How to Craft Effective Survey Questions: Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of Your Surveys

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How to Write Good Survey Questions

A survey is a research technique used to gather information and insights from a specified sample of respondents on various subjects of interest.

Simply said, a high response rate from a representative sample or population suggests a well-designed, user-friendly, and practical survey. Good survey design and a high response rate are the fundamental components of every experimental study. Suppose you’re thinking of launching a new business. A survey can work as a growth hacking tool giving you insight about your clients’ needs.

A survey needs to take into consideration some different things. Cost, size, and accuracy of the sample, time to collect survey responses, methods of survey dissemination, and the actual quality of the survey are only a few of the primary aspects that define the success of a survey. In this article, we’ll look at the method of making a survey and the things you need to keep in mind.

Questionnaire design

You’ve finally reached the excellent part of your visit.

It’s not easy to come up with good survey questions, and it’s not easy to fill them out too. Reduce the workload of your respondents as much as possible for optimal outcomes. To increase the number of replies to your survey with a questionnaire design, consider asking the following sorts of questions:

• Free-form queries
• Asking just yes/no questions
• Rating questions
• Likert questions
• Choice-based questions
• Image-based questions
• Statistical inquiries

Tips and Tricks for Surveys Questions

#1. Explain the survey’s goal.

Establishing your survey’s purpose before developing questions for it is essential. 

• Why are you doing this survey? 
• Where do you want to put the majority of your efforts? 

If you know what you want to learn, you may ask questions that get to the heart of the matter and provide actionable insights. 

E-commerce market researchers, for example, could zero in on things like customer tastes and purchasing patterns. Customer satisfaction may be measured in a variety of ways; some questions to consider asking are product quality, service, and overall experience. You can also attach the poll link with the digital payment receipt. 

#2. Keep it simple

Communicate your ideas in simple, straightforward language. Don’t use convoluted language or technical jargon that might throw off your readers. Be concise and direct with your inquiries. Check your content for grammar and spelling mistakes.

If you want a higher response rate from your survey, choose language easy for respondents to grasp. If survey questions are simple, more people will fill them out.

#3. Test your questions

Before you send out your survey, ensure that your questions are easy to understand by testing them with a small group of individuals to ensure they are clear. 

This will help you determine which questions need to be altered due to being unclear or misleading.

#4. Ask just yes/no questions.

Multiple-choice and yes/no questions are examples of closed-ended questions restricting respondents’ ability to express their thoughts. These questions are helpful for data collection in a way that facilitates survey analysis and interpretation.

It’s simpler for respondents to reply to closed-ended questions because they need only a yes/no answer. For reliable responses from first responders, it’s necessary to provide them with clear and precise alternatives for how to react.

#5. Don’t ask leading questions

If you want to receive a more specific answer, leading questions are phrased unfairly. For example, 

Don’t you think this product is great? – This question may be used instead of – What do you think of this product?

Or you can ask ‘Do you think no-code approach like Webflow development is effective?’ instead of asking ‘What development approach do you prefer in your work?’ 

Data may be affected if researchers use leading questions.

Ensure that your questions are open-ended and don’t imply a right or wrong answer to prevent giving the impression of leading. 

#6. Include demographic questions

You may better understand the characteristics of your respondents and how they may differ in their points of view by asking them demographic questions such as their age, gender, income, and level of education.

#7. Keep questions simple.

Double-barreled queries are those that probe for information on two fronts. 

The question – Do you like the taste and the packaging of this product? is an example of this type of inquiry. rather than asking, 

• Do you like the taste of this product? 
• Do you like the packaging of this product?

This is the kind of inquiry that can provide misleading answers.

Each survey question should only cover one narrow subject or feature of the surveyed service or commodity. 

As a result, you may rest sure that the comments you receive will be valuable and accurate.

#8. Use a rating system for responses.

Direction and strength of feelings may be captured by using response scales, which yield valuable information. In comparison, data collection from questions with only two possible answers (true/false or yes/no) tends to be less informative.

When you send surveys to your existing customers, it’s important to measure their satisfaction. One effective way to do this is by using Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT). By including CSAT questions in your surveys, such as rating satisfaction on a scale from 1 to 10, you can gather quantitative data on your customers’ sentiment. This data helps you identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to enhance their experiences.

If you have to choose between the two, the response scale is the more practical.

Here is an example of an employee survey question using a rating scale:

“Please rate the effectiveness of the training programs provided by the company on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represents ‘not effective at all’ and 10 represents ‘extremely effective’.”

This question allows employees to provide a rating based on their perception of the effectiveness of the training programs. The scale provides a range of options for respondents to express their level of agreement or satisfaction

However, it would help if you avoided utilizing agree/disagree scales with your target audience. Some people are more likely to give correct and reliable information if they agree with the remarks.

Keep in mind that the average CSAT response rate is 19% for chat support, 5% for email, and 5% for phone. Plus, only 19% of all CSAT ratings have a comment beside the score. For a higher number of responses, you might have to use incentives.

#9. Consider incentives

Incentives such as discounts, offers, gift cards, and contests may help raise the number of answers. You can also use Outgrow to create giveaways/contests by just selecting the pre-made templates, no coding required! 

If your audience comprises gamers, consider giving away popular PC games as incentives; this can boost engagement and yield more in-depth responses.

Offering incentives may seem like a good idea at first since it might lead to more survey responses, but it also runs the risk of attracting incorrect audiences, such as those who are just interested in the reward.

Therefore, create your ideal buyer persona and restrict your surveys to that specific group of people. Also, think carefully about what kind of incentives will actually motivate them to participate.

#10. Be cautious with imbalanced scales.

Respondents might be misled by poorly written questions and unbalanced answer scales. If you ask for a rating and give them a scale with these words-

• Poor
• Satisfactory
• Good
• Excellent

They may be convincing toward the “excellent” end of the scale because there are more positive possibilities. Make sure the scales you choose have a clear, impartial centre point (aiming for odd numbers of replies) and that they capture the full range of survey responses to the topic.

#11. Start with the basics

Start with simple questions to get the responder comfortable with the survey, and then progress to more challenging questions once they’ve given serious consideration to their answers.

This is especially helpful if your survey will include questions about controversial issues. 

Sensitive inquiries should never be asked first since they are more likely to be intimidating.

Your respondent’s attention and focus will decrease as the survey progresses, so save your most complicated or controversial questions for the middle of the survey rather than the conclusion.

#12. Ask, pay attention, and respond to user comments

Users need to realize that their opinions matter. Those who participated in surveys should be sure that their answers were not lost in the ether and that their thoughts were not just filed away. 

Make improvements to your business based on client input, and then brag about them. Customers who feel their opinions were heard and acted upon will be happier to participate in future surveys and probably express gratitude for the effort. It’s a win-win situation.

Final Words

You can only receive helpful information from your consumers or target audience once you ask them questions that will help you learn about them and their needs. If you follow the advice in this part, you’ll be able to ask questions that are accurate, impartial, and effective in collecting the information you need to make good choices. 

If you want to learn more about your responders, run a test on your questions, keep them focused on a specific topic or element, and ask them some demographic questions. Keeping these tips in mind will help you design survey questions that will provide insightful data collection for your company or organization.

Author Bio.

Divyesh Bhatasana is a Founder & CEO of Jeenam Infotech who has a passion for helping customers as a Link Building Consultant. You can connect with him on Linkedin.

Email – divyeshbhatasana92@gmail.com