What Are Online Survey Tools?
Online survey tools are software solutions that provide the ability to create, run and interpret various types of surveys either on the users own websites, on emails, or on hosted web pages.
Most of the online surveying tools function on a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) model which makes them very convenient to most types of users.
Some of these models offer their services for free, others offer only paid plans, and some have a mix between free and paid plans.
Regarding paying plans, these are usually priced according to the number of respondents or according to the number of people that viewed the survey.
Common Types of Online Surveys
They say the secret to life is asking questions – we say the secret is knowing how to ask those those questions.
Since there’s a time and place for everything, now it’s the right moment to take a look at the different types of surveys you can create, so you can truly leverage them as tool to enter consumers’ minds.
Cart Abandonment Surveys
Cart abandonment is a common challenge we see in eCommerce. Its equivalent would be finally catching the White Whale, only to have it escape at the last possible moment.
Evidently, you’d want to understand why you lost the sale, then make sure the situation doesn’t repeat itself, taking down your conversion rates with it.
To that end, cart abandonment surveys provide valuable insights into user behavior.
What’s more, these insights come at a critical moment in the purchasing journey.
Example of cart abandonment survey questions:
- What was the primary reason for abandoning your cart today?
- Were there any technical issues or difficulties during the checkout process?
- Did you find the shipping costs reasonable?
- Was there anything specific that prevented you from completing your purchase?
Keep in mind that timing is crucial when sending cart abandonment surveys.
Ideally, you’ll send them shortly after the abandonment occurs, typically within 24 hours.
Waiting too long may result in respondents forgetting details about their browsing experience, so the insights won’t be as accurate as you’d need them.
Product Feedback Surveys
So, you now know why people won’t buy your product. But how about understanding why they do buy them?
The Jobs-to-be-Done methodology tells us that consumers hire products to achieve a certain progress in their lives. The same methodology states that someone’s decision to keep buying from you is linked with achieving said progress.
The takeaway isn’t rocket science.
Was the progress achieved?
Great, then you’ve earned a long-term customer.
The vice-versa applies.
However, you won’t get it right form the start. And that’s why you need product feedback surveys.
These surveys provide valuable insights into customer preferences, pain points, and requests. It’s the most direct and straightforward way to ask people what they need from you.
The purpose is the same whether you’re launching a new product or iterating on an existing one.
Questions you can include in product feedback surveys:
- How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the product?
- What features you appreciate the most in the product?
- Are there any improvements you would like to see?
Product feedback surveys are most effective when sent after customers have had sufficient time to experience the product.
You’ll want to wait a few weeks before sending out surveys to allow customers to familiarize themselves with the offering and even experience results.
Market Research Surveys
It’s important to understand that people’s needs (and especially wants) are often influenced by marketing trends.
Consumers will often be influenced by their friends or people they admire when it comes to their shopping decisions.
It’s symbiotic, really: the market shapes what people want and its shaped by these wants at the same time.
Once you understand this reality, you can start conducting surveys to identify market trends and customer preferences, then use these insights to stay ahead of your competition.
Market research surveys empower you to gather data-driven insights that further inform strategic decision-making and product development efforts.
Here are some example questions for market research surveys:
- What factors influence your purchasing decisions in this product category?
- How satisfied are you with existing solutions currently available in the market?
- Are there any unmet needs or pain points you experience in relation to this product/service?
- What features or improvements would you like to see in future offerings?
These surveys should be strategically timed to coincide with key milestones in product development or strategic planning processes.
For example, consider serving these surveys during peak periods of customer engagement or when launching new initiatives to maximize response rates and relevance.
Customer Service Feedback Surveys
Delivering exceptional customer service is essential for building trust, loyalty, and brand advocacy. Customer service feedback surveys provide insights into the quality of interactions between customers and your support team. By identifying areas for improvement and addressing customer concerns promptly, businesses can enhance the overall customer experience. Here are some example questions for customer service feedback surveys:
- How would you rate the professionalism of our customer service team?
- Were your inquiries or issues resolved to your satisfaction?
- How likely are you to contact our customer service team again in the future?
- Is there anything specific we can do to improve your experience with our customer service?
Customer service feedback surveys should be sent shortly after customer interactions occur to capture feedback while it’s still fresh in respondents’ minds. Timely feedback enables businesses to address issues promptly and demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction.
Website Usability Surveys
There’s a common joke in our zeitgeist – people have a shorter attention spam than one of goldfish.
While the joke might be an exaggeration, the importance an effective and easy-to-use website isn’t.
You can’t afford to bore, confuse, or annoy website users – not when there’s a quicker (and potentially better) option just a click away.
To that end, you want to be on top of your website optimization game, adapting user flows to provide a sleeker and more convenient website experience.
However, you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Here’s where website usability surveys come into play, providing valuable insights into how visitors navigate and interact with your site.
Analyse users’ responses to identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for improvement.
A website usability survey might include the following questions:
- How easy was it to find the information or products/services you were looking for on our website?
- Did you encounter any difficulties or frustrations while navigating our site?
- Are there any features or functionalities you feel are missing or could be improved to enhance your browsing experience?
- How likely are you to return to our website in the future based on your experience today?
Key Features of Online Survey Tools
Online survey tool features may have varying degrees of importance according to the type of surveys that are required. However, some features are important to be present in any survey software. Here are some examples:
Survey display options
These give users the possibility of choosing where to show their survey: on their own website, within an email or on a page hosted by the survey company.
Branching logic (aka skip logic)
It’s is the ability to address different questions according to the answer chosen by the responder.
For example, if one question is “Did you ever purchase a product from us?” and the user answers “Yes” then the follow-up question would be “What product did you purchase?” otherwise if they answer “No”, the follow-up question would be skipped.
User segmentation
Another important feature good online survey tools should have because it allows the business to include only parts of their audience in a specific survey. For example, a survey can be shown only to new website visitors, only to returning visitors, to visitors from a specific geographical location, etc. This feature is invaluable for finding out information from specific groups.
Various types of answers
These are required in order to get the most granular information from any survey. Some common types of answers include text boxes, unique choice answers, multiple choice answers, and grid/matrix answers.
Some other key features a survey tool should have are:
- multiple surveys triggering options (on-exit, on-load, on-click, on-scroll, etc)
- advanced customization possibilities (add company logo, change CSS, etc)
- an easy to use survey editor
- the possibility to change any informational texts
- advanced reporting and survey interpretation engine
- displaying the survey on specific pages of the website
- setting a maximum frequency with which a survey can be shown to a specific user
- the ability to collect leads before the survey ends
- the ability to automatically send the collected leads to an email processor such as MailChimp
Case Study
An interesting application of web surveys is in lead generation – a scenario we encountered with Provident, one of Omniconvert’s clients.
With a strong focus on inclusivity and responsible lending, Provident sought to generate more leads from its website to further expand its customer base and impact.
The first of this collaboration was a data audit – revealing that a high number of website visitors were leaving the site without completing the contact lead form, hurting their lead generation efforts.
Empowered by data-driven insights, we proposed an interesting solution for Provident: implementing on-exit surveys to engage visitors before they left the site.
Through meticulous analysis and strategic planning, we designed a user-friendly survey format with targeted questions aimed at capturing valuable leads.
The minimum requirement in the last step was for a name and contact number – validating a legitimate
visitor with a genuine enquiry and also informing the visitor that they would be called personally.
This personalized approach resonated with visitors, encouraging them to take action and connect with Provident on a deeper level.
The Results
Our collaboration delivered these results for Provident:
- A 25% increase in leads from all website traffic and
- a 10% uptick in response rates compared to previous strategies, validating the effectiveness of our approach.
Our hypothesis was unequivocally validated: engaging visitors with targeted surveys can have a profound impact on lead generation outcomes.
Wrap Up
Are you on the hunt for an an online survey tool that has all the listed features?
Omniconvert Explore is such software.
Although it’s not just a survey software, Omniconvert offers a complex array of features that can satisfy almost any needs related to online surveying.
Sign up here for a free trial and see for yourself.
FAQs
What Is an Online Survey Tool?
An online survey tool is a software platform or application that allows individuals or organizations to create, distribute, and analyze surveys electronically. It provides features for designing surveys, collecting responses from participants, and analyzing the data collected.Add image
Are Online Survey Tools Secure?
Reputable online survey tools prioritize data security and offer measures to protect survey responses. Look for tools that provide secure data transmission (HTTPS), data encryption, and data storage compliance with industry standards, such as GDPR or HIPAA.
Can I Customize the Appearance of My Surveys?
Yes, most online survey tools allow customization of survey appearance. You can typically choose colors, fonts, and branding elements to match your organization’s style and create a cohesive survey experience.
Are Online Survey Tools Mobile-Friendly?
Most online survey tools provide mobile-friendly surveys, ensuring that respondents can easily complete surveys on various devices, including smartphones and tablets.
