Customers are what drives businesses – their experiences, preferences, and opinions shape how brands evolve and refine their products or services. This is why companies actively seek customer feedback—to identify areas for improvement and enhance overall satisfaction.
Businesses use surveys to gather feedback from customers, but one primary issue they face is – low survey response rates. Even after investing so much time and effort into creating surveys, many organizations struggle to get enough responses to generate meaningful insights.
Are you also facing the same issue? If so, this blog is for you.
In this blog, we will explain:
- What is the survey response rate
- Difference between response rate and completion rate
- What is good survey response rate
- Factors that influence survey response rate
- Tips to improve survey response rate
Survey response rate vs completion rate
Many people mistakenly use the terms “survey response rate” and “survey completion rate” interchangeably. While they may seem similar, they measure different aspects of survey engagement. Understanding this distinction is crucial to accurately assessing survey effectiveness.
Survey response rate = total number of people who completed the survey after you shared the link
Survey completion rate = total number of people who complete the survey after starting it
For example, if 1,000 people receive a survey invitation and 250 complete it, the response rate is 25%. However, if 500 people open the survey and only 250 complete it, the completion rate is 50%. Both metrics are essential for understanding survey engagement and identifying potential barriers that may discourage respondents.
What are the factors that affect the survey response rate
Here are some of the common factors that impact survey response rates:
- Length of the survey
- Survey design and visual appeal
- Ease of survey
- Complexity of the questions
- Types of questions (open-ended vs closed-ended)
- Survey topics
- Irrelevant questions (survey logic)
- Distribution channel
- Survey timing
- Transparency and confidentiality
- Follow-up reminders
What is a good survey response rate?
As you can see above, there are plenty of factors that affect survey response rate, which is why it is difficult to specify what a good survey response rate is. However, general benchmarks can help businesses assess their performance.
On average, businesses across different industries often record a survey response rate of 5% to 30%. A response rate of 30% to 50% is often considered good. However, above 50% is an excellent survey response rate.
How to calculate the survey response rate?
Here is how to calculate the survey response rate:
Survey response rate = (total number of responses / total number of people to whom survey has been sent) x 100
For example, let’s say you sent the survey to 1,000 people and received a total of 233 responses.
Based on the formula, the survey response rate is 23.3%.
Tips on how to improve survey response rates
To gather meaningful feedback, more number of people should participate and complete the survey, which means better response rates. We have listed a few tips here that can help you improve survey response rates:
Keep surveys short and simple
One of the most effective ways to improve survey response rates is by keeping surveys concise and easy to understand. A long and complicated survey will discourage participants, leading to high dropout rates.
- Limit the number of questions – Ideally, keep your survey between 2 to 5 questions unless absolutely necessary to include more.
- Use clear and simple language – Avoid jargon, technical terms, or complex sentence structures.
- Make questions specific and to the point – Instead of asking vague questions, be direct. Example: Instead of “How do you feel about our service?” ask, “How satisfied are you with your recent purchase experience?”
- Minimize open-ended questions – While open-ended questions provide valuable insights, they require more effort to answer. Use them sparingly.
If the survey feels overwhelming, respondents will likely abandon it before completing it. Keeping it short and simple ensures higher engagement and completion rates.
Optimize for mobile device
With more people accessing surveys on their smartphones, mobile optimization is crucial. A poorly designed survey that doesn’t display well on mobile devices can frustrate respondents, leading to drop-offs.
- Use a responsive survey design – Ensure the survey adapts to different screen sizes without elements overlapping or getting cut off.
- Avoid long paragraphs – Break text into smaller, easy-to-read sections.
- Use large, easy-to-click buttons – Small checkboxes or radio buttons can be difficult to select on mobile devices.
- Test the survey on multiple devices – Before launching, check how it looks and functions on smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
Focus on the survey design
Visual appeal greatly affects online survey response rates. How? First impressions matter, and a cluttered or poorly designed survey can immediately discourage participation. A well-structured survey should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Using brand colors and fonts strengthens brand identity and creates a professional appearance.
A clean and minimalistic layout enhances readability, making it easier for respondents to focus on the questions without distractions. Including your company logo can also reassure participants that the survey is legitimate and not spam. A well-designed survey makes the experience more pleasant, increasing the likelihood of completion.
Mention survey duration
People are often hesitant to start a survey when they are unsure how long it will take. Being transparent about the estimated completion time sets clear expectations and encourages participation.
Including a brief message such as, “This survey will take approximately two minutes to complete,” reassures respondents that they will not be committing too much of their time. When people know the survey is short, they are more likely to complete it rather than abandon it halfway.
Add a progress bar
A progress bar is an effective way to keep respondents engaged and prevent frustration. It visually indicates how much of the survey has been completed and how much remains. Without a progress indicator, participants may feel uncertain about how long the survey will take, which increases the likelihood of drop-offs.
Placing the progress bar at the top or bottom of the survey allows respondents to track their progress, giving them a sense of accomplishment as they move through the questions. This small but significant feature can make a noticeable difference in survey participation rates.
Prioritize personalization
People are more likely to complete a survey when it feels personalized rather than a generic mass survey. Adding personalization elements, such as addressing respondents by their names, creates a sense of connection and makes them feel valued. For example, starting the survey with “Hi (customer name), we’d love your feedback!” makes it feel more engaging.
Additionally, referencing their past interactions with your business, such as a recent purchase or support interaction, helps make the survey more relevant to them. Customizing questions based on demographics or previous responses also ensures that respondents feel the survey is tailored to their needs, increasing their willingness to participate.
Let them skip irrelevant questions
Survey abandonment often happens when respondents encounter questions that do not apply to them. Using logic jumps, also known as conditional branching, helps prevent this issue by ensuring that respondents are only shown relevant questions based on their previous answers.
If a respondent indicates that they have never used a particular service, they should not be required to answer follow-up questions about it. This creates a more streamlined and logical survey experience, reducing frustration and improving completion rates.
Let them know why their feedback matters
People are more likely to participate in a survey when they understand its purpose and how their responses will be used. Clearly communicating the reason behind the survey and explaining how their feedback will contribute to improvements makes respondents feel that their opinions matter.
Letting them know that their insights will help enhance products, services, or overall customer experience increases their motivation to provide honest and thoughtful feedback. Additionally, sharing examples of past changes made based on customer input reinforces the idea that their participation has a real impact.
Distribute the surveys via multiple channels
If you want a better survey participation rate, you need to distribute the surveys via multiple channels. While email and SMS remain effective, alternative methods such as WhatsApp, social media, and QR codes can increase accessibility. WhatsApp, in particular, has become a preferred communication channel, as many people now prefer instant messaging over emails.
Customer survey software like piHappiness allows surveys to be sent through eight different methods, including email, WhatsApp, SMS, personal links, anonymous links, social media, QR codes, and website pop-ups. Offering multiple distribution options ensures that respondents can complete the survey through their preferred channel, ultimately improving response rates.
Give incentives
People are more inclined to complete a survey if they receive something in return. Offering incentives can be a powerful motivator. Rewards can include discount coupons, promotional codes, gift cards, or entry into a giveaway. Even small incentives, such as access to exclusive offers or early access to new features, can encourage participation.
When respondents see a tangible benefit to completing the survey, they are more likely to take the time to provide feedback. However, it is important to ensure that incentives do not influence responses, as the goal is to collect genuine and unbiased feedback.
Set up reminders
Many people intend to complete a survey but may forget or get distracted. Sending follow-up reminders is a great way to increase completion rates. With platforms like piHappiness, businesses can automate reminder emails or SMS notifications at predetermined intervals.
This allows companies to follow up with respondents who have not yet completed the survey, ensuring they receive gentle nudges without being intrusive. The ability to customize how many reminders to send and when to send them helps maintain engagement while respecting respondents’ time.
Wrapping Up
Improving your survey response rate is essential to collect meaningful customer insights. By keeping surveys concise, user-friendly, and visually appealing while optimizing distribution and personalization, you can significantly boost participation. Implementing features such as progress bars, mobile optimization, and strategic follow-ups further enhances engagement and completion rates.
With piHappiness, businesses can streamline survey distribution, automate follow-ups, and gain actionable insights through customer survey software. By leveraging an intuitive survey platform, companies can increase their survey participation rate and optimize online survey response rates for better decision-making.
Start improving your survey response rates today with piHappiness! Schedule a demo now.
