Getting Maximum Responses of your Surveys

Reasons for maximising response rates

Receiving a low response rate from your survey will skew the results  due to response bias, as certain types of people are more likely to  respond to surveys than others so certain views will prevail. A higher response rate allows more robust statistical calculations to be carried out: a high number of responses is essential if you wish to look at responses from different sub-groups such as those from particular regions.

The success of the survey depends on a good response. The better the rate, the more representative the survey will be of the population. A  response rate above that anticipated will bring more confidence and reliability to the results. Likewise, a response rate that falls short may bring into question the reliability and representativeness of the findings.

By following simple guidelines you can significantly increase the
number of respondents who complete your survey, read on to find out
how.

Actions you can take to maximise response rates

Prior notification
Potential respondents should be made aware of the importance of the
imminent survey through media, post, staff newsletters or other means.
This works by drawing the respondent's attention to the purpose of
the survey and the potential benefits. When the questionnaire arrives
it will get a better reception.

Make a good first impression
The immediate impression made when the survey arrives (either through
the post, telephone or face to face) is very important. If postal, make
sure the envelope the questionnaire arrives in has your company logo on
it prominently and uses white envelopes not brown. Where feasible hand
deliver and collect the questionnaires. Do not use the mailing of
postal surveys to include any other information.

Content and quality of the covering letter
Keep the covering letter simple. Write in plain English and use only to
explain the purpose of the survey and assure the target population of
their confidentiality. Personalise the letter by sending it to specific
individuals where possible.

Good questionnaire design
The design and appearance of the questionnaire is of critical
importance. Make sure the wording is clear and formulated in such a way
as to engage the respondent. Use skilled researchers to design the
questionnaire. Use decent quality paper and a minimum of ten-point font
size as standard. Keep the questionnaire as short as is possible asking
only questions that are essential to your research objectives. Limit
the number of open questions since these take more time to complete and
often have a negative effect, as respondents see them as an indication
that the research has not been fully thought through. Ensure you
include a pre-paid pre-addressed envelope that is the correct size for
the questionnaire.

Try using incentives
This could be monetary or entry to a prize draw. An incentive can be
prepaid or promised on completion of the survey. The prize should match
the target population e.g. high street vouchers would be ideal for a
survey of the general population.

Make sure the survey is accessible to all
Ensure large print copies of the questionnaires will be available to
those who require them. If your survey population is likely to include
people whose first language is not English, include a translation on
the covering letter detailing where they can get a translated copy of
the questionnaire and/or speak to someone who speaks that language.
Ensure you have translated copies of the questionnaire for the most
commonly used languages amongst your target population.

Provide a helpline
Set up a telephone helpline for respondents to contact. Provide a named
contact if possible and ensure there is an answer machine with a stated
response time to enquiries. Ensure that the main switchboard, general
enquiry lines and other departments are aware of the survey -
respondents are likely to ring other parts of your organisation about
the questionnaire (even if you include the specific number). Provide
them with the helpline details or with the contact details for the
survey manager.

Questionnaire administration
In telephone and face-to-face surveys skilled interviewers will
increase the response rate. They are trained in refusal conversion or
persuasion.

Effective follow-up
Arrange for reminder letters or postcards or phone calls to
non-respondents. It's best to include a copy of the questionnaire
with reminder letters. For surveys where you have telephone details you
may follow up with telephone calls at different times of the day.
Closely monitor the response so that remedial action can be taken if
necessary such as booster samples or an additional reminder.

Adhere to Professional guidelines
To make sure that your research is effective check out the appropriate
current professional standards and guidelines. For example, those on
the UK Market Research Society's website:
http://www.mrs.org.uk/standards/guidelines.htm or use a researcher who
is a member of a professional organisation
 
Courtesy : Snap Surveys