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Smart Surveys Snare Curious Customers
SurveyWriter.com lets web sites "talk" to their visitors using advanced survey features.
More and more savvy web site operators are using surveys to identify and market potential customers. Because of the advanced question logic and rich media content of today's web surveys, a survey can conduct a two-way "conversation" between vendor and customer. Depending on the skill of the surveyor, the effect of the two-way dialog can be impressively seamless. Some "smart" survey features that facilitate this dialogue include:
Reponse piping and question branching: The respondent chooses from a survey list; the next question automatically displays the choice or asks follow up questions about the choice selected. For example, a web site devoted to automobile industry may use a pop-up survey to ask the question, "What kind of truck do you own? When the respondent selects from a list of his favorite trucks, the next question in the survey may respond, "So you're a Chevy man. Have you seen the 2003 Chevy 4X4? Would you like to test-drive it online?" This interaction can cover many layers and get very detailed. In the end, the respondent maybe redirected to the site of a local dealership.
Push Technology: Now you can take corporate, customer or panel data and "push" it into the survey. This is a great way to leverage a customer data base to personalize survey questions. A site devoted to the recording industry may ask a returning customer, "Hi John, on your last visit we noticed that you purchased an Eminem album. Would you be interested in listening to the latest release from the Foo Fighters?
Email Alerts: When respondents answer a question a certain way, an email is sent automatically that contains information from the survey they have just taken. This feature is great for sites interested in customer satisfaction. "Did you find what you need? Would you like additional help?" If the answer is "yes," a email is triggered to a customer service rep who follows up over the phone and determines the customer's problem. The effect? Reduced lost sales because customers couldn't or didn't want to navigate the site.
Previously, "smart surveys" were only the realm of companies that had a lot of money and programming expertise. However, a new service called SurveyWriter.com enables anyone with a browser to set up a "smart survey" in less than an hour.
Here's how it works:
| | - You log onto www.surveywriter.com through your personal internet connection and your browser.
- You create your questionnaire using SurveyWriter's advanced HTML question editor. Extensive formatting capabilites provide you with complete control over the look and feel of your survey, and filter wizards comfortably guide you through the construction of advanced logic questions, which allow you to "talk" to your respondents by asking new questions based on their answers to previous ones.
- The survey is seamlessly linked to your own Web site. No one ever knows that you are not hosting the survey.
- SurveyWriter tabulates results automatically, and you can view them at any time in presentation-ready charts.
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If you wish, you could also download the survey results onto a spreadsheet or similar application. No programming or network experience is necessary. All you need is a PC and a connection to the Internet to create and field full-featured web surveys. SurveyWriter provides the tools to connect with customers all over the world, instantly, and at the low cost of $1.25 per completed survey! No upfront costs, and training is free.
According to Joel Friedman, CEO of SurveyWriter, "SurveyWriter.com enables real-time, bi-directional communication between vendors and consumers by delivering media-rich content over the Web and collecting feedback from the viewer. The result is a powerful marketing tool for the vendor."
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