In today’s digitally-driven world, businesses and organizations are constantly searching for innovative ways to engage with their audiences and gather valuable insights. SMS surveys have emerged as a potent tool in this quest, offering a direct and immediate means to collect data, understand preferences, and enhance overall satisfaction.
In this blog, we will explore the definition of SMS surveys, how to send surveys effectively, and the numerous benefits they offer. We will also highlight the role of QuestionPro as a leading SMS survey software.
LEARN ABOUT: Lead Generation Survey
What are SMS surveys?
An SMS survey is defined as an administered survey, and the survey data is collected from respondents using the small messaging service (SMS) feature available on mobile or feature phone devices.
Even though there is a cost associated with this survey method, it is still an effective day of data collection in research. Typically, the SMS text survey consists of an easy-to-deploy and respond-to-question type like a Net Promoter Score (NPS) question or a dichotomous question.
Asking the right question to the right audience is a good practice. But asking the right question to the right audience using the “right platform” is even better!
According to Mobile Marketing Watch, the SMS opening rate has a mammoth opening rate of 98% vs. only 22% for emails. This proves that while emails might cost you less, the SMS survey software tool is a clear winner when trying to reach out to your audience for a survey response.
LEARN MORE: Good Survey Response Rate.
Why should you send SMS surveys?
Sending SMS surveys can be a valuable tool for collecting customer feedback and information from your target audience for several reasons:
Effective feedback collection
SMS surveys are a highly effective method to collect feedback. These text message surveys are a direct and convenient way to solicit opinions and insights from your audience, providing a streamlined channel for capturing valuable data.
Enhancing customer satisfaction
SMS surveys play a pivotal role in understanding and improving customer satisfaction. By regularly sending out SMS surveys to gauge customer sentiment, you can promptly address concerns, make necessary adjustments, and ultimately enhance the overall customer experience.
Utilizing SMS survey analytics
This survey analytics empowers you to extract meaningful insights from survey data. You can analyze survey results to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. This data-driven approach allows you to make informed business decisions and fine-tune strategies based on real-time feedback.
Streamlined survey delivery
When you send text surveys, you ensure a more streamlined delivery process. Unlike traditional surveys that may go unnoticed in email inboxes, text message surveys have a high open rate, maximizing the chances of your survey being seen and completed by your target audience.
Actionable survey results
The timely nature of text message surveys ensures that the survey data you collect is actionable. Since respondents provide feedback quickly, you can respond promptly to issues or positive feedback, driving continuous improvement and strengthening your relationship with customers.
In summary, sending text message surveys is an effective strategy for collecting feedback, leveraging SMS survey analytics to enhance customer happiness, and deriving actionable insights from surveys.
This streamlined approach ensures that your survey efforts yield valuable survey results, contributing to your organization’s ongoing success and growth.
SMS surveys evolving with the demographics
The reason why this is so important for SMS surveys is that users can now click on the SMS survey links and directly answer the survey questions in their mobile browser. SMS survey tools are particularly effective while targeting the working class as more people in that demographic use smartphones.
The nature of smartphone usage has also changed among older demographics. It is no longer a gadget for the tech-savvy or wealthy. Thanks to ‘Made in India’ cheap smartphones made available, people with low-to-medium incomes have started purchasing smartphones as the most economical way to reach the internet.
LEARN ABOUT: Send Surveys Using Text Message
The old and the new – SMS and mobile internet
Mobile internet has been revolutionizing the global population for quite some time now. It provides unconventional means to better the lives of individuals – from farmers getting tips on fertilizers using government mobile apps to college students and corporate class who use mobile internet from the moment they wake up whether to read the newspaper, order a cab, or get a meal.
Moreover, statistics show that people across the spectrum are much more inclined to take action on the internet when available over their handy mobile devices than over desktops or laptops. It is a typical case of engaging with convenience rather than powering up a bulky device that requires more time and intermediate tasks.
SMS survey apps allow you to utilize a unique combination of old and new technologies – SMS that is more likely to be opened and mobile internet that enables them to answer surveys while on the go!
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Integrating SMS surveys with QuestionPro
To send out SMS survey invitations, go to Surveys » Distribute » Email » Compose
- Switch the SMS toggle ‘On’
- Select the email list where you uploaded the contacts and numbers
- Select the SMS invitation template and customize the message. Be sure to keep it short and sweet.
- Click on ‘Send’
Once it’s sent out, respondents will receive the text message and click on the link to get started.
Need to add phone numbers to existing lists?
There are two ways you can do that:
1. Manually open up the list in the ‘Distribute’ section and copy and paste each phone number to every contact on the list.
2. Select the list you wish to update contact information and download it as a CSV file. Add the phone numbers offline, and then go back to ‘Manage Email Lists’ and select the list to be updated.
- Click ‘Global Options
- Click ‘Data Sync’
- Select the file you wish to sync and click ‘Submit’ to update an existing list with added cell numbers.
If you are adding a brand new list with numbers, just follow the same protocols for email list uploads and cell numbers and download the example CSV list to get started.
Are there costs to sending SMS messages?
Like with any SMS, standard text messaging rates do apply; QuestionPro offers an SMS credit option to cover any charges along the way. See global SMS rates.
LEARN ABOUT: Best Time to Send Out Surveys
Benefits of SMS surveys
From high response rates to real-time feedback and cost-effectiveness, SMS surveys have the potential to transform your data collection efforts and drive improvements in customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Let’s explore how this modern approach to feedback collection can benefit your organization in multiple ways.
Streamlined survey flow
SMS surveys offer a streamlined survey flow that ensures a frictionless experience for both respondents and survey administrators. With text message surveys, there are no complex navigation or interface issues.
Respondents receive the survey directly in their text message inbox, making it easy to access and complete. This simplicity contributes to higher response rates and a smoother data collection process.
Mobile surveys for convenience
SMS surveys are inherently mobile-friendly, catering to the widespread use of mobile devices. This convenience means that respondents can engage with surveys at their convenience, whether they’re at home, on the go, or in a retail store.
This accessibility maximizes participation and ensures that you capture data from a broader and more diverse audience.
Effective survey questions
Crafting effective survey questions is crucial to gathering meaningful data. SMS surveys encourage brevity and clarity in survey design. Due to character limits in text messages, survey questions must be concise and to the point.
This constraint forces survey creators to focus on essential queries, resulting in higher-quality responses and more actionable data.
Efficient data collection with text survey software
Text message survey software simplifies sending surveys, collecting responses, and managing data. These tools allow you to easily reach your target audience, track real-time survey responses, and store data securely. The efficiency gained through SMS survey software saves time and resources compared to traditional survey methods.
Boosting customer loyalty through feedback
SMS surveys play a vital role in enhancing loyalty. By regularly sending surveys to solicit feedback, you demonstrate that you value your customer’s opinions and are committed to improving their experiences.
Actively addressing their concerns and acting on their suggestions can foster a stronger sense of loyalty and engagement, ultimately benefiting your brand and bottom line.
These surveys offer a streamlined, mobile-friendly approach to collecting feedback with clear and concise survey questions. Utilizing SMS survey software enhances efficiency and allows for real-time monitoring of survey responses.
Moreover, the insights gained through SMS surveys can be instrumental in building and maintaining customer loyalty, making them a valuable tool for businesses and organizations.
Conclusion
SMS surveys are a powerful tool for collecting valuable feedback and insights. To make the most of these surveys, consider using QuestionPro, a leading SMS survey software that offers robust features for survey creation, distribution, and analytics.
With QuestionPro, you can streamline your survey processes, gather data, and enhance your engagement with your target audience. Start using SMS surveys today and unlock a world of valuable insights for your organization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
SMS surveys, also known as text message surveys, are a method of collecting data and feedback by sending a series of questions to respondents via text messages. These surveys are typically concise and designed to be completed quickly on mobile devices.
To conduct SMS surveys, organizations use specialized SMS survey software to create surveys, send them to a list of recipients, collect responses, and analyze the results. Recipients receive text messages containing survey questions and can respond directly via text.
Absolutely! SMS surveys are an excellent tool for collecting customer feedback. They provide a convenient and immediate way for customers to share their opinions, allowing businesses to improve their products and services.
