Asking the right questions is crucial to making informed decisions. And what better way to do that than through surveys? Surveys have been around for ages, but with the advent of technology, our feedback collection capacities are better. In this blog, we will touch on HTML email surveys and traditional surveys, their advantages and disadvantages, and why you should choose HTML email surveys over traditional ones. We will also share some best practices for designing HTML email surveys that will help you get the most out of your survey campaigns.
What are HTML email surveys?
HTML email surveys are a modern and innovative way of collecting feedback from customers or employees. Unlike traditional surveys, HTML email surveys embed the survey directly into an email, making it visually appealing and straightforward for respondents to fill out. The use of images, branding, and interactive elements such as sliders and buttons can make the experience engaging for respondents and encourage more accurate responses. Additionally, HTML email surveys can provide real-time results and analytics, making it easier to track and analyze responses compared to traditional surveys.
Why choose HTML email surveys over traditional surveys?
HTML emails are cost effective, real time in nature and can be designed to keep it relevant to the target respondents. Here are some of the vantage points of choosing HTML surveys over traditional methods of feedback collection.
Cost-effective
HTML email surveys are a cost-effective alternative that can save you money without compromising on the quality of data collected. You can reach a larger audience at a lower cost and collect responses faster, which can help to reduce expenses associated with traditional survey methods. Moreover, HTML email surveys eliminate the need for printing and mailing paper surveys, which makes them more sustainable and eco-friendly.
Time-saving
With traditional surveys, printing, mailing, and manually entering data can be incredibly time-consuming. However, HTML email surveys provide a more efficient and convenient option for collecting feedback. By eliminating the need for paper and manual entry of data, HTML email surveys save valuable time and resources. Additionally, they allow for real-time tracking of responses and provide immediate feedback to the sender. This makes it easier to analyze the results and make informed decisions quickly.
Increased response rates
High survey response rates mean more reliable insights and better-informed decision-making. With HTML based surveys, it’s easier to get higher survey responses over traditional surveys. The visually appealing design of HTML emails makes them more engaging for respondents. Moreover, using an HTML email survey allows you to track responses in real-time, enabling you to make data-driven decisions more quickly.
Higher data accuracy
Since interactive HTML emails are real time in functionality, respondents are more disposed to share feedback instantly. This brings in accurate data and in-moment responses. Traditional surveys would cause immense survey fatigue in respondents , who would otherwise fill incorrect responses in the hope of getting done with the questionnaires. By choosing HTML email surveys over traditional methods, companies can obtain more precise and reliable data for making informed decisions.
Interactive metrics- NPS, CSAT, CES scores
Even when it comes to pushing out net promoter score (NPS survey) , customer satisfaction score, customer effort score (CES ) or offering the five star rating survey, considering the use of dynamic email based surveys is a good call. A dynamic email will prevent respondents from going into a browser based survey which means going out of context. An interactive platform can enhance the customer experience.
7 Best practices for designing HTML email surveys
Data collection is a precision oriented process. There are some best practices to follow even when designing responsive emails. How you word the email subject, design the email template, hook people in the subject line, every factor will determine response rate collection.
Being clear and concise about email design:
To design an online survey, one must keep in mind the specific goal that survey is about to fulfill. Nobody likes to attend to junk email. Keeping questions direct is one aspect. Another aspect to look at , is the design of the landing page, survey email subject lines, personalization within the email message for the target audience. Mentioning the company name along with its brand logo and their contact information can reinforce credibility of each feedback email.
Keep the design simple and visually pleasing:
For most survey designs, simplicity and visual appeal are key. A cluttered and confusing design can easily overwhelm respondents, leading to incomplete or inaccurate data. Use clear, easy-to-read fonts and limit the use of colors to maintain a professional look. This will also keep the survey form in line with your branding. One can include images or graphics that relate to the survey question and can also make it more engaging. By keeping the design visually pleasing yet straightforward, respondents are more likely to engage with the customer feedback form and provide accurate data.
Ensure compatibility across email clients and devices:
Testing and checking compatibility pointers is an important aspect of designing a responsive survey email template. It is not enough to design but to see if the html code will be compatible across mobile, tablets and desktops. This is where responsive design comes in handy – it automatically adjusts the survey layout to fit the screen size of the device being used.
Moreover, avoid using images or graphics that may not load properly in some email clients. Compatibility also means pre testing templates on email addresses and checking if the feedback forms do not land in spam. This could hamper response rate and cause miscommunication.
Include real-time survey progress updates:
Real-time survey progress updates can keep respondents engaged and provide them with valuable feedback on their progress through the survey. By including real-time updates, you can create a sense of urgency and motivate respondents to complete the survey before the deadline. Additionally, these updates give you insights into the effectiveness of your survey and can help you make adjustments for future campaigns.
Offer incentives that encourage responses:
Incentives are a great way to keep respondents motivated till the end of the survey. Notify them about the rewards upfront so that they can be aware of the expectations. Studies have discovered that offering incentives by means of gift card, discounts, coupon or cash back can increase response rate by 10%. This marketing strategy is useful when organisations want to create responsive market research and focus on genuine survey results.
Demo test survey templates before publishing:
If you want to keep the mail surveys free of error, then demo testing is the answer. Errors, wrong salutations can denote that the brand is not detail oriented and can hamper your brand image. However, it is always a good idea to test your surveys and preview them before publishing it off to a large respondent base. During demo tests, marketers can look for attached call-to-action or a CTA button, assess each question type, or edit embedded questions.
Opting for automated survey tools:
Remove manual from the equation by integrating your email surveys with a CRM tool and automating the entire process. This creates a seamless process of collecting maximum customer responses without any manual error. Including automation during data analysis can also help churn out data at faster speeds than usual methods. Use a robust CX software that can schedule customer surveys at specific times and you can seamlessly collect valuable insights round the clock.
What are traditional surveys?
Traditional surveys are a common way of collecting feedback and data from individuals. These types of surveys can take various forms, such as paper or online forms, and usually require respondents to leave their inbox and visit a different website or platform to complete the survey. While traditional surveys have been used for years, they may have lower response rates compared to HTML email surveys due to the extra effort required by respondents. Moreover, traditional surveys may also be less engaging for recipients and provide limited options for customization and multimedia elements.
Disadvantages of traditional surveys and templates
Here are some of the key disadvantages of opting for traditional methods of gathering customer data.
Browser based methods: Respondents are led to a browser based method for filling a survey. This removes the context and takes them to another website or platform. This can be a huge cause for low response rate or response dropout.
No interactive elements: Your patrons are multi dimensional in nature. Using traditional methods, there is no scope of sharing feedback in photo format, audio or video formats either. This is restrictive and you cannot obtain rich insights.
Respondent fatigue: If questionnaires are long and mundane, you can expect respondent fatigue, skewed responses and inaccurate data. People will want to fill it off with bias with the hope of completing it sooner.
No scope of personalization or automation: When we resort to the old pen and paper method of bringing customer data, there is not much scope of personalizing nor automating feedback forms.
No scope for real time feedback collection: The best time to attend to a customer is right after they have shared their feedback with you. Without any real time approach, the customer service team might be a little too late to attend to an unhappy customer.
Conclusion
To stay up to date with latest data trends and real-time insights, businesses can switch to upgraded methods of feedback collection. The old batch processing method can hamper data collection efforts, thereby keeping organisations in the dark about their customers and competitors alike. Allow people the liberty to share candid responses in any interactive format.
To learn more about how Merren can supercharge your data collection process, sign up for the 14 day free trial and change the way you seek feedback. It is time to accelerate now.