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September 9, 2024
Why Are Consumer Surveys Often Annoying?
A new survey from Shep Hyken, a customer service/CX expert, finds consumers don’t complete surveys because they’re too long, too frequent, or just pointless.
On the positive side, the survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, sponsored by RingCentral, found most people are willing to complete a satisfaction survey under the right circumstances. Only 14% of respondents said they rarely filled out surveys, and just 4% said they never do.
However, the survey also identified several reasons why consumers will opt out from taking surveys:
- Length: Two-thirds flat out said they won’t complete long surveys, with 19% stopping doing business with a company because their survey was too long.
- Frequency: About a quarter (23%) stopped doing business with a company because it kept sending too many surveys.
- Feedback value: The survey implied some consumers are hesitant because 37% believe their feedback is not taken seriously and 71% assume the company won’t make changes based on their feedback. After completing a survey, 72% said they don’t ever hear back from the company.
In a penned Forbes article, Hyken, who is also a RetailWire BrainTrust panelist, highlighted the importance of ensuring consumers know their feedback and opinions are valued.
“As you move forward, consider not only how you ask questions but also how you acknowledge and act on the answers,” wrote Hyken. “Every survey is a chance to show customers how much you value their input and their business. Surveys are more than a way to get feedback. They can promote positive engagement, build better relationships and create customer loyalty.”
Kantar said other factors driving poor survey response rates include repetitive or generic survey questions. Kantar stated, “As respondents get bored completing surveys, their overall engagement starts to drop.”
A Wall Street Journal article from 2020 cited studies suggesting repeated surveys cause customers to delay purchases or make them reluctant to return. Andrea Godfrey Flynn, a marketing professor at the University of San Diego School of Business, told the WSJ, “It’s hard to break the instinct that, like in our interpersonal relationships, the more we can communicate with each other, the better that’s going to be. It’s hard for it to sink in that it can actually drive your customers away.”
In a column for TechCrunch entitled, “I’m So Over Customer Experience Surveys,” Ron Miller, an enterprise reporter, concluded, “The idea that we’ve been sold that customer surveys provide direct communication between customer and company is just a fallacy. When you constantly get pinged for your thoughts and nobody seems to be listening, what exactly is the point?”
Discussion Questions
What are the primary drivers of survey fatigue?
What advice do you have to reduce drop-out rates and improve the feedback quality of surveys?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Lisa Taylor
Retail Consultant, JL Buchanan
Bob Amster
Principal, Retail Technology Group
James Tenser
Retail Tech Marketing Strategist | B2B Expert Storytelling™ Guru | President, VSN Media LLC
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The biggest problem is that a lot of surveys are pretty meaningless – using things like NPS scores, which don’t have all that much relevance to the shopper. It also sometimes feels like the survey is just a process rather than a real attempt to solicit feedback. I’d credit Target here as they often follow up survey responses after shopping trips with an email from the store manager addressing concerns. It’s great to have that human touch.
For numerous years, my studies have indicated that consumers harbor a strong aversion to surveys for a multitude of reasons that are too extensive to list. Nevertheless, I must highlight two specific points that are often overlooked.
Firstly, respondents frequently perceive the options ranging from “A” to “D,” or even “True” and “Not True,” as ambiguous, which hinders their ability to provide precise answers. Most individuals do not categorize their opinions in strictly binary terms. While open-ended questions may require more effort, the insights gained are far more valuable for the respondent, the brand, and the analyst involved.
It is essential to include open-ended feedback opportunities, even in surveys that primarily utilize objective “A” to “D” scales. Many individuals believe that their accurate responses are contingent upon particular contexts and situations, leading them to shy away from surveys altogether, as they fear their answers may be overly generalized or misinterpreted.
Another factor contributing to the reluctance towards surveys is the perception that their time will be squandered, stemming from the belief that no one will genuinely take the time to analyze their feedback thoroughly.
Despite these challenges, surveys and research remain crucial in the marketing domain. I suggest crafting questions that are as specific as possible, incorporating both A-D options and space for open comments beneath the selections.. Db
Survey design is an art form. It really is, regardless who you are surveying. I’ve taken some really bad ones and put out some really bad ones (and good ones, too).
But customer experience surveys are a particularly nasty beast. You’re asked to evaluate the person you spoke to, rather than the half hour of voicemail hell you had to walk through before you got to a human. So they don’t ask, because the reality is, they don’t want to know.
We all know, don’t we? That the CX is awful and not getting any better. Now, we can pretend that ai is gonna fix it, but the reality remains…educated employees are what is needed. Call Chewy customer service. Easy peasy. Sadly, my cat passed last week. I had to call Chewy to cancel my auto ship. The rep was kind, empathetic, and got the job done quickly. Call almost anyone else…banks, airlines, Xfinity, AT&T and it’s a torture. Truly.
Do you really need a survey to know this? Really? C’mon.
Yes, this. I do not need a 100 question customer survey to ask me how you handled my personal issue. Good or bad.
What are the factors… well, that was answered, wasn’t it? Length, frequency, and lack of credibility. The real issue is why survey methodolgy seems to so often push surveys demonstratng these traits. I don’t have a proveable answer, but I suspect it’s because researchers are most interested in selling their products, and the people who buy them have naive views about what research can accomplish,
Long and tedious surveys are the main reason that TruRating, with its single question at checkout, is taking off like a rocket.
The issue with most surveys is that the authors are trying to cram 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-lb. bag. Since the response rate historically is so low, the desire to get the most bang for the buck for those poor, unfortunate souls who will actually respond is amped up. What’s one more question when the survey is already 12 minutes long?
Lack of a proper incentive is also an issue. Today I was promised a $35 incentive for a 10-minute survey, but I realized at the end that the sender never spelled out exactly what the $35 was. I am prepared for some sort of booby prize…a $35 voucher for Hello Fresh or a $35 credit at your my Avis rental counter perhaps.
A little relevance of the survey to your interaction would be good. I once got a survey for a (drug store) purchase, which happened to be a bottle of water paid for at a self-check-out. How smart was that request of my time. Could have been worse I suppose, might have asked for a tip at the end of the interview.
Peter, I’ve been waiting for the survey bot to ask for a tip. I’m sure its coming.
People want to feel seen and heard. Most surveys don’t do that. They collect nicely categorized demographic data, provide a list of prescribed answers that don’t provide insight and the consumer has no idea what is being done with the information. Humanity and transparency are the key to making the consumer feel like they will make an actual impact.
What? You are already collecting my first party transaction and loyalty data along with some zero-party data from the sign-up process. Now you want me to invest more of my time to answer a string of dull, often amateurish survey questions?
The first one is almost always the net-promoter score: “How likely would you be to recommend…” The all-time greatest example of a summary rating with ZERO diagnostic value. Top execs love NPS because the results can never translate into a required course of action. It’s just a number.
If retailers truly want to understand the quality-satisfaction-loyalty equation they need to invest in real market research that breaks apart all the individual components of the shopping experience and identifies areas of poor-medium-excellent performance. Of course that means investing in actual market research professionals, running panels, etc.
To cut corners, you can try asking me next time I check out a purchase from your online store, but my answer will always be the same: If my survey responses are all that valuable, what are you offering me in return?
Surveys have almost become ubiquitous. Nearly every transaction these days gets a follow-up survey. No thanks. Personally, I have some privacy concerns about being asked for even more info about my experience than what’s already been harvested. The bottom line is that unless I really have something to say, like I had a really bad experience or a really great one, I don’t bother with surveys.
There’s also the “we’re only looking for 9s and 10s, so if there was anything about the experience today that we could improve on, let us know now” phrasing from whenever I get something done at the car dealership. Well then it isn’t really a survey, is it?
Online surveys are often too long. Often irrelevant to the consumer and, therefore, seem like a waste of one’s time. Surveys should be relevant to the transaction just completed, actionable, and indicate from the questions that they are also actionable and something will be done as a result of the responses. Telephone survey are too long as well and more often irrelevant Thant online surveys. Telephone surveys need to be more targeted because it is too easy for the responder to hang up. No real science here.
There are two main challenges that I see on a frequent basis. First, the length and the effort of the survey does not have equivalency to the purchase occasion. I can understand if you receive an in-depth survey about a car purchase, but your quick weekly drug store shop should not be a long several minute ordeals.
Secondly, surveys tend to be designed to gain data points for customer service, NPS, etc. but leave little room for an open response from the customer. By providing an open response option, customers can feel as they have a voice and their effort on a good response may recognize someone or lead to improvement at the retailer.
The main issue with surveys is the perception that the results don’t really impact any actions. Many times, retailers will use surveys to validate a product or service and there is no real post engagement to support the consumer’s opinion. Shopper ratings and reviews on the website, instead, are very valuable to both other shoppers and brands. Views on fit, sizing consistency, quality and value are better indicators and can either encourage conversion or alert retailers that a product has an issue.
Thank you, RetailWire (and Tom Ryan), for sharing this excellent overview of my survey research. In addition to the research finding the customers’ likes and dislikes around surveys, when my clients ask me about the survey, one of the most important points I make is that they need to realize the survey could be the “last impression” of the experience. How do they want that interaction to be remembered? It’s so important to “do surveys” the right way!
Bad questions… I often find that the phone survey after a customer service interaction is about the person I interacted with, who was fine, as opposed to the rest of the experience which probably involved a horrible phone tree, a long wait with bad music or messaging and companies policies that would not allow their employee to resolve the issue.
How META. A survey was conducted to measure consumer sentiment on surveys.
When are you NOT getting surveyed? You come out of a bathroom in a airport and you are asked to press a button. You are asked what was great about your shopping experience at checkout. You come home from a Doctor’s visit…”how was it”? And the surveys are in many cases not written well, leading to some obvious conclusion.
Here is a hint-when people come back to shop your store, that is positive. Or-better yet-use your own product. Surveys have transitioned to being tedious.
#stopaskingsillyquestions
The best surveys try to capture actual customer feedback and do so with a thoughtful, professional set of questions.
Terrible surveys try to reaffirm what the company is doing. And are usually slapped together by someone with little survey experience.