Web site surveys; those little two or three question boxes in the corner of the page that appear as an afterthought. Usually the questions are placed to provoke discussion or elicit a response. How many surveys used on web sites actually aggregate useful information. More importantly, how many communicate to a web site visitor that their information has the potential to make their lives on-line a bit easier?
Planning for a survey. It seems pretty elemental, but many marketers will grab a few questions, aggregate a response, then they will see if the information fits a solution they are in search of. It's pure reverse engineering, and it just doesn't work well.
Starting with a general question, develop general answers:
Example:
Which feature are you more interested in?
- Online Bill Payment
- Online e-Statements
- Online Check Images
While the temptation may be strong to toss this onto a web site to gather the opinion of your membership, it should be resisted. This is a good start, but further refinement is needed before it's ready for placement. Now that we have the basis for the survey, let's take a step back.
What do you want to accomplish? You'll want to gather the opinions of your membership to determine what your next functional upgrade should be. To garner the most accurate feedback and participation, it is crucial to clearly define the choices, and compel them to be enthused about the potential enhancements. With this in mind, here is an example of tweaking your general question into something more specific:
We will be enhancing our web site. Your opinion counts! Let us know which feature would make your financial management easier:
- Pay my bills online
- Review my monthly statements online
- Access my canceled checks right from my PC
This example takes the original thought and molds it into a more intriguing form, while being true to the original purpose.
Once you have piqued the interest of your member to the point that he or she will gladly assist you in building a consensus, you should place yourself in their shoes and ask the magic question: What's in it for me?
Virtually all surveys offer some type of instant gratification, and it most cases, it's a horizontally-based bar graph displayed after the participant votes. This gives survey participants a sense of where they stand in the court of public opinion, but it also opens doors that are less apparent. Few web-based surveys have embraced the "one person, one vote" credo. There is nothing that prevents someone from voting multiple times in the interest of seeing ratios change. However, there are some ways to minimize this.
A departure from the standard bar graph that's starting to find favor is to display the current percentage of the selected choice. This allows the member to see the percentage of survey participants aligned with them, while not being driven into a sense of competition.
Consider an Ad Hoc Focus Group
This is easier than it sounds. First, consider that not every web site visitor will have the time or inclination to answer a series of questions. A survey should resemble a decision tree, with particular questions offering the opportunity to participate in follow-up. This should always be optional. Citing the previous example, here's how continuation may be communicated:
We will be enhancing our web site. Your opinion counts! Let us know which feature would make your financial management easier:
- Pay my bills online
- Review my monthly statements online
- Access my canceled checks right from my PC
If number 1 is selected, then an opportunity for follow-up is offered:
Your input is helpful to better focus our future offering to your needs. If you opt to pay your bills online, please select those recipients you would choose:
- Utility Companies (Gas, Water, Electric, etc.)
- Communications (Telephone, Cable, Broadband, Cellular, etc.)
- Financial Institution Credit Cards (Visa, Mastercard, etc.)
- Merchant Credit Cards (Sears, J.C. Penney, etc.)
- Financial Institution Loans (Mortgage, Auto, etc.)
Allowing participants to select multiple entries creates an opportunity for even further segmentation of results.
Aggregate Comments
No single question or series of guided questions alone can match the power of added commentary. Placing a simple text field at the bottom of a survey question gives the participant a greater sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. This is a strategy to draw in people that ordinarily find surveys as a means for placing their views and opinions into neat, little containers.
Plan, Execute and Plan Again
Creating an effective survey often means being flexible enough to know when to return to the drawing board. Like a ship on the ocean, a survey with an effective result will need course corrections before arriving at the desired destination.
Jun 2, 2002 • by Dan Brochstein
