SMS Survey is conducted through text messaging on mobile devices. A short message containing a link to the online survey is sent, and upon clicking, the survey opens in the phone’s browser. Another way is to send SMS survey questions directly to the mobile phone user’s inbox. Businesses need to understand the best practices for sending SMS surveys to ensure that each campaign will provide the necessary output for the desired outcome.
SMSes, or text messages, provide an excellent opportunity for marketing and promotion. They are one of the most effective, convenient, and cheap marketing sources available to companies, especially when conducting data gathering and surveys. SMS is also becoming a popular survey channel among many businesses because of its high open rate, low cost, and high response rate. You can take advantage of the many benefits of using SMS surveys by implementing these:
Best practices for SMS surveys.
1. Shorten your SMS Survey
When composing a text message, be aware that there is a limit of 160 characters. If you go over this limit, your text will be broken into separate chunks, which could alter the readability of your message.
Try to avoid using text speak in your SMS survey message, as it can make words difficult to read and gives off an unprofessional vibe. Get your point across with as few words as possible. The same goes for the survey URL— use a URL shortener to save space.
2. Describe Yourself
Remember that your customers are bombarded with messages daily, many of which are unnecessary or spam. Therefore, you must let your customers know where the survey SMS comes from.
Make sure to include your brand name at the beginning of your survey message so that customers know it’s from you and not a spam message. Creating a good impression of your brand entices customers to read your message and take the survey.
For example, if you send a survey via text message after someone has eaten at your restaurant, the text could say something like “Thank you for dining with us today at Pizza Junction. We would appreciate hearing your feedback.”
Customers are more likely to respond to and take your SMS survey seriously if they know who it’s from right away.
3. Take Action on your SMS Feedback
It’s essential to remember that your customers lead busy lives when sending SMS surveys since they are likely managing several tasks simultaneously.
It can be easy for your text to get lost in a sea of other messages, and even if it is opened, the customer can become sidetracked and forget to reply. A follow-up SMS will give them another opportunity to respond.
After the customer responds, be sure to follow up with them. SMS is a unique communication method, so act accordingly—there’s no better way to show that you appreciate their feedback than by following up.
4. Test Various Send Times
The time of day will affect how many people respond to your survey. You might have to do trial and error-testing to see what works best. Still, you can make an educated guess based on when your target demographic is most likely available (e.g., commuting times, lunchtimes, evenings, weekends). Depending on your customer location, time zone differences will also affect when you send out your survey.
Most text marketing software makes it easy to send SMS messages at the local time of your recipients, so they’re more likely to read and respond to them. The best way to determine the optimal time to send your SMS survey is to test various send times and observe your analytics for patterns in response rates.
5. Get Approval
Some marketing practices, like SMS messaging, are regulated to protect consumers from unwanted messages. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulates how marketers should contact people. If a company fails to comply with the TCPA, it may face heavy fines, lawsuits, and damage to consumer trust.
You must always have approval from the customer to send them surveys or marketing material through SMS, and they should also be able to unsubscribe from your texts. Although it is not the same, note that having a customer’s phone number after they make a purchase does permit you to contact them.
6. Include a Direct Call to Action
When considering your CTA or Call To Action for SMS surveys, always remember that customers should understand your intentions with the survey and what you would like them to do after taking it. It’s incredibly irritating when somebody gives us information but doesn’t bother telling us how it is relevant or valuable to us, so why would we want to do that to our customers?
Customers will only feel good if you give them a clear CTA so they can take action without wasting time or energy understanding what to do with your SMS. The SMS Survey will have more responses because customers can quickly take the survey and finish it without spending too much time wondering what it is and quitting before completing it.
7. Keep SMS Polling to a Minimum
If you do not want your customers to grow tired of your surveys, make sure not to send too many SMS at once. Too many texts with surveys will only lead to the customer devaluing the importance of your inquiries.
Surveys that repeatedly urge customers to participate will likely have adverse effects instead of positive ones unless the surveys are transactional and sent after every purchase or relevant customer activity.
If you send survey messages too frequently, your customers will unsubscribe, which lowers the number of potential respondents and affects the response rate as well as the validity of the survey.
8. Customize your SMS Questionnaire
Sending survey messages that are personalized will help you get more responses. Customers want to feel like their feedback is essential to you, and tailoring your message to them shows that you care about hearing about their specific experience.
People are more likely to respond to SMS surveys when they feel the message was intended just for them. To get a higher response rate, personalize your messages instead of sending general text blasts.
You can make your SMS messages more personal by dividing your customers into groups, using their names in the message, and including information on why you’re contacting them.
9. Employ a Shortcode
It would be best if you had a shortcode to utilize SMS to communicate with your customers. Shortcodes are phone numbers generally 5-6 digits long and are made specifically for commercial use and mass mobile communications. Using a shortcode allows businesses to send large text messages quickly and easily.
Customers will easily remember your brand when they see your shortcodes. They are also approved by wireless carriers for marketing, so you can be sure that your messages will be delivered. SMS surveys sent from shortcodes are faster than those sent from regular mobile phone numbers.
10. Ensure your Survey is Mobile-Friendly
Make sure to use a mobile-friendly survey linked through SMS so your customers can easily engage. The customers can open the survey on their mobile phones as SMS is only a mobile channel.
Also, make sure to keep the survey simple enough so that it is easy to fill out on a mobile device. Consider using multiple-choice questions instead of asking customers to type in their answers. It will improve the user experience and cut down on typos which can lead to inaccurate results.
11. Know your Audience
A vital element of any survey is ensuring you target the right audience. But this process goes beyond simply identifying a list of names to contact. You’ll also need to consider your sample size, timing, and required permissions for sending out the survey.
Time your survey sending appropriately, especially concerning a particular event or user action. Consider the sample size you need to Pacific before conducting a survey. Another way to gather this information is by talking with users directly through phone calls or email. And always allow your users to opt-out, and make sure you have explicit permission to contact them for surveys.
What is SMS Survey?
SMS surveys are text messages containing questions that aim to gather recipients’ responses. They’re easy and quick to make and an excellent way to reach your target demographic where they’re already spending a lot of their time: on their phones. SMS-based surveys are incredibly convenient because respondents can text their numbers to access the survey. With express permission, you can even message the link directly to their phone number. This way, they don’t have to search for it or remember to come back later.
SMS surveys are easy to text your customers and collect feedback to improve your business. With SMS surveys, you can communicate with customers quickly and gather information promptly.
How to Send SMS Survey?
There are seven basic steps to follow when your business is ready to send SMS surveys. Here are the steps.
- Choose the type of survey – The survey type depends on the purpose or goal of your survey.
- Choose the target audience for your SMS survey – Selecting the right audience is crucial to a successful campaign.
- Design and create the survey questions – Make sure you use closed-ended queries and keep the survey short.
- Choose a Survey Company – Keyword campaigns and data analysis are essential when selecting the text survey software or application you will use to send your survey.
- Promote the survey -You can post about it on social media, include it in your email marketing campaigns, or even broadcast it through the podcast to ensure that more people will participate.
- Introduce your survey – Ensure your survey introduction contains a brief, clear message about its purpose and why the respondent’s input is crucial. Also include directions on how to fill out the survey.
- Follow Up and Evaluate Outcomes – Use collected data to analyze feedback and improve services.
What are the Examples of SMS Surveys?
There are 9 common examples of SMS surveys used by businesses for different situations. Each type of these survey has a specific purpose, and they are sent to gather customer feedback regarding recent events, products, or services. These SMS survey examples are listed below.
- After an Interview -SMS surveys provide an opportunity to improve future interviews, assess your clients’ process and experience, and effectively gain feedback.
- After an Event – Businesses use SMS surveys to text attendees after an event and receive feedback on what they enjoyed or didn’t, as well as any suggestions for improvement.
- After a Webinar – SMS surveys make it easy for webinar participants to provide feedback quickly, which is an excellent way of measuring the success of a webinar.
- After Delivery Feedback – To ensure customer satisfaction, companies should focus on fast delivery times and the quality of their delivery and shipping services. SMS surveys can help businesses gain insights into customer satisfaction with these services.
- Purchase Feedback – Product feedback is essential for companies to improve their offerings. By conducting SMS surveys soon after customer use, companies can effectively target and address common issues as they arise.
- Customer Satisfaction Survey – Customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to understand customer needs, preferences, and opinions. By conducting SMS surveys, companies can collect valuable feedback quickly and easily.
- COVID-19 Health Survey – Monitoring those who may have been exposed to an infectious disease, like Covid-19, is what contact tracing does. And now, companies are using SMS Surveys to gather this type of data from customers and employees.
- Voting SMS Survey – Consumers love feeling like their opinion matters, and text-to-vote surveys are a great way to get feedback. By letting them vote on your next business move, you can show them that you value their opinion.
- Thank you Messages for Survey Participation – After completing an SMS survey, businesses should also thank the customer for their time and effort. SMS survey is a great way to build customer relationships and show that you recognize their feedback.
What is the Importance of SMS Survey?
SMS surveys should be a vital part of any SMS marketing strategy. They allow businesses to collect data and customer feedback, which can provide invaluable insights. If you mainly rely on email surveys or phone polls, you’re missing out on the many benefits text messages offer.
SMS surveys, polls, and votes from businesses have already received responses from nearly half the people. Text messages hold a 98% open rate and a 45% response rate–significantly amplified chances of receiving answers.
Our customers are always carrying mobile devices with them, and more often than not, they open an SMS as soon as they receive it. SMS is the perfect platform for conducting surveys and gathering instantaneous feedback.
SMS surveys always have higher response rates when used for marketing campaigns than other means. However, there can be variations in responses depending on the industry. For example, most mobile users will respond to SMS messages containing promotional deals or updates about an event or appointment reminder, according to experts in the field of mobile marketing.
What are the Benefits of Using SMS Surveys?
SMS surveys have many benefits that can help your business gain better insights. Gathering online or in-person feedback is challenging, and SMS surveys make it easier, more convenient, and cost-effective for customers and businesses. Here are eight benefits of using SMS surveys.
- Cost-Effective Tool – SMS surveys are an inexpensive way to collect user feedback. Compared to phone calls and email marketing campaigns, SMS surveys cost much less.
- Easy to Set Up -Sending surveys manually can be very time-consuming. However, with SMS Survey software, you can use pre-made templates or create customized surveys. It will save you time and effort in the long run.
- Instant Feedback – SMS surveys are the best way to collect real-time feedback. You can quickly make changes and improvements based on customer feedback, which can improve conversion rates and customer satisfaction.
- Better Response Rate – SMS has one of the highest open rates, clocking in at around 98%. You’re more likely to get customer responses when using SMS surveys.
- Easy to Deploy – With an automated tool, you can upload multiple contacts at a time via CSV file and send out SMS surveys all at once.
- Wider Audience Reach – SMS is an ideal outreach method for connecting with customers worldwide and collecting data. Every generation uses SMS, from millennials to older generations.
- Higher Engagement – SMS engagement rates are up to eight times higher than email marketing when used for customer redemption, data collection, and brand awareness tasks.
- Response and Delivery Monitoring – With an automated SMS survey system, you can monitor response rates, delivery times, and other analytics to gain insights into customer behavior.
Is SMS Survey Required for SMS Marketing?
Yes. SMS is becoming increasingly popular as a communication channel for businesses to engage and share helpful information with their customers. Although numerous channels are available to survey your customers, SMS is one of the quickest ways to reach out to them.
Consequently, an SMS survey should be an integral component of your SMS marketing plan if you want to improve various areas of your company and please your customer base.