultation.
The satisfaction survey
An SMS survey is also a good way to query your customers’ satisfaction. Satisfaction surveys show appreciation for your customers and help uncover any problems immediately. It also gives you information that can help you improve your operations.
Use satisfaction surveys, for example, if you want to get first-hand information, e.g. to optimize your sales processes. Send your SMS survey after a successful purchase or when customers abandon a purchase with a full shopping cart.
If you have redesigned your website or online store, you can use an SMS survey to find out if your regular customers are happy with the changes.
Have your customers had contact with your support team or used your consulting services? Have them rate their interaction with your team and improve your service.
The customer participation survey
Do you involve your customers in decisions about future collections or changes to your product? Just give it a try, whether it’s a new product or a redesign of a classic. Whether you have them design the entire product or just let them determine details like colors or materials doesn’t matter – participation is key.
Advocates of your brand can provide valuable input and usually don’t hesitate to share their honest opinions with you. This gives you the opportunity to have your ideas evaluated directly by the target group and, at the same time, you can benefit from the ideas of your most loyal customers.
Plan ahead to make your SMS survey succeed
As with all SMS campaigns, before you send your first one, you need to be clear about your goals and make some basic decisions. Decide on a survey type that is purposeful, divide your recipient groups wisely and make sure your survey is short, concise and easy to answer. Always communicate how you plan to use the information you ask for, and make your customers feel like they have the power to make a difference – because they do.
Have you already conducted an SMS survey and want to share your experience?
We look forward to hearing from you!
All the best
Header: iStock.com/akinbostanci, edited color