How to get higher survey response rates

Typical response rates by channel

Response rates vary a lot with the channel, the audience and the design. As a rough guide, these are the ranges commonly seen:

• Email: around 8 to 30 per cent.
• Chat and in app pop ups: around 5 to 15 per cent.
• Voice and IVR: around 10 to 30 per cent.

Where you land inside those ranges comes down to the seven things below.

1. Keep it short

Completion drops fast as a survey gets longer. A short, focused survey respects the customer's time and gives you more reliable data.

• Aim for transactional surveys that take no longer than a minute.
• Use metadata from your other systems, such as Genesys, for the context of the interaction, so you do not have to ask for it.
• Ask only the questions you will act on, in plain language.

2. Pick the right channel

The channel a survey arrives on has a big effect on whether it gets completed. Different customers prefer different channels.

• Look at your customer data to see which channels people actually use.
• Use more than one channel to reach a broader group of customers.
• Make sure every survey works well on a phone, especially over SMS and email.

3. Write an invitation people want to open

The invitation is often your first contact, and first impressions count.

• Use a subject line that explains why the survey matters.
• Personalise it with the customer's name and the interaction it relates to.
• Say how long it will take, and mention any incentive.

4. Consider an incentive

An incentive gives the customer an immediate reason to take part.

• Discounts, vouchers or entry into a prize draw all work.
• Keep the value in proportion to the effort you are asking for.
• Explain the details clearly in the invitation.

5. Send it at the right time

For transactional surveys, sooner is better. Asking straight after the interaction catches the experience while it is fresh, so the feedback is more accurate. It also shows the customer you care about what just happened.

• For relationship surveys, send when your audience is most engaged, such as lunchtime or just after the working day.
• Avoid weekends and busy periods unless you know your customers respond then.
• Send one reminder to people who have not replied.

For transactional surveys, ask while the experience is still fresh.

6. Test and keep testing

• A/B test the wording, length and incentive.
• Look at where people drop out, and fix those questions first.
• Review the survey regularly and adjust based on what you find.

7. Earn trust

Customers answer honestly when they trust you with their data.

• Link to your privacy notice in the invitation and the survey.
• Use a survey platform with strong, certified security.
• Offer anonymity where it suits the purpose of the survey.

What low response rates cost you

Surveying customers on the wrong channel adds effort, and more effort means fewer responses. Low response rates hurt a VoC programme in several ways.

The feedback loop breaks. Without enough responses there is too little evidence to act on with confidence.

The investment looks weak. Time, money and people spent on the programme only pay back if there are enough responses to learn from. Low numbers undermine how the programme is seen internally.

The data becomes biased. When only the very happy and the very unhappy reply, the results do not represent your customers as a whole. Decisions based on them can send resources to the wrong places.

It can signal a wider problem. Low engagement with surveys can mean customers do not believe their feedback will change anything. Over time that erodes trust in the brand.

The short answer

High response rates come from a short survey, on the right channel, at the right moment, with an invitation that respects the customer. Get those right and the data you collect is worth acting on.