In general, surveys are one-sided conversations where customers answer straightforward questions. Such questions include topics about age, location, and other basic demographic information. The sad truth is that these are horrible conversation starters, and yet these are always seen as part of the first set of questions in a survey. The best way to design a survey is to treat it as a conversation. “Conversing” with your customers will allow you to develop a stable relationship with them. It will give you a chance to understand their needs and desires straight away.
Conversational Surveys
So, what are conversational surveys? Conversational surveys collect customer feedback through mobile messaging which helps to overcome the barrier between the customer and business owner. Having a conversation with the participant will give you a fresh perspective on the answers they give you. Conversations with anyone are invaluable. Depending on their approach taken for the survey, the survey admin may be entitled to complete freedom for the questions being asked to the participant. Accordingly, the participant will respond in a certain manner. Normally, one-on-one conversations may be a bit intense because the participant can be nervous about conforming to social pressure. However, conversational surveys are better for several reasons. These reasons include efficiency, confidentiality, consistency, and analytics.
Benefits of Conversational Surveys
Efficiency
Participants want surveys to be quick and easy. The question is, are close-ended questions enough to keep a survey going? Close-ended questions are just the start of a conversational survey. Follow-up questions are the key to keeping the conversation flowing. However, for the sake of being efficient, you do not want to ask too many questions, otherwise, the participant will feel the urge to close out of the survey if it’s taking too much of their time and effort.
Confidentiality
People need confidence when they take part in a survey. They need reassurance that there are no repercussions or consequences to negative responses if any. Participants are more likely to be honest if their identities are kept anonymous. Anonymity allows the customers to express themselves freely. It allows the customer to communicate a truly honest review of your business and its products and services.
Consistency
No matter how creative the survey is, the conversation within the survey needs to be consistent. Consistency in a survey means sticking to the flow of the conversation. Conducting a conversational survey is like conducting an interview with a customer. Sure, sometimes you may go off-track, but eventually you will come back to where you left off.
Analytics
If you manage to stay efficient from the start of the conversation, decoding and analyzing the results shouldn’t be a challenge for you. This should happen automatically as the conversation flows. As long as your business has a clear and transparent survey platform, the results of the conversation should be easy to decode.
Build Effective Customer Surveys with PxidaCX
We’ve built PxidaCX to help businesses connect to their customers and there’s no better way than designing surveys that sound and feel like conversations. By building personal connections with your customer base, you can retain your current customers and build a reputation as a great brand that connects to its audience. Try out our product today, to experience for yourself how you can leverage surveys for your business growth.