Why are Survey Questionnaires Important?

What is a customer survey?

A customer survey is a survey that requests genuine feedback from either current customers or, in some cases, email newsletter subscribers and prospective clients. Customer surveys are ideal for gathering important and relevant user information, preferences, and other personal data that can be useful for future campaigns and developments of new products or services.

What’s the difference between a poll and a survey?

Both polls and surveys are great tools to help with collecting useful information and relevant data in any market or industry. However, there are a few differences between polls and questionnaire surveys.

A poll will typically provide users with a single question and multiple answers to choose from, often displaying the results immediately after a vote is cast. A survey questionnaire, however, will often include numerous questions and may also provide users with the ability to type long-form answers or provide their own unique viewpoints.

A survey is ideal for those interested in collecting information from users in different areas, rather than asking a single question. When you add a poll to your campaign, data can be tracked in real-time, especially when you are interested in asking your audience a single question or for input on a single topic.

Why is customer feedback important?

Developing a trusting and respectful relationship with customers matters today, especially in a world where a few bad reviews can spell disaster for your entire business and brand. Asking existing and prospective customers for feedback is extremely beneficial as it provides valuable insight into the wants, needs, and issues your users currently may have with your website, your products, or even your brand as a whole.

Customer feedback is useful as it allows you the ability to see what areas of your business require more of your attention. By focusing on the feedback you receive from customers and prospective customers, you will begin to create a reliable and dependable reputation throughout your community. The more a customer feels heard, the more likely they are to remain loyal to a business and to refer others to the business in the future.

Additionally, customer feedback can be valuable to those who prioritize the collection, organization, and analysis of user data and web data alike. Using customer feedback to graph results and analyze the overall sentiment users have when thinking of your brand can help significantly with crafting successful marketing and advertising campaigns for your business in the future.

How to write a survey questionnaire (with samples)

Writing a survey questionnaire does not require a creative writing degree or the ability to form beautiful poetry. However, it does require a bit of direction and guidance when selecting questions that are ideal for your customers while keeping any goals and metrics you wish to keep track of in mind.

When writing a survey questionnaire, keep the following tips in mind:

• Consider your audience: Before you begin writing the questions you intend to ask, consider who you intend to reach. What demographics (age range, location, gender, interests, etc.) are you attempting to appeal to with your questionnaire?

• Questionnaire mission: What is the purpose and mission of your questionnaire? Are you attempting to gather data from customers who have recently completed a purchase, or are you interested in learning more about how users on your website feel about your brand's online presence? Consider the mission of your questionnaire before you begin formulating questions.

• How many questions: How many questions do you intend to ask? How long will it take for users to complete their questionnaire? A survey that is too long will likely turn users away, while a survey that is too short may not provide you with the data you need.

• Delivery method: Where will you promote your questionnaire survey? How can users find your survey? Will it be available via an email newsletter, or will it be published on your official website's blog or social media accounts?

• Access: Who has the ability to access and complete the survey questionnaire you have created? Will your survey be accessible to all members of the public, subscribers, website visitors, or even those who have already made a purchase?

• Types of questions: Are you asking good survey questions that are relevant to your target audience? How will the questions you are asking provide you with useful data and information in real-time?

• Research existing questionnaires: Find examples of a survey questionnaire that are relevant to the type of questions you are interested in asking. Research and compare existing questionnaires to learn more about surveys that are relevant to your own business model and brand and that already exist.

Sample survey questions

Once you are familiar with how to get started with creating a questionnaire, you can begin writing your own survey to collect useful and relevant information for your business and brand. A few commonly asked questions to help you get started once you begin creating your own questionnaire example.

Build a questionnaire with Mailchimp

If you're looking for free survey software that can be integrated with Mailchimp, you can get started by making your own survey questionnaire with the use of SurveyMonkey. SurveyMonkey can be fully integrated with Mailchimp, providing you with a user-friendly solution to help create any type of questionnaire survey you have in mind for your audience and user base.

Once you have your Mailchimp and SurveyMonkey account, you can begin creating a survey by first logging into your Mailchimp account and completing the following steps:

1. Select the "Create" icon once you are logged into your Mailchimp account.
2. Select "Survey" from the available dropdown options.
3. Choose "Begin" to get started with the built-in survey builder from both SurveyMonkey and Mailchimp.

After the initial steps of building your new survey are complete, you can begin adding content to your survey by completing the following steps:

• Select the "Plus +" icon from the Survey creator menu. This will open a section of content blocks and content types that you can implement into your questionnaire survey.
• Choose which type of content you wish to create for your survey.
• Type the questions(s) you would like to ask for your survey. Embed or add any link(s) as necessary, depending on the question type you have selected.
• Choose whether or not the question is required or if it is optional for your users.
• Select "Continue to Design" once you have added all of your preferred questions.
• Choose "Review" to review and preview your questionnaire survey before publishing it with the use of Mailchimp. From the Review page, add your survey's name, choose a target audience, and even request a daily summary before choosing to continue and publish the questionnaire live.

Types of Content

When creating content using Mailchimp, there are a few content types to choose from for each individual question you add to your survey:

• Introduction: Adding an introduction to your survey can be done with a text link, regular text, or even with a link to a YouTube or Vimeo video, which can be useful in capturing the attention of an audience.
• Checkboxes: Checkboxes are some of the most common types of questionnaire options available. Create multiple-choice questions with the use of checkboxes for detailed feedback.
• Radio Buttons: Radio buttons are another common questionnaire option that can allow the easy creation of multiple-choice questions with solid radio button answers.
• Range: Choosing range can provide users with the ability to answer a question using a slider or providing answers that are on a spectrum. You can use the Range set to include numbers, emojis, hearts, or traditional scales ranked low to high.
• Email: Request an email address from each user who completes your survey.
• Contact information: You can also require personal details and contact information to help with verifying and authenticating the data you capture and collect.
• Open text: Create open text questions to allow those who complete your survey the ability to provide their own individual feedback and input.

Analyze the Information Collected

The use of questionnaire surveys can go a long way when it comes to providing your customers with what they truly want. By taking the time to listen to your audience and showing your respect to existing customers, you can increase your brand loyalty substantially while incentivizing others to spread the word about your business.

The right questionnaire surveys can help you to gain a better understanding of the audience you are currently reaching as well as prospective clients you intend to appeal to with future products, services, and campaigns.

To get started with your own questionnaire survey, give Mailchimp a try. Mailchimp is one of today's leading marketing managers for everything from traditional email marketing campaigns to fully-integrated online surveys, polls, and questionnaires. To learn more and to get started with Mailchimp today, click here.