How to create and share an online survey

Creating and sharing surveys has become an essential tool for businesses and organizations looking to measure customer satisfaction.

Whether you’re a small business or a nonprofit organization, platforms like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, and Activity Messenger can help you survey your customers and gain valuable insight into their preferences and behaviors.

In this article, we’ll explore how to create and share an online survey, popular survey creation platforms, the types of questions to include, best practices for collecting responses, and the unique benefits a Canadian-based platform can offer you.

Table of contents:

• Why use an online survey tool
• Popular platforms for creating surveys
• Unique advantages of a Canadian-based survey tool
• Types of questions to include
• Best practices for capturing survey responses

Why use an online survey tool

Online surveys are easy to design, cost effective, and reach a larger number of customers or members. Here are just a few of the reasons more and more small businesses are using surveys to turn feedback into actionable insights

• Speed and efficiency: Online surveys can be created and sent in minutes, and responses can be collected immediately.
• Low cost: Compared to paper or phone surveys, online surveys are much less expensive.
• Accessibility: Respondents can respond at their convenience, increasing response rates.
• Ease of analysis: Online tools often have built-in analytics that make it easier to interpret the data.

Popular platforms for creating surveys

1. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a pioneer and the most popular platform for creating online surveys and questionnaires.

Here are some of its key features:

• Simple, easy-to-use interface: SurveyMonkey offers an intuitive interface that makes survey creation easy, even for beginners.
• Customization options: Personalize your surveys with your branding, choose from a variety of question types, and use advanced logic to guide your respondents.
• Detailed Analysis: SurveyMonkey offers powerful analytics tools to help you interpret your survey results
• Integrations: It integrates well with other tools like MailChimp, Salesforce, and Slack, making it easier to manage your data.

 

2. Google Forms

Google Forms is another popular option, especially for those looking for a free solution. Here’s what it offers:

• Free: Google Forms is free, making it an attractive option for small businesses or individuals who don’t want to pay for a survey tool.
• Easy to use: The interface is simple and intuitive, making it easy to create surveys quickly.
• Integration with Google Sheets: Responses can be automatically saved in Google Sheets for quick and easy analysis.
• Customization: Google Forms is much more limited than other paid survey tools, but still allows for some customization and different question types.

3. Activity Messenger

Activity Messenger stands out for its advanced features and its ability to integrate all aspects of online survey collection.

Here are just a few of the benefits:

Sending SMS: Activity Messenger lets you send surveys by SMS. This increases response rates, especially with your younger clientele who much prefer text messaging.
Sending newsletters: You can combine your surveys with your newsletters into a single tool for more engaging and comprehensive communication. For example, a quarterly newsletter can include a survey to gather feedback from your customers.
Automations: Activity Messenger lets you automate the sending of surveys after an event, a purchase, a course or any recent customer interaction with your company. This makes it easy to collect timely customer feedback. For example, following the end of a summer camp, an automatic survey can be sent to parents to assess their satisfaction.

Unique advantages of a Canadian-based survey tool

SurveyMonkey hosts all of your data in Canada and Google Forms in the US. Activity Messenger also stores your information in Canada.

This data localization ensures better protection of your information, in accordance with privacy standards in Canada.

A Canadian-based online survey platform also offers a fully bilingual platform and support, allows you to support a local business, and means you’ll never have to pay for your subscription in US dollars again.

When you choose Activity Messenger, you’ll benefit from a platform that is :

• Local and adapted to the needs of Canadian small businesses
• Stores your data in Canada
• Complies with Canadian Anti-Spam law
• Easy to use
• Offers fully bilingual surveys

Types of questions to include in your surveys

To create an effective survey, it’s important to ask the right questions. Here are some types of questions to consider, depending on the objective of your survey:

• Multiple Choice Questions: Great for getting quick, easy-to-analyze responses. For example, “How satisfied are you with our service?” with response options ranging from “very satisfied” to “very dissatisfied.
• Likert scales: Useful for measuring levels of satisfaction or agreement. For example, “To what extent do you agree with the following statement: ‘The staff was friendly and helpful’?” with options ranging from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree”.
• Open-ended questions: Allow respondents to express their opinions in detail. For example, “What aspects of our service would you like to see improved?
• Demographic questions: To better understand the profile of your respondents. For example, “What is your age?” or “What is your zip code?
  Multiple response questions: Allow respondents to choose multiple answers from a list of options. For example, “Which of our products do you use?” with multiple choices.
• Ranking questions: Ask respondents to rank items in order of preference. For example, “Please rank the following features of our product in order of importance.”
• Dichotomous (yes/no) questions: Offer two opposing choices. For example, “Are you satisfied with our service? Yes/No.”
• Questions with a scale from 1 to 10: Allow respondents to give a score on a numerical scale. For example, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate our customer service?”
• Short-answer questions: Expect concise answers. For example, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of our brand?”
• Matrix-type questions: Used to evaluate several items with the same response options. For example, “Rate the following aspects of our service on a scale of 1 to 5.”
• NPS (Net Promoter Score) question: An NPS question evaluates the likelihood of respondents recommending your service or product. For example, “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely would you be to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” Responses are classified into three categories: promoters (9-10), passives (7-8), and detractors (0-6).

 

Best practices for capturing responses

To maximize the number of responses and the quality of the data collected, here are some best practices to follow:

• Clarity and conciseness: Make sure your questions are clear and concise to avoid confusion. For example, avoid overly technical or ambiguous questions.
• Anonymity: Offer the option to respond anonymously to get more honest responses. Ensure in the survey itself that responses will remain confidential.
• Test the survey: Before sending it to your target audience, test it with a small group to identify and correct any problems. For example, ask a few colleagues to take the survey and give you their feedback.
• Use reminders: Send reminders to people who haven’t responded to increase your response rate. For example, a reminder could be sent a week after the survey was first sent. The use of SMS can be very useful to increase the number of responses to a reminder.

Create your first online survey

Creating and sending an online survey has never been easier, thanks to tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, Jotform, and Activity Messenger. Each platform has its advantages, but Activity Messenger stands out for its advanced features, its ability to integrate with automated processes, and the fact that it’s a Canadian-based survey tool.

By using the right tool for your surveys, following best practices, and asking the right questions, you can maximize your response rates and better understand your customers’ experiences and satisfaction levels.