Many factors should be considered for a survey project to be a success, and as it turns out, only a couple of survey errors can lead to its downfall. To prevent this disastrous situation from happening to your research, we’ve listed the 6 Common Survey Errors to Avoid and some tips to manage them.
Mistake #1: Too Many or Not Enough Options for Respondents to Answer
Mistake #2: Unpolished Survey Form
Mistake #3: Bypassing Testing Stage
Mistake #4: Not Seeking Help when Needed
Mistake #5: Limited Timeline
Mistake #6: No Incentive
Mistake #1: Too Many or Not Enough Options for Respondents to Answer
Too many options can make simple survey questions confusing, while not enough creates a scenario where respondents don’t have the appropriate field for their answer. It can be tempting to provide all the possible answers for potential respondents to keep the results accurate, but in reality, this might hurt your data accuracy more than help. It can become too daunting for respondents to make significant comparisons when overwhelmed with the number of options they have.
Tip: Provide 4-7 options to keep your respondents’ options manageable. And if needed, make use of “Other, please specify” choice or “N/A” options so respondents can tag answers that don’t apply to them.
Mistake #2: Unpolished Survey Form
Ensure that your survey form is free from mistakes, namely, using improper words, grammatical errors, and incorrect spelling. The inaccuracy of these items can show unprofessionalism and can be a significant turn off for respondents.
Tip: Check three times. Check your survey form when you finish, have someone else reliable to check it, then check it again. Use proofreading tools for grammar and spell check, such as Grammarly, LanguageTool, Online Correction, and even Microsoft Word.
Mistake #3: Bypass The Testing Stage
Disregard of testing can become your biggest mistake in designing a survey. Despite how confident you are of your survey design and proofreading skills, skipping the testing stage is unacceptable. Survey testing is your last opportunity to ensure data accuracy and that respondent’s answer and returns your survey. This is your final chance to capture errors and create changes that will not generate a significant impact on your results.
Tip: Have a group of individuals test your survey, or send out only 10% of your survey live. Evaluate the success or flaws of the test survey and do the necessary updates.
Mistake #4: Not Seeking Help when Needed
Most of the time, you can create a survey, especially a simple small-scale one. However, in dealing with a large-scale project, certain scenarios may require expert assistance depending on your data collection method. For example, in mail surveys, the survey form should not only be designed so that respondents can and will answer the survey questionnaires accurately and quickly but should also cover the back-end data collection issues. Consequently, the survey layout must be optimized for the data collection software to read the survey answers. Concerns such as the number of pages, each page’s structure, and the design sections’ location are critical.
Tip: As you prepare for your large-scale survey project, consider making a thorough assessment of your team’s skillsets. If you don’t have easy access to all of the skills you need to complete your project effectively and efficiently, it’s time to search for a Survey Fulfillment Services partner that can help. Doing so will help your organization maximize its return on investment in time and money.
Check out this link for The Most Important Skillsets for In-House Survey Projects
Mistake #5: Limited Timeline
When faced with a short timeline, this can impact the decisions you make to ensure your survey is successful. You need to make sure you give respondents a sufficient amount of time to complete and return your survey, depending on the mode that you will use. Not to mention, a limited timeline reduces your flexibility in managing unexpected scenarios.
TIP: Develop a Project Execution Plan (PEP), which details every project element including design, printing, programming, fulfillment, distribution, scanning, return management, data collection and reporting. Your PEP will provide you with a strict schedule and will be your go-to guide when facing unexpected scenarios.
Mistake #6: No Incentive
Time is precious, and nobody answers a survey for fun. Most people don’t answer a survey because there’s nothing substantial for them for their trouble. If you want to ensure that your survey will be answered and returned, then the incentive is a vital factor.
Tip: Money, promotional items, and charitable donations are the top 3 incentives proven to work and reach target respondents of more than 40%.
- Money – This should come as little surprise. monetary incentives include cash, checks, PayPal credits, money orders, gift cards, and coupons.
- Promotional Item- Product or service samples are also a big hit with respondents. For them to work, however, you must know your audience. Offer something that speaks to them that you know they will enjoy.
- Charitable Donations- Charitable donations appeal to social and environmental consciousness. The stronger the emotional connection to the cause, the better your response rate will be, and the more likely respondents will see you in a favorable light.
Check this post if you want to learn 3 Survey Incentives to Explode Your Response Rate
There you have it, 6 Common Mistakes to Avoid to ensure survey victory. For more information on survey design or any aspect of survey management, contact DataForce today! We provide outstanding survey management and data collection services!