The Customer Service Survey
VocaLabs' weblog providing news and commentary on the challenges of providing good customer service.
Multimedia surveys
Wednesday - May 14, 2008 02:22 PM in
The usual rationale for this multimedia survey is to improve response rates by making the survey more convenient for customers, though I don't think that's the best reason (there are better ways to improve response). I would be more inclined to recommend a multimedia survey as a way of getting around some of the unique limitations of particular kinds of surveys.
Multimedia surveys require some care, especially in the analysis phase. Each version of the survey needs to be treated separately, since even if the questions are worded identically they will be presented differently. Different media will attract different demographics, and you can't assume that the same response on two different versions of the same survey mean the same thing.
Dos and Don'ts for Multimedia Surveys
Do consider offering a survey in different media in order to understand the biases and limitations of your survey. For example, you can combine an online survey with a phone interview to to get around the different demographics and response rates in the two kinds of surveys.
Don't use an identical survey in each medium. There are significant differences in the kinds and format of questions which work in each medium, and a single form designed for two media will not be optimal in either.
Do look carefully at differences in demographics and responses in each medium, and take those into account when comparing the results of the two surveys.
Don't combine data from multiple versions of the same survey without carefully adjusting for the differences between the sample and biases of each version.
Do take advantage of the strengths of each kind of survey. For example, phone interviews allow an in-depth discussion and detailed follow-up questions, while an IVR survey is inexpensive. So an IVR survey can be used to collect a very large sample for a few key questions, while the phone interview complements it with a smaller number of much more detailed surveys.
Don't assume that offering a more convenient version of the survey will increase response rate. You need to take a careful look at why customers aren't taking the survey, and if inconvenience isn't the problem then more convenience won't help.
Posted by Peter Leppik
Multimedia surveys require some care, especially in the analysis phase. Each version of the survey needs to be treated separately, since even if the questions are worded identically they will be presented differently. Different media will attract different demographics, and you can't assume that the same response on two different versions of the same survey mean the same thing.
Dos and Don'ts for Multimedia Surveys
Do consider offering a survey in different media in order to understand the biases and limitations of your survey. For example, you can combine an online survey with a phone interview to to get around the different demographics and response rates in the two kinds of surveys.
Don't use an identical survey in each medium. There are significant differences in the kinds and format of questions which work in each medium, and a single form designed for two media will not be optimal in either.
Do look carefully at differences in demographics and responses in each medium, and take those into account when comparing the results of the two surveys.
Don't combine data from multiple versions of the same survey without carefully adjusting for the differences between the sample and biases of each version.
Do take advantage of the strengths of each kind of survey. For example, phone interviews allow an in-depth discussion and detailed follow-up questions, while an IVR survey is inexpensive. So an IVR survey can be used to collect a very large sample for a few key questions, while the phone interview complements it with a smaller number of much more detailed surveys.
Don't assume that offering a more convenient version of the survey will increase response rate. You need to take a careful look at why customers aren't taking the survey, and if inconvenience isn't the problem then more convenience won't help.
Posted by Peter Leppik
Posted at 02:22 PM by | | | |