According to Accelerant Research, the most welcoming survey invitation methods are ones that can be most easily avoided: sent via e-mail, those printed on retail checkout receipts and via the U.S. mail.
The overall survey of 1,741 Americans sought to identify the most and least invasive ways to solicit feedback.
The most unacceptable were seen as those done door-to-door, robocalls to mobile phones or landlines, intercepts done while dining at restaurant, and live operator calls to mobile phone or landline.
Most consumers appear to be more open but not overjoyed about intercept interviews (either in a store aisle or exit interviews at restaurants/retailers).
They also seem to be getting accustomed to, although still wary of, survey requests from text messages. Twenty-six percent found them "completely acceptable" although 22 percent saw them as "completely unacceptable."
Accelerant Research said cost, timing, legality and desired sample size should all play a role in deciding on the type a survey method. But also important to weigh is "to what extent you are inconveniencing your participants — particularly when you are conducting research among existing customers where your brand is identified as the research sponsor."
For retailers, the most common survey method appears to be an e-mail or online pop-up that often comes right after a purchase. Response rates are low, and offering incentives can skew data quality. This holds true for adding surveys to receipts, as well.
In-store surveys, according to Upfront Analytics, tend to be fairly inexpensive, are quick, offer immediacy, and makes customers feel valued. The drawbacks are that is they tend to have a small sample size, generally encourage positive opinions by their face-to-face nature, and can lead to survey fatigue.
Mobile surveys are proving to have a higher response rate and offer more immediacy than PC-supported ones, although they have to be adapted for shorter interviews and questions.
- Easy Does It: How to Succeed in Survey Invitations - Accelerant Research
- Retailers: Your Surveys Are Making Customers Suffer - Forbes
- Pros and Cons of In-Store Surveys - Upfront Analytics
- What Are Receipt Customer Satisfaction Surveys Good For? - Survey Methods
- How and Why Mobile Surveys Win over Paper-Based Questionnaires - Daily Meal
- Reality: Mobile Surveys Will Beat Traditional in 2016 - Green Book Blog