Close Ended Questions: Definition, Types, Advantages

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    Close ended questions are important to bring quick responses for a certain experience. Most customer feedback surveys seek a quick response from a set of pre-defined response. In this blog, we will discuss the types of quantitative questions and it advantages.  

    What Are Close Ended Questions?

    Closed-ended questions provide a predetermined set of answer options. This method of collecting feedback is useful for collecting quantitative data that can be analyzed statistically. They often include “yes” or “no” options or multiple-choice answers. It also includes various scales that require a rating based on stars, ‘agree or disagree’ or ‘likely to unlikely’ metrics.

    Types of Close Ended Questions

    Closed-ended questions are an effective way to collect quantifiable data in surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. Different types of closed ended questions include multiple-choice, rating scales, yes/no, ranking, and likert scale questions. Here are some examples that can give you an overview of when you can use these scales.

    Dichotomous questions explained:

    Dichotomous questions offer only two answer options, such as yes or no. These questions can capture critical information immediately. Although it may seem limiting, careful analysis of the responses can result in quantifiable data that can be analyzed statistically for significance. With advantages such as higher response rates and efficient data collection and analysis, it’s no wonder why dichotomous questions are widely used in various forms of research.

    Multiple-choice questions format:

    In surveys, multiple-choice questions offer predefined answer choices such as single or multi-answer, ranking and likert scales. Multiple choice is another way of understanding that your respondent might prefer one of more options. This can collect a little more information than a yes or no scale.

    Rating scale format:

    Rating scale questions is a great way to gather quantifiable data on respondents’ perceptions towards different products and concepts.  Example, a company might ask the users if the product fulfils the need gap. The rating scale would be from a number from 1 to 5 ranging from ‘highly effective’ to ‘highly ineffective’.

    Customer satisfaction metrics:

    CES formula

    A standardized method to determine customer satisfaction is through the use of NPS (Net Promoter Score) , CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score) and CES (customer effort score). These metrics use a close-ended form of rating scales to gather data on the customer’s overall satisfaction with a product or service. This method is frequently used for in-app surveys, after a customer service call or after an experience with a brand.

    Rank order format:

    Rank order questions ask respondents to rank a set of multiple-choice answers in descending order of preference or importance. It enables respondents to compare items and rank them according to their preference. To ensure accurate responses, it’s essential to keep the number of answer choices manageable.

    Checklist-style format:

    Checklist style format means that a certain question will have different options. It will ask customers to choose options that will fit the criteria. For example a product (say a washing machine) will have certain features. They would require customers to choose the features relevant for them.  ‘Which of these features are useful to you?’ and answers could be along the lines of ‘quick wash’, ‘segregates fabrics’, ‘water temperature adjustments’ to name a few. 

    When to use close ended questions in a survey?

    Here are some of the use cases when marketers can use a close-ended question in a survey.

    To gauge specific experiences at touchpoints:

    There are multiple touchpoints in a customer’s shopping journey. Some of them include onboarding , purchasing or post-purchase. Post purchase customer feedback is critical at touchpoints after a shopping experience. Quantitative analysis seeks instant feedback from people about their experience. Since experiences are short lived, people can share their numerical feedback via instant close-ended surveys. This can be done via CSAT scores, net promoter score survey or rating experiences via in-app survey.

    To compare experiences of various people:

    People can have varied responses. Survey results can move anywhere from an extremely dislike to a super delightful experience. Quantitative insights help marketers compare various experiences of customers within a certain time frame. People can rate an experience ranging from 1 to 5 (1- extremely poor to 5-extremely delightful).

    To capture response from a greater sample size:

    When sharing a survey to a larger group of people, it is ideal to restrict the question to a quantitative method. This allows marketers to pinpoint on experiences and get results that are easy to measure in the dashboard. Larger very specific data can help gather reasonable statistical significance. This can help marketing professionals come to a reasonable conclusion based on numerical data.

    Advantages of Close Ended Questions In Surveys

    There are several advantages of using close ended survey questions, that makes it easier for marketers to collect faster responses and analyze them real time. Here are some key pointers:

    1. Standardized responses

    Participants choose from a set of predefined answer options, ensuring uniformity and simplifying data analysis. This makes it easy for researchers to measure and compare responses since everyone has the same choices..

    2. Efficient data collection

    Utilizing close ended questions can expedite the process of data collection and analysis. Respondents with predetermined options can promptly choose the most applicable answer. Additionally, evaluating closed-ended data typically requires less time as compared to open-ended answers. The information can be effortlessly quantified and condensed.

    3. Comparability and benchmarking

    Close-ended questions help researchers compare different respondents or groups directly. It is easier to benchmark and compare across demographics, time periods, or other factors. This approach reveals patterns, trends, and differences, leading to more insightful conclusions.

    4. Reduced bias

    Closed-ended questions minimize response bias by restricting the range of possible answers. When respondents choose from predetermined options, they are less likely to inject personal biases. This approach can result in more dependable and impartial information.

    5. Quantifiable data

    Quantitative data produced by close ended questions can be statistically analyzed with ease. The answers received can be summarized, tabulated, and presented in numerical or graphical formats. This simplifies statistical analysis, allowing researchers to make conclusions, detect correlations, or conduct more quantitative research.

    Offering open-ended options for respondents

    Open-ended questions offer respondents to share opinions in their own words. However, incorporating an open ended option alongside close ended questions can help researchers gather more detailed information. This approach is a good way for respondents to express their thoughts in a free-flowing format. A mix of the two generally can encourage a high survey response rate and bring extra information to the table. A survey that has both qualitative data and quantitative insights, can help us gauge customers, a little more than usual.

    Conclusion

    Using Merren, you can formulate your own survey to capture customer feedback. There are predetermined sets of questions that can help you collect extensive quantitative insights. Additionally, collecting quantitative insights with Merren is a superfast exercise. We deploy Whatsapp surveys, dynamic email surveys and web based chatbot surveys. It is time to 10x your feedback collection process.

    To learn how you can collect quantitative insights at a speed, sign up for our 14 day free trial. If you also want the process to be hands free, check out our AI Survey Builder here.