Get to the point – Online Surveys

I just waded through a customer service follow up survey from Acura. It got to the point that I almost gave up and logged out but I didn't. Now I know that Honda is super critical of their dealerships, and that these surveys also go a long way in achieving JD Power & Associates awards. But if you want %100 completion on your online surveys – get to the point. Was it length of stay, product knowledge, or cleanliness of the showroom. Push the items that really need answers to the front. Additionally, here are some important tips to get the most honest results:

• K.I.S.S. factor "High"
• Get the answer you need up front, if they close it out before completion you at least got what you needed.
• Incentives for long surveys (coupons work well; sweepstakes do not, as people think giving you all "A's" will better their chance in your contest).
• Keep your range within five– bad, poor, fair, good, and great. No one really feels a little over fair but not nearly good!
• Provide a percentage to completion status. People want to get the feeling of completion even if they don't know how many questions you really have.
• Follow up with user post-survey and ask if they would be willing to take other future surveys. This way you can keep your surveys small and succinct. This engagement also give the user a greater sense of ownership.
• Create multiple surveys, ask poignant questions pertaining to their varied experiences, your feedback will be of greater quality and reinforces that you're aware of why you're contacting them.

Online survey's are awesome tool but don't use them to answer everything that wrong with your business. If you have loyal customers they'll continue to give you their feedback.