Sending out survey questions via SMS may seem easy but the real struggle is getting appropriate responses. 

So how can you prevent your customers from finding SMS surveys boring or confusing?  

Yes, it’s frustrating. But there’s always a solution. 

We’ve identified 10 common mistakes and their solutions that can derail your SMS surveys. Avoid these pitfalls and watch your customers respond better.

Let’s jump right in.

What are SMS surveys?

SMS surveys are surveys you can execute via text message. Think of it like a mini quiz you can answer on your phone. 

They’re super convenient because you don’t need special software or equipment to participate. All you need is a phone that can send and receive texts.

There are different types of surveys you can do with SMS. 

You’ve got your Net Promoter Score, multiple-choice polls, customer experience feedback, and even text-to-vote.

But whichever survey you choose, there are a set of mistakes you can face while conducting them.

10 mistakes to avoid when conducting SMS surveys

Knowing what mistakes to avoid is important for using SMS to conduct surveys. We have outlined 10 SMS survey blunders and how to sidestep them. 

So, let’s dive in and ensure your surveys are the best they can be. 

1. Not defining clear objectives

Your survey questions can lose clarity and not provide the necessary information if you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve.

So, define clear objectives before conducting SMS surveys. 

It helps you ask questions that gather information specific to your goals.

Focusing on the “why” behind your survey is helpful when defining objectives. 

Whatever your objectives are, ensure they are specific, measurable, and aligned with your overall business goals.

How to avoid this mistake? 

Identify what you want to learn from your SMS survey to avoid this mistake.

What specific information do you need to gather? What decisions will you make based on the results? 

Once you have clear objectives, craft your survey questions to support these goals.

Some examples of attainable and clear objectives may include: 

• To measure customer satisfaction with your recent service experience
• To gather feedback on your new product and identify areas for improvement
• To understand why customers are not renewing their subscriptions

2. Not knowing your audience

Another common mistake with SMS surveys is not knowing your audience. You’ll ask irrelevant or unclear questions if you don’t understand who you’re surveying. 

So know who you’re surveying before crafting SMS survey questions. It helps you prepare questions that resonate with your audience. 

You can also put your audience into groups to get more detailed insights.

How to avoid this mistake?

To avoid this mistake, you must know your audience. 

Use surveys or social media analytics to gather demographic and psychographic information.

You can also partition your audience based on behaviour or customer history to gain more specific insights.

Don’t know where to start? 

Here are some examples of audience segmentation:

• Demographic (age, gender, income, education)
• Psychographic (values, beliefs, interests, lifestyle)
• Behavioural (purchasing habits, product usage)
• Customer history (frequency of purchase, loyalty)

3. Asking too many questions

Asking too many questions is a big no-no in SMS surveys. Why? Because it can make your respondents want to run for the hills.

Nobody wants to answer a gazillion questions. So, remember to keep your survey questions short and sweet. 

Getting straight to the point is important since you’re limited to a certain number of characters. 

This keeps your respondents engaged and ensures you get the necessary information without overwhelming them. 

How to avoid this mistake?

You can step aside from this mistake easily. 

Start by identifying the necessary information and craft questions to reach the matter’s heart. Use a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions to get the information you need concisely. 

Also, limit the number of questions to 5-10.

Here are examples of short and sweet SMS survey questions: 

• How satisfied were you with your recent purchase? 
• On a scale of 1-5, how inclined are you to recommend our product to others?
• What could we have done better? 
• Did you find our customer service helpful? 
• What was your main reason for choosing our product? 

4. Including leading questions

Leading questions are problematic when conducting SMS surveys. 

Why? Because it can result in biased or inaccurate data that doesn’t truly represent the opinions of your respondents.

A leading question in an SMS survey might be: “Don’t you think our product is the best thing you’ve ever tried?” This question implies that the product is the best, which can influence the respondent’s answer.

How to avoid this mistake?

To avoid this mistake, try to keep your questions neutral and unbiased. 

Ask open-ended questions that allow your respondents to provide honest opinions. This will help you gather accurate and reliable data that truly reflects the views of your audience.

Here are some examples of non-leading questions you can use in SMS surveys:

• What did you like about our product/service?
• How would you rate your overall experience with our company?
• What improvements would you suggest for our product/service?

5. Ignoring the power of incentives

Here’s the deal: offering incentives for completing an SMS survey is a win-win situation for you and your customers. 

By doing so, you can avoid ignoring the power of incentives. And get a higher response rate, increased engagement, and high-quality feedback. 

So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to sweeten the deal for your customers.

How to avoid this mistake? 

Consider different incentives that align with your audience and survey goals. These incentives can be monetary or non-monetary, and they can be tangible or intangible.

You need to know your audience and their motivations to choose the right incentive for your SMS survey. 

For instance, some people love getting money or gift cards, while others prefer early access to new features or exclusive products.

6. Failing to test your survey

You might be in trouble if you skip testing your SMS survey before sending it out. 

Technical errors, broken links, and poor formatting can ruin your survey’s functionality and compromise the quality of responses. 

That’s why testing your survey is crucial. It helps you spot any errors or issues ahead of time. And lets you make necessary adjustments to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

So, always take the time to test your survey before hitting that send button.

How to avoid this mistake? 

To ensure your SMS survey doesn’t flop, get a group of peeps to test it. 

They can tell you if they run into any problems or glitches.

When you test the survey, you can catch errors like broken links, spelling mistakes, confusing questions, or messed up formatting.

Once you’ve tested it, tweak the survey to make it easy to use. Watch your customers give you quality responses.

7. Ignoring privacy and data security concerns

When you conduct SMS surveys, it’s crucial to consider participants’ privacy and data security. Not doing so can harm your organisation’s reputation big time. 

Participants’ info must be kept safe and confidential in SMS surveys. This ensures privacy and trust.

How to avoid this mistake? 

Firstly, avoid collecting unnecessary personal information. Use encryption and secure storage methods for any data collected.

What’s more? Ensure that participants can opt out or delete their information at any time. Don’t forget to provide participants with a clear and concise privacy policy. 

Explain how their data will be used and protected. And ensure conformity with relevant data privacy regulations such as GDPR or CCPA.

8. Neglecting follow-up communication 

The importance of follow-up communication is twofold. 

Firstly, it shows that you appreciate their time and effort in completing the survey. 

Secondly, it’s an opportunity to thank them and address any concerns or questions they may have.

How to avoid this mistake? 

To avoid this mistake, you can send an automated message to thank participants for completing the survey.

And don’t forget to share the results of the survey. Address any issues or questions they may have.

By doing so, you’ll foster a sense of goodwill and trust with your audience.

9. Not analysing the results correctly 

So, the reason we conduct SMS surveys is to get a better understanding of what customers think, like, and do. 

But if you don’t analyse the results correctly, you’ll lose the chance to make smart, data-driven decisions that can improve your business.

How to avoid this mistake? 

It’s simple. Have a clear plan for analysing the survey before even launching it. 

What should the plan contain? Simply add guidelines for data collection, analysis and reporting. 

Here are a few guidelines for analysing SMS survey results: 

• Define specific goals you want to attain with the SMS survey. This will help you focus on the right data points and metrics.
• Use statistical analysis techniques such as descriptive statistics and regression analysis to uncover patterns and relationships in the data.
• Compare SMS survey results over time, across different segments, or against industry benchmarks.
• Look for outliers in the data that may indicate unusual or unexpected responses. This can help you identify areas that need further investigation or follow-up.

Once you have analysed the SMS survey results, communicate the findings to relevant stakeholders and take action based on the insights gained. 

10. Failing to act on survey findings 

You need better business performance and, of course, exceptional customer satisfaction. That’s the core reason why you are conducting a survey. 

And if you fail to act on the survey findings, know that all of your efforts will go in vain. You don’t want that. 

How to avoid this mistake? 

You should assign a specific team responsible for reviewing and analysing survey results. 

This team can make changes based on the survey findings. And communicate these changes to the relevant departments.

Use SMSCountry to ensure delivery of your SMS survey questions

We’ve covered some common mistakes to avoid while conducting SMS surveys. 

But how can you guarantee delivery of your survey questions? You’ll need to use a reliable SMS provider like SMSCountry – your ultimate SMS solution.

With SMSCountry, you can easily conduct surveys and send time-sensitive OTPs, promotions, and much more. It’s a one-stop shop for all your SMS needs.

So why wait? Sign up for free or schedule a demo to see how SMSCountry can improve your survey process today!

FAQs

What are some common types of SMS surveys?

Some common types of SMS surveys include customer satisfaction surveys, feedback surveys, event surveys, and opinion polls.

Is it necessary to obtain consent from participants before sending SMS surveys?

Yes, it is necessary to obtain consent from participants before sending SMS surveys, as with any other form of survey.

Can SMS surveys be used for sensitive topics?

Yes, SMS surveys can be used for sensitive topics, but it’s important to approach them sensitively and respect participants’ privacy.

Can SMS surveys be used to collect sensitive information from participants?

Yes, SMS surveys can collect sensitive information from participants, but it’s important to ensure appropriate measures are taken to protect participants’ privacy and data.

Are there any legal considerations for conducting SMS surveys?

There are legal considerations for conducting SMS surveys, such as obtaining consent, protecting participants’ privacy and data, and complying with relevant regulations and laws.