How to Send Surveys via Text to Collect Feedback & More

Go Deeper: Sending a Survey via Text

First, what is a text survey? Unlike SMS vs MMS, a text survey or survey via text refers to an SMS message that includes a questionnaire, survey, or poll you can send to recipients to elicit responses. For instance, maybe you want to know how your clients rate your customer service experience or what kind of products they’d like to see your company produce.

Some examples of when industries may send survey texts include after:

• An appointment
• An event
• A webinar
• An in-person purchase
• An online purchase
• A customer service interaction
• A delivery

Writing an effective text message invites your customers to join your text marketing program and reply to your survey questions or send survey-based messages to those who have already opted into your text program.

So, what are the benefits of sending surveys via text? Sending a text poll or survey is a great way to gather customer feedback and insight. It allows them to give their two cents about their experience with your brand, products, or customer service.

Once you gather your customers’ answers and feedback, your text messaging platform will collect and organize the data. This lets you analyze the responses, providing insight into your business and how to improve it.

For example, based on the responses from your survey, you might find that your customers are dissatisfied with the long wait times associated with your customer service team, in which case, you might decide to hire more customer service representatives or work on training your team to more quickly address questions and concerns. Or, the data could reveal that your customers want to see you bring back one of your discontinued products. With this knowledge, you could reintroduce that specific product to your line.

You see, the more you listen to your customers, the more you can accommodate their needs and improve their interactions with your business.

How to Send a Survey Via Text

Now, if you’re wondering how to create a survey via text, begin by brainstorming what kind of response you want to elicit from your recipients. Do you want to know how happy they were with their latest purchase? Or would you like feedback about their online purchase experience?

Once you determine what kind of data you want to collect, you can select the kind of survey that best aligns with your goals. For example, you could request an answer to an open-ended question about their experience with your brand or ask them to rate their recent purchase on a scale of 1 to 10.

There are several kinds of surveys to choose from, so we provided some examples of each below:

After deciding the kind of survey you want to send, you can navigate to your texting platform and begin crafting your message. Just like creating any other SMS text, you can type your message and select the recipients you’d like to receive it. Once you’ve sent your survey via text, you can use your platform’s dashboard to monitor the responses.

Text Poll Best Practices

When sending text polls and surveys, there are a few things you'll want to keep in mind.

For one, keep your surveys short and sweet. If your questions take more than a few minutes to answer, your recipients will lose interest and drop off. Instead, make it easy for them to respond quickly, whether that's sending a "Y" to answer yes or a number to designate a rating.

Next, send out surveys sparingly. Your customers are more likely to answer a quick survey once every three months than once every day. So instead, be intentional about the polls you're sending to elicit a high response rate.

And finally, consider incentivizing your customers to take your poll. For instance, you could offer a discount on their next purchase or even a free service after they take your survey to show gratitude. For example, your message could say, "(Coco Cafe) Megan, we'd love to hear your feedback! Fill out our quick survey, and you'll receive 15% off your next purchase at our cafe."

Send Your Own Surveys Via Text with EZ Texting

Electing to send text message review requests, surveys, or polls is a fast and reliable way to access your brand's standing in the eyes of those who matter most.

Ready to find out what your customers say about your business? Sign up (for free!) to access EZ Texting features to boost your engagement rates, increase brand awareness, gather valuable insight from your customers, and more. Happy texting!