Why are surveys important?

Surveys make it easy to gather the information you need to make informed decisions for your business. Rather than trying to guess what your customers need or want, why not ask them yourself? By asking the right questions, you can find vital information you might not have otherwise known. Information like what customers think about your current business tactics, new trends, feedback on new product ideas, what people are saying about your competition, the list goes on! Your customer's feedback can be one of the most valuable tools you can use for your flower shop's success, and surveys are one of the easiest ways to obtain that information.

How can I create a beneficial survey?

There are many different ways you can create a survey, but here are a few tips to get you started.

Define your goals

Before you can even begin to create a survey, you need to define the goal of the information you are asking for. Whether you're looking for ways you can improve as a business or want insight into the interest of new products and services, setting a goal will help you shape the questions that you need to ask.

Avoid leading questions

One of the most common ways to skew feedback on a survey is by asking leading questions. Questions that encourage the respondent to answer a certain way can cause biases that won't tell you what they're really thinking. Be sure to ask questions that don't encourage one answer over another or imply that there is a correct answer.

Leave the personal questions until the end

Another main goal is to make sure that your customers fill out the survey. Engaging them with the survey before you begin asking questions like, “how old are you” will help them feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings on your business. For many, these personal questions may still feel overly invasive; in this case, we suggest offering ranges so that your customer does not feel like they have to give up their privacy.

Focus on close-ended questions

Offering multiple-choice questions allows your customers to click through their options with ease. If you do need to ask any open-ended questions, limit it to no more than 2 and make sure they don't require an answer. Remember, they are doing you a favor by filling out your survey, and you don't want them to leave before they complete it.

Keep it to the point

Let's be honest, no one wants to spend a long time filling out a survey. Often customers are only willing to give about 5 minutes or less of their time to fill out a survey. With only a short amount of time to gather all the information you need, it's essential to ask your most important questions concisely. When creating survey questions, be sure that you ask questions that directly relate to your goals, try to avoid double-barreled questions, and keep it to the point.

Offer an incentive

The best way to get customers motivated to fill out a survey is by offering an incentive. For example, if you are at a restaurant and asked to fill out a survey, most of the time, you don't feel inclined to take the time to fill out their survey. However, let's say they offered a free dessert along with the completion of the survey. You may then feel a little bit more incentivized to give them your feedback. The same concept holds true for your own business. Encouraging responses with positive reinforcement can help tremendously in getting the volume of feedback you're looking for and lets your customers know that you're thankful for the time they took to help you.

Overall, surveys are an excellent way to get the information you're looking for quickly and easily. Remember to preview your survey and even let a friend take it as a test run before sending it out. Keep an open mind when reviewing the answers you get back and allow yourself to grow with your customers' help!