How to Craft Better Website Surveys

Your website is your virtual “home base.” It’s the one piece of internet real estate that you’re completely in charge of. And once you get a visitor to click over to your site, you want to make the most of that time. One way to do this is by having them complete a survey.

The Power of Customer Surveys

A customer survey might seem like nothing more than another business task to keep your team busy, but it’s far more valuable than you realize. When executed well, a customer survey can provide a number of powerful benefits. For example, it can help you:

• Understand your customers. Most businesses think they understand their customers when they’re actually just inferring most of the time. By actually digging in and asking for feedback directly from your customers, you can understand who they are, what they want, and where you’re doing well/coming up short.
• Identify opportunities. Surveys give you a good view of missed opportunities that are out there. By identifying pain points and listening to how customers describe certain issues and needs, you can get clear on new opportunities for growth.
• Reduce negative word of mouth. A frustrated customer is costly on so many levels. But one of the biggest issues – particularly in today’s social media-driven society – is that these customers often tell others about their negative experiences. This leads to negative word of mouth, which amplifies the underlying issue. By conducting surveys, you can identify these issues quicker. This allows you to address the problem sooner and avoid negative conversations around your brand.
• Show customers you care. On a practical level, gathering feedback via surveys shows your customers that you care about them. This, in and of itself, can yield tangible benefits.

When you add up all of these benefits, it becomes clear that there’s more to customer surveys than initially meets the eye. By making a commitment to regularly surveying your customers this year, you can move your business in a positive direction.

3 Tips for Superior Website Surveys

We recommend using customer surveys in as many different places as possible. However, your website is one excellent place to connect. Here are a few tips:

1. Use the Right Website Feedback Software

Website surveys should be simple and easy – both for the customer and for the brand. By using website feedback software, you can streamline the process and get cleaner data every time. Delighted is arguably one of the best options out there. It has a simple layout and easy-to-use system that improves usability and generates richer insights.

2. Collect As You Go

Limit the number of questions you ask and make it easy for customers to provide feedback. (Use simple multiple choice and/or rating scales rather than open-ended questions). It’s also a good idea to collect data after each question. This allows you to get feedback regardless of whether or not a visitor fills out the survey to completion.

3. Try Different Survey Types

Not all website surveys are created equal. The format you use will depend on your industry, the customer, and the type of website experience you provide. Generally speaking, there are three types of website surveys that are commonly used:

• Pop-up surveys. As the name suggests, these are surveys that pop up on a visitor’s screen when some sort of triggering event is satisfied. (For example, when a customer’s pointer hovers outside of the page near the “back” button.) These surveys are commonly incentivized by coupons or discount codes.
• Widget surveys. This type of survey appears in the corner of each website page and gives visitors a chance to provide feedback when they feel prompted. This is more of a “soft” and non-intrusive approach.
• Built-in surveys. While a widget survey typically needs to be clicked in order to reveal the first question, a built-in survey lives on a specific website page (like a home page or landing page) and is actually part of the website’s content.

You may know exactly which type of survey best fits your website and customer, but most brands find it helpful to test a variety of options and then zero in on one specific style.

Know, Act, Iterate

If it’s your desire to grow your business and develop a brand that resonates with customers at a core level, you have to know who they are, what they want, and what they expect out of you. Surveys are just one piece to this puzzle – but they’re more powerful than most people give them credit for.

By adding surveys to your website, you can move in a more positive direction (as it relates to knowing your customers). This knowledge then leads to action, which can be measured and continually improved upon to scale in a sustainable manner. It’s a simple step, but it starts with compelling surveys.