5 Common Mistakes to Avoid While Making Surveys

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Keep these common survey errors in mind and you will obtain more accurate results for your surveys.

1. Little Understanding Of The Target Audience

Often too much focus is given on the data required by the surveyor and very little thought and time is spared in understanding the audience that is supposed to fill up the information. The key to acquiring great results is to create a strong connection with your audience. Any wrong wordings or seeking irrelevant answers may leave them offended, or even worse, doubting your intentions or efficiency.

2. Restrictive Choice For Multiple Options

There is the case of obvious choices and then there are some individuals who either have a unique taste or an unclear opinion for which they need an “Other, please specify” choice. Respondents become frustrated when their answer is missing from the multiple choice list. However, don’t just bombard them with too many similar choices and keep them strictly relevant. It is always a good idea to let your customers respond in some detail rather than simply clicking away without consideration.

3. Slacking On The Follow-Up

A survey is not just about gaining customer responses; it also brings you constructive feedback. You can either build on their feedback or simply slack off and drown into the abyss of anonymity. Okay, that sounded harsher then intended but I hope you realize that it is for your own good in the long run.

There will always be some members of the audience that have complains or suggestions. Such members respond well to the option of leaving their personal details such as an email address. If you promise them a follow-up call, please do it, or simply thank them for their time through an email. Show your customers that they are not just means to an end and treat them as valuable customers.

4. Poorly Worded Or Grammatically Incorrect

Smart surveys are not just good in their pattern, they also employ attractive, yet intelligent wording. Make sure that your questions are concise and unambiguous. The listed answers should also be clear and simple with only the relevant options. If possible, take professional assistance in creating a survey, or use a free online survey provider (such as, SurveyCrest) but read your questions out loud to catch any confusing phrases.

5. Not Allowing Adequate Time To Respond

Don’t rush your audience to provide all answers in one go. Allow them adequate time to recall, revisit, and modify their answers until the survey reaches its deadline. On a phone survey, it’s always ethical to call the customers who ask for additional time and not press them to answer right then and there. Similarly, in online surveys, don’t rush your audience and provide them with ample time to consider each and every question before a reply. This way, the collected data can be considered authentic and close to accurate.

So now you know what mistakes to avoid while creating your next survey. Hope you enjoyed our post. If you did, leave us a word of appreciation in the comments below.