Too-Long Surveys Hurt Good Will

Surveys. They can be helpful to your business. If your customers are willing to take them, you can learn a lot. Design it well and you’ll reap valuable information. But when you impose on your customer, ask for their time, you have a responsibility not to abuse their good will. Don’t make your survey so long that your customer regrets helping you.

Recently, I was watching a television show online. It was only available on the network site, so I watched it there. At the end, it asked if I’d like to take a survey about my experiences watching the show. I thought, sure, no problem! There are times when I’m happy to related how I feel, especially since I was annoyed that the show went out of full screen mode every time there was a commercial and didn’t go back when the ad was over.

So I clicked over to the survey, thinking it would ask me a few questions about the show, how well the video played, etc. It went heavily into questions about the ads. Did I remember them, how much attention did I give them, did it change my perception of the products. And it took way longer than it should have – about ten minutes. Why did I continue with it? I kept thinking it would end any moment and that I’d get a chance to give some freeform feedback. I did not.

Unless I’m told that a survey is going to take ten minutes or more, I expect a brief survey. Brief. If your survey is more than 5-10 questions, you need to let your customers know. Tell them how long the survey should take, and then let them decide if they have the time. Don’t spring it on them.

Your customers will give you a chance, but if you break their trust, they’ll be reluctant to give you another opportunity.

image: ronnieb from morguefile