Surveys are an important tool for any business looking to gather feedback from their customers. But with so many mediums available, it can be tough to decide which is the right channel to use. The right survey channel can help you reach a wider audience, get more accurate responses, and ultimately make better decisions based on the data you collect.
In this blog post, we’ll take you through the benefits of conducting surveys through multiple channels, including in-person surveys, online surveys, WhatsApp surveys and Facebook Messenger Surveys, Chatbot Surveys, In-app Surveys, SMS Surveys, and AMP email surveys. We’ll also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each channel to help you make an informed decision. So let’s dive in and find out how to choose the right survey channel for your business!
Upgrade Customer Experience with Omnichannel Surveys
Maintaining a successful business requires understanding your customers and maintaining high customer satisfaction. Collecting feedback using surveys is a valuable method to achieve this. Choosing various channels can make all the difference when it comes to getting accurate data and useful insights.
Before choosing any survey distribution channel, consider factors such as your target audience and the data collection method. You can save time and resources while ensuring that you’re collecting high-quality data. In this guide, we will explore various survey channels, including email surveys, online surveys, in-person surveys, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger surveys, chatbot surveys, in-app surveys, and SMS surveys. We’ll also examine their advantages and disadvantages so that you can make an informed decision about which survey channels are best for your specific needs.
Understanding 8 different customer feedback survey channels: Pros and Cons
Conducting surveys through multiple channels can provide numerous benefits, including increased response rates, improved representativeness of the sample, and a more comprehensive understanding of customer needs and preferences. By using different channels to reach out to respondents, businesses can collect data from a wider range of audiences and ensure that their findings are not skewed towards any particular group.
Moreover, each channel may be more suitable for certain types of questions or demographic segments. For instance, in-person surveys may work well for gathering detailed feedback from loyal customers, while online surveys may be better suited for collecting quick feedback from a larger audience. Ultimately, using multiple survey channels allows businesses to maximize the effectiveness of their research efforts and make data-driven decisions with greater confidence.
1. In-person Surveys
When it comes to conducting surveys, in-person surveys are a powerful tool for collecting targeted responses from specific groups of people. With in-person surveys, researchers can engage with participants on a deeper level, allowing for more nuanced discussions and greater trust-building. This can lead to more honest and accurate responses from participants, providing valuable insights into their needs and preferences. However, conducting in-person surveys can be time-consuming and expensive, especially if travel is required. It’s important to carefully consider the advantages and disadvantages of this survey channel before deciding if it’s the right choice for your research goals.
Advantages of In-person Surveys
In-person surveys offer several advantages over other survey channels. They allow for in-depth discussions with participants, enabling researchers to get a more nuanced understanding of their perspectives. Additionally, face-to-face interactions can build rapport and trust with respondents, leading to more honest and accurate responses. Furthermore, in-person surveys afford the opportunity to observe respondents’ reactions and body language, providing additional insights that might not be captured through other channels. Finally, they are particularly useful for collecting sensitive or personal information that respondents may be reluctant to share online or over the phone. However, it’s important to note that conducting in-person surveys can be time-consuming and expensive, particularly if travel is required.
Disadvantages of In-person Surveys
While in-person surveys offer some significant advantages, they also come with a few disadvantages that should be taken into consideration. One significant drawback of in-person surveys is the high cost associated with conducting them. Travel expenses and staffing costs can quickly add up, making it an expensive option compared to other survey channels. Additionally, since respondents have to be physically present at a specific location and time, in-person surveys can be logistically challenging to organize, which may result in lower response rates.
Another disadvantage of in-person surveys is the potential for interviewer effects or social desirability bias. Participants may provide answers they believe are more socially acceptable or pleasing to the interviewer rather than their genuine opinions or experiences. This issue could affect data quality and lead to inaccurate findings. Therefore, while in-person surveys can be beneficial, they may not always be the most practical approach for collecting reliable data.
2. Telephonic Surveys
Telephonic surveys are another popular survey channel. They involve conducting surveys over the phone, either through automated computer programes or with live interviewers. Telephonic surveys offer several advantages, including a wider reach than in-person surveys, as respondents can be located anywhere with a phone connection. They are also less expensive than in-person surveys, as there are no travel costs involved.
Advantages of Telephonic Surveys
Telephonic surveys offer several advantages over other survey channels. Firstly, they provide a wider reach, as respondents can be located anywhere with a phone connection. This makes it easier to target specific demographics or geographical areas. Secondly, they are less expensive than in-person surveys since there are no travel expenses involved. Thirdly, telephonic surveys can be conducted quickly and efficiently, which is particularly useful for time-sensitive research projects.
Disadvantages of Telephonic Surveys
One major disadvantage of telephonic surveys is the declining response rates. With the increasing prevalence of telemarketing and scams, people are less likely to answer calls from unknown numbers. This can result in a biased sample, with only certain types of individuals participating in the survey.
Additionally, telephonic surveys may be perceived as intrusive or inconvenient, leading to lower cooperation rates and potentially affecting the validity of the results. It’s essential to keep these factors in mind when considering telephonic surveys as a data collection method.
3. Online Surveys
Online surveys have revolutionized the way businesses collect feedback from their customers. They are cost-effective, efficient and allow for a large audience reach. Social media platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook can be used to distribute online surveys, making it easy to get feedback from a large number of participants. Additionally, email surveys can be personalized and targeted towards specific groups, increasing the likelihood of higher response rates. Website-embedded surveys also provide immediate feedback from website visitors, making it easier for businesses to collect data in real-time. Mobile and tablet friendly surveys have become increasingly popular, as more people use mobile devices to access the internet.
Advantages of Online Surveys
Collecting data through online surveys has numerous advantages. Firstly, they are cost-effective and efficient in reaching a large audience, making them an ideal choice for businesses with limited resources. Secondly, online surveys can be customized with skip logic and branching, enabling the creation of personalized experiences for each respondent. Furthermore, responses to online surveys can be analyzed in real-time, providing immediate insights and allowing quick decision-making. Another advantage is that online surveys are environmentally friendly as they do not require paper or
physical distribution. Finally, mobile-friendly surveys can increase response rates as most people use mobile devices to access the internet.
Disadvantages of Online Surveys
While online surveys offer many advantages, they also have some potential drawbacks. One significant disadvantage is the risk of survey bias due to self-selection or dishonest respondents. Online surveys may not reach certain demographics, such as elderly or low-income populations who may not have internet access, which can skew results.
There is a huge amount of friction in the process of initiating and completing an online survey. These surveys are distributed in the form of a link (URL) to a webpage via email, SMS etc. This leads to multiple points of failure starting from low open rates of these mediums nowadays, unwillingness of customers to click on a link in an email or SMS, drop-off in case of slow webpage loading time, and the intimidation a customer feels with the unfamiliar interface of a survey platform. This leads to poor response rates to online surveys.
There is also a lot of survey fatigue with online surveys , as people may receive multiple requests to complete such surveys on a regular basis. This has lea to respondents rushing through surveys or not completing them at all, resulting in incomplete or inaccurate data.
Despite these disadvantages, online surveys continue to be a popular and effective method for gathering feedback and insights from customers and stakeholders. With careful planning and execution, businesses can overcome some of these challenges and leverage the benefits of online surveys to make informed decisions and drive growth.
4. WhatsApp Surveys and Facebook Messenger Surveys
As messaging platforms have continued to grow in popularity, companies have started to leverage WhatsApp surveys and Facebook Messenger surveys to gain feedback from their customers. The advantage of using these platforms is that they allow for conversational data collection and offer a high response rate due to their convenience. Automated bots can also be used to conduct surveys, saving time and resources.
However, it’s important to consider the disadvantages of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger surveys, such as participant limitations, potential survey bias, and the lack of personalization which may limit the ability for follow-up questions to clarify responses. Nonetheless, these channels are an excellent way for businesses to obtain quick and easy feedback from customers.
Advantages of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger Surveys
When it comes to conducting surveys, messenger based surveys offer several advantages over other channels. Firstly, they are incredibly convenient for both the business and the respondents. With instant communication and real-time responses, it’s easier to gather feedback quickly. Additionally, these messaging platforms have a vast reach with over 2 billion active users on
WhatsApp and over 1 billion on Facebook Messenger. This ensures that surveys conducted through these channels have a high response rate.
WhatsApp surveys and Facebook Messenger surveys have high response and completion rates. The open rates on these mediums are very high. Moreover, the user interface is a familiar one making it really easy for the customer to provide feedback.
Messaging apps are also great for collecting feedback when the customers are interacting with the brand in an offline setting as they tend to carry their smartphone with them at all times. They, therefore, let companies capture real-time, in-moment feedback from the customer close to the offline interaction. This is a distinct advantage that messaging apps have over other digital feedback channels.
For certain demographics, these apps are the only way to get responses. For example, if you are looking to collect feedback from millennials, messaging apps are the best channel to employ.
Moreover, multimedia support enables more engaging survey content by incorporating images, videos, and audio files. Companies can also save costs associated with traditional survey methods like printing and mailing by using these channels. Personalization is another added advantage of WhatsApp messenger and Facebook Messenger surveys. Customization options allow businesses to tailor their surveys to suit different demographics while providing respondents with a sense of individuality in the survey-taking process.
Disadvantages of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger Surveys
While WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger surveys can be convenient, there are also some cons to consider. One of the main concerns is the length of the survey. The nature of the medium dictates that the surveys on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger should not be very long. This means that the questions asked need to be concise and to the point. Long surveys can lead to respondents losing interest and abandoning the survey halfway through. Therefore short transaction-oriented surveys like net promoter score (NPS), customer satisfaction score (CSAT), customer effort score (CES) etc or longitudinal studies with multiple quick dips work well, but long usage and attitude studies would not
Another disadvantage is the lack of anonymity in these surveys. Since they are conducted on messaging platforms, personal information like phone numbers and social media profiles are linked to each response. This can make some respondents hesitant to provide honest feedback, especially if they are dissatisfied with the product or service being surveyed.
Overall, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger surveys are effective in collecting feedback from customers and can provide businesses with valuable insights into their products or services.
5. Chatbot Surveys
Chatbot surveys or pop-up surveys offer a great opportunity to collect feedback in a convenient and interactive manner. With chatbots, you can ask users relevant questions based on the answers they provide, enabling you to get deeper insights into what they think about your product or service. By using chatbots, it’s possible to quickly gather and analyze data in real-time, which can help improve business operations and decision-making.
In addition to their data-gathering capabilities, chatbot surveys are easy to use and accessible from anywhere with an internet connection. They can be integrated with other tools such as CRM
software and social media platforms, allowing for seamless data collection and analysis. Chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the way businesses conduct surveys, helping them gain valuable insights into their customers’ opinions and preferences with minimal effort.
Advantages of Chatbot Surveys
Chatbot surveys offer a compelling set of advantages over traditional survey methods. They are very useful when collecting contextual feedback from visitors of a webpage or a web app user.
One major advantage is their interactivity, allowing for real-time responses from respondents. This interactivity allows for follow-up questions to be asked, providing deeper insights into the respondent’s opinions. This conversational short survey style of questioning makes the overall experience engaging leading to higher response rate.
Moreover, chatbots can be easily customized to match your brand’s style and tone, making the survey experience more consistent with your marketing strategy. Another crucial benefit is that they save time and reduce costs compared to traditional survey methods.
People can complete chatbot surveys on mobile devices, ipads and tablets easily. Additionally, chatbots can provide personalized responses based on the respondent’s answers, which can give you deeper insights into their opinions. By using chatbot surveys, organizations can streamline data collection and analysis by integrating chatbots with other tools such as CRM software
Disadvantages of Chatbot Surveys
While chatbot surveys offer numerous advantages, they also come with a few disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks is their potential lack of personalization and a humanized customer support. Chatbots may not be able to understand complex responses or emotions. Additionally, some respondents may not feel comfortable sharing personal information with a chatbot, which could affect the overall response rate.
Another disadvantage of chatbot surveys is their limited options for respondents to fully express their opinions or experiences. While they can provide follow-up questions based on the user’s response, this may not be enough to capture all the necessary feedback. Ultimately, it’s important to consider these disadvantages when choosing whether or not to use chatbot surveys as one of your survey channels.
6. In-app Surveys
In-app surveys are a valuable tool for gathering feedback from mobile app users. They allow for real-time feedback, and can be used to improve the overall customer experience. With in-app surveys, you can gain valuable insights into user behavior and preferences, ultimately leading to more informed decisions. However, it’s important to consider the timing and frequency of in-app surveys to avoid irritating users. To ensure successful use of this medium, create simple in-app NPS surveys for application users.
Advantages of In-app Surveys
In-app surveys offer several advantages over other survey channels. One of the most significant benefits is that they are convenient for users, as they don’t have to navigate away from the app to complete the survey. Moreover, in-app surveys provide real-time feedback and help improve user experience. Companies can personalize in-app surveys based on user behavior and preferences, which increases response rates and provides valuable insights into user behavior. In addition, companies can make data-driven decisions based on these insights to improve their product or service. However, it’s important to consider the timing and frequency of in-app surveys to avoid annoying users. The design of in-app surveys should also be easy for users to understand and complete.
Disadvantages of In-app Surveys
While in-app surveys can be a convenient way to gather feedback from users, they may not be suitable for all types of apps. For instance, apps with limited screen space or where interruptions could cause frustration may not work well with in-app surveys. Additionally, in-app surveys may lead to biased responses as users who are more engaged with the app are more likely to respond. Furthermore, in-app surveys may not reach a wide audience as they only target existing app users. It’s important to weigh the advantages and disadvantages before deciding if in-app surveys are the right choice for your app.
7. Email Surveys
Email surveys are a cost-effective and efficient way to reach a large audience. One of the major benefits is the ability to personalize the email survey, increasing the likelihood of responses. Clear instructions and a call to action in the email can also help improve response rates. Businesses can use email marketing tools to track responses and analyze data for insights, such as customer preferences and satisfaction levels. However, one disadvantage of email surveys is that they may end up in spam folders, leading to lower response rates. It’s important to ensure that emails are targeted and relevant to the recipient, increasing the chances of getting a response.
Advantages of Email Surveys
Email surveys offer many advantages as a survey channel. Firstly, they are cost-effective and can reach a large audience in a short amount of time. This makes them an ideal option for businesses looking to gather customer feedback quickly and without incurring significant costs.
Additionally, email surveys provide flexibility in terms of design and can be customized to match your brand’s aesthetics. This personalization can help increase the response rate by making the survey more appealing to the respondent.
Moreover, email surveys are easy to track and analyze, as most email marketing software offers detailed analytics. This allows businesses to monitor response rates, identify areas for improvement, and gain insights into customer preferences and opinions. Another advantage is the anonymity provided by email surveys, which enables respondents to share honest feedback without fear of judgement or reprisal. These benefits make email surveys a highly effective tool for gathering valuable customer insights.
Disadvantages of Email Surveys
While email surveys have their advantages, they also come with some drawbacks. One of the main challenges is low response rates due to the overwhelming number of emails people receive on a daily basis. Additionally, email surveys may end up in spam or junk folders or go unnoticed by recipients, further decreasing the response rate.
When survey invitations are sent with a link in an email, clicking them takes the customers outside their inbox. This context switch from the inbox to an online browser is disruptive as it breaks the customers workflow. They were, after all, in their inbox for a reason. This disruption discourages the customers to click on the survey links, leading to low survey response rate.
These issues are somewhat ameliorated by using HTML email surveys, which can be embedded directly into the email, eliminating the need for customers to leave their inbox. The disadvantage with HTML email surveys is that they are static and no branching or logic can be applied on them.
AMP email surveys solve this problem as well. AMP is a technology that allows for interactive elements within emails, including surveys. This means that customers can complete their survey right within their inbox without any context switches, resulting in higher response rates. The use of AMP technology also enables dynamic branching and logic in surveys, providing a more personalized and engaging experience for the customer.
However, one drawback of using AMP email surveys is that they do not work with all email clients. If your audience includes a large number of users with email clients that do not support AMP technology, you may need to explore alternative survey channels strategy.
Merren allows users to build AMP surveys with HTML as a fall back option. This means that if the customer uses an email client that does not support AMP, they are delivered an HTML version of the survey.
8. SMS Surveys
SMS surveys offer a convenient and cost-effective way to reach out to a large audience. There are two kinds of SMS surveys: one where a survey URL is sent as a text message and the other where the question itself is embedded into the message.
SMS surveys can be personalized for each recipient, which significantly increases the response rate. Another advantage of SMS surveys is that they can be automated, which saves time and effort in sending out surveys. However, it’s important to note that SMS surveys also have their disadvantages. For instance, they may not be suitable for lengthy or complex surveys due to character limits. Additionally, some individuals may be hesitant to respond to text messages from unknown sources. Hence, before deciding on conducting an SMS survey, weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully.
Advantages of SMS Surveys
SMS surveys have become increasingly popular in recent years due to their numerous advantages. One of the biggest advantages of SMS surveys is their ability to reach a large audience quickly and
easily. They are cost-effective compared to other survey channels, which makes them an attractive option for businesses looking to gather feedback without breaking the bank.
Another advantage of SMS surveys is the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones today. Almost everyone owns a mobile phone, and they carry it with them everywhere they go. This means that SMS surveys can be taken anytime and anywhere, making it much easier for respondents to provide their feedback. Additionally, SMS surveys are easy to set up and can be automated, which saves time and effort in reaching out to a large audience.
Disadvantages of SMS Surveys
Although SMS surveys are a convenient way to gather feedback, there are several disadvantages associated with this survey channel. One of the main drawbacks is that SMS surveys may have limited question types and character limits, which can restrict the depth of responses. Additionally, not all respondents may feel comfortable sharing personal information over SMS. This could potentially lead to skewed results or lower response rates.
Another disadvantage of using SMS surveys is that they may be perceived as intrusive or a spam. Some recipients may view unsolicited text messages as an invasion of privacy, leading to lower engagement levels. In fact, in many countries messaging apps have replaced SMS due to the spam issue.
When SMS is used to push out a question (instead of a survey link), it requires that the survey be really (really) short as multiple back-and-forths on SMS can get tedious and expensive.
When a survey link is sent through the SMS, it suffers from similar context switch issues that Emails with survey links run into. The friction caused by the context switch leads to low response rates.
Overall, while SMS surveys can be quick and cost-effective, it’s important for businesses to consider these limitations before relying solely on this survey channel for data collection.
How do you choose the best survey channels for your business?
Choosing the right survey channel for your business depends on various factors, including the type of audience you want to reach and the kind of information you hope to gather. It’s important to consider the nature of your questions as well.
If your target audience is primarily tech-savvy and frequently online, an online survey might be the best fit. On the other hand, if your audience is less tech-savvy or prefers a more personal touch, then in-person or phone surveys may be more effective.
Open-ended questions may work better with in-depth interviews or focus groups, while multiple-choice questions can be easily incorporated into online or mobile surveys.
Additionally, budget and resources must also be taken into account. While in-person surveys may provide valuable insights, they can be more costly than online or messaging app surveys.
Lastly, it’s always a good idea to test out different survey channels to see what works best for your organization. Conducting small-scale tests can help identify which channels are most effective for reaching your target audience and gathering the information you need.
The multichannel approach: online and offline surveys
To increase response rates and gather more comprehensive data, businesses can adopt a multichannel approach for surveys. This involves using a combination of channels such as email, social media, SMS, phone calls, and even in-person interviews to reach out to respondents.
However, traditionally purists have scoffed at the idea of using multiple survey mediums for data collection. In today’s digital age, where people are constantly bombarded with marketing information, a multichannel approach can provide better results. Reach out to respondents through different mediums and increase the chances of getting more people to respond to surveys at the right time.
Moreover, it allows businesses to reach a wider audience by catering to different preferences and demographics. For instance, some people may prefer answering surveys on their phones while others may prefer email or in-person interviews.
Each channel has its advantages and disadvantages, which must be considered based on the nature of the survey questions and target audience. For instance, social media surveys can help reach a wider audience and generate a higher response rate among younger demographics. On the other hand, phone interviews may be more suitable for conducting in-depth surveys or collecting feedback on complex topics. Ultimately, the choice of the deployment channels or channel depends on the company’s unique needs
Conclusion
Choosing the right survey channels is a great way to get the most accurate and insightful data from your audience. Each channel has its own advantages and disadvantages, which you need to consider before choosing the right one for your business. Want to capture feedback the fastest way? Sign up for a 14 day free trial with Merren and supercharge your market research today.
