What is Survey Fatigue and How to Stop it

Hi there, if you have a minute, could you rate this article after you’re done reading?

No?

Have we lost you already?

We now live a world where we are asked to rate every interaction. Take a cab and the second you get out; you’ll get a feedback survey prompt. If you think you can escape it by boycotting online apps and shopping only at physical stores, think again. Just when you think you’ve come out rating-free from the experience, a smiling employee will point you to the ‘How did we do today?’ machine.  

Do you know how much time you spend every month rating experiences? Think about all your shopping experiences, cab bookings, food delivery and more. We are constantly reviewing all our experiences. But how many of us truly think for a moment before rating? Is there really any difference between a 4 and 5 or 2 and 3?

For customers, this is simply an annoyance.  

But, for corporations, this is a humongous problem.  

If the feedback survey data that you are basing all your strategies on is unreliable, then how effective will those strategies be?

Is there no way out?

Of course, there is. There are some steps that shrewd marketers can take in order to decrease Survey Fatigue. But first,

WHAT IS FEEDBACK SURVEY FATIGUE?
‍

Survey Fatigue is one of the latest issues driving researchers to madness. Even though it sounds made up, it’s pretty real. Case in point, a study conducted by Stanford University found survey fatigue to be an issue in 3 out of the 4 areas they measured.  

Basically, it’s when respondents become uninterested or tired of answering surveys.

So,  

1. They either end up not responding at all (which leads to low Response Rate), or
2. Filling out the survey quickly, in order to get it over with (which results in inaccurate data)

We live in an age where we constantly bombarded with feedback surveys and ratings. If we started answering every survey we get, it would turn into a full-time job.  

So, the question marketers should be asking themselves is,  

Why do people answer some surveys while ignoring others?

Think about it.

We gleefully take quizzes like ‘Find out what kind of pizza you are’ (don’t deny it). But when it comes to answering feedback surveys that might help a corporation provide us with better experience, we pass.  

While customer feedback surveys aren’t half as entertaining as finding out, ‘Which Harry Potter house you belong to?,’ they are important.  

So, how do you get your customers to provide feedback?

We’d argue that understanding the psychology of survey respondents is crucial to construct surveys that people want to answer. To know more, read our data-backed article on ‘Why people answer surveys?’  

But long story short, there are some strategic ways to reduce Customer Survey Fatigue. Ready? Here we go

6 SURE-FIRE WAYS TO REDUCE CUSTOMER SURVEY FATIGUE
‍

1. Know when to survey

You must know when and how frequently to survey your customers. As a good rule of thumb, eliciting customer feedback after major touchpoints is a good CX practice.  

However, beware of over-surveying.

We get it. Surveys provide marketers with insights about customer intent and behaviour. But, rein in the enthusiasm. Over-surveying not only annoys the hell out of people, it also kills response rate.

If you’re not sure about when and how frequently you should survey, then it’s a good idea to get a market research company to do it for you.  

2. KISS (Keep it short and simple)

Make your surveys simple and easy to understand. Bonus points if you can make them fun. (there’s a reason why we answer ‘What ice cream flavour are you’ quizzes)

An NPS® or Net Promoter Score® survey is a kickass way to make this happen. These short two question surveys are a breeze to answer.  

(No need to be embarrassed if you don’t know what NPS surveys are. You can read about them, here.)

3. Be transparent

State the purpose of your survey clearly.

Human beings are social creatures. Evoking a sense of community and participation will lead to higher and more accurate responses. In fact, go ahead and explain to your respondents how the survey/ratings will impact your corporation. (Example- help us choose our logo colour, tell us if this new app update is making you weep etc.)

Also,

Make sure to state how long it will take to fill the feedback survey.

4. Use segmentation to send targeted surveys

Everybody knows that targeted surveys work way better than their counterparts. Send the right surveys at the right time to the right people and watch your response rate shoot up.  

Again, an experienced market research company like Numr can do the heavy lifting for you.  

5. Money, Money, Money

Of course, offering monetary compensation or incentive (vouchers etc.) will increase the response rate. Rewarding people for their time is a decent practice.  

6. Make surveys Mobile friendly

Just because you made the survey on a computer doesn’t mean people will answer it on one. Research suggests that around 70% of all internet traffic comes from mobile phones. If that doesn’t convince you, 3 in 5 consumers stated that they check their email on the go.  

So, make sure that your surveys are optimised for mobile phones.

CONCLUSION

Customer feedback surveys do not have to be annoying. If done well, they are a wealth of accurate, actionable insights that can’t be obtained any other way.  

If you are a business, we have one last parting tip for you. Don’t throw feedback data into a deep dark blackhole. Eliciting customer feedback should never be about patting yourself in the back for a job well done. By deploying Close looping mechanism, reach out to angry customers and understand their concerns.  

Utilise feedback survey data to make business improvements and everyday decisions.