“Build a better mouse trap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” This is a phrase attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in the late nineteenth century. It seems as though nothing has changed in almost 150 years.
If you are in business then you have competitors. What stands you apart from your competitors is that the product or service you are offering is superior in some way from that of the competition. To ensure that this is the case you cannot rest on your laurels –after all, he who stands still, is dead! One of the ways of making sure that you stay current with your customers is to survey them and see where they are satisfied and where there is room for improvement. During this survey process, the last thing you want to do is antagonize your clients. Unfortunately that is what most companies do when conducting surveys using traditional techniques.
Few of you reading this article will be unfamiliar with phone surveys. What are your initial thoughts when I even mention the term? I do not think it would be an exaggeration to state that they would not be fit for print media. And why is that the case? Because they call at the most inconvenient time? Because they are annoying? Because the topic is irrelevant? Because you couldn’t be bothered? Just because. If that is your response to phone surveys, I won’t even start to mention the topic of door to door surveys.
Conducting a survey using these old techniques will potentially do you more harm than good as you alienate clients or potential clients and there is a high probability that the responses will be intentionally inaccurate.
There is a new surveying technique that has been developed on the back of the proliferation of mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones where a mobile survey tool is used to conduct the survey. The survey has a mobile survey app downloaded to their mobile device and uses this in the field to attract interviewees in their natural environment. How about conducting a survey about coffee whilst stationed outside a Starbucks? Do you think that the interviewees would be relevant to the survey? Would they feel less threatened than if they were approached at home? Would they be more likely to provide pertinent answers to your questions?
If you answered “Yes” to the above questions, then you have only started to scratch the surface of the benefits of mobile survey apps.
Passionate tech writer and mobile survey tool reviewer from Dooblo
6 Comments
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TracyAnn0312
October 22, 2012 at 5:53 am
I think that it is good to conduct mobile survey so that people and consumers will know what kind of brand they need to buy in a qualify price. Thanks for sharing these idea.
Sabrina
October 22, 2012 at 8:54 am
Take the example of a company wanting to conduct a survey on children’s clothing. The surveyor could go to the local mall, stand outside the children’s clothing store, and approach those about to enter. You are assured of surveying people with an interest in the subject matter and chances are higher that the surveyor’s advances will not be rejected. Similarly, as the survey is being undertaken voluntarily rather than from a sense of guilt or obligation, there is a higher probability that the answers provided will be honest and accurate.
Antoine
October 22, 2012 at 10:20 am
Mobile survey is indeed the latest trend when it comes to getting customer feedback. Engagement rate is much higher than with web and the potential also higher.
A smart tool is Datafield www . data-field . com
Annie
October 22, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Mobile surveys are great provided they don’t antagonize customers. Applications for conducting mobile surveys sound great and will provide a much better user experience. It would be beneficial to get feedback from your customers and see what all needs to be improved or what your customers are expecting. Nice post
Aayna
October 24, 2012 at 7:19 am
Hey Sharon,
Mobile surveys can be a great way to take the views of the large customer base and prepare the product in accordance with the data collected. But the disadvantage associated with mobile surveys is that it can offend the people and can indeed harm the reputation of the product itself. People will get irritated if all the companies give a mobile call to them.
Adam
November 5, 2012 at 8:41 pm
I agree with your assessment. The need to catch people at the right time and place will ensure a greater conversion rate for your surveys and more honest responses. In addition, unlike email surveys, you don’t need the person’s email ahead of time in order to send them emails.
Unfortunately, I disagree with the need to use mobile survey apps. Apps have to be available in all mobile operating systems, are difficult to locate and download, and hard to maintain.
We have taken the approach of a mobile-optimized website instead and have seen great results. Every smart phone has a browser and can either enter a link on your phone or scan a QR code to be taken to a survey in the browser.
Ultimately, customers need an incentive really to take a survey. That is what will drive a customer to take a survey.