Email survey software is essential for any company that wants to query their customer base about how they’re doing and what they need to do in order to improve. It’s not just a way to give your customers a place to air their grievances – although an online survey does serve to satisfy this need, as well – but also to let them know that their voices are heard, and the feedback they have valuable. Online survey tools present the information to you in a plain language that anyone with even a bit of marketing experience can comprehend.

But in order for email survey software to work for you, you have to approach the creation of your surveys carefully in a way that will maximize participation. Otherwise, you run the risk of only “hearing” a small percentage of your subscribers – those that made the extra effort to complete the survey. Here are 3 of the most important things to bear in mind when using an online survey builder to create your customer surveys.

Tell Them Who You Are and What You Want
If you’ve been doing a good job at connecting with your subscribers, they’ll probably already know who you are, but it never hurts to take the time to make a formal introduction, especially when you’re contacting them about something out of the ordinary like a survey. Use an email survey template that will be easily readable and that’s not cluttered with so much information that a reader will have to sift through it to figure out what’s going on. You’re sending an invitation, not trying to wow anyone with your email design skills. State the facts: who you are, what you’re writing about (to invite them to take a survey), and why it’s important to you that you get their participation. You don’t have to resort to flattery, but it never hurts to remind your list subscribers that you value their opinions and that you intend to implement changes to your company policy based on their feedback. Remember, if you say this, you'd better mean it. If you don't intend to make any changes based on the feedback you receive, don't say you will.

Make it Easy on Your Invitees
Online survey tools are great for making the process of creating a survey easy, but another reason they’re so useful is because they can make the survey taking process much easier, too. Your email survey software should create a survey that’s easily accessible online. When you do this, all that’s required of your customers is to click a hyperlink that drives them to the survey page where they can begin their participation. Forget basic options like allowing customers to print out and mail in their survey responses. Remember, if they’re reading your message they have internet access. Sometimes it’s human nature to want to offer a variety of options to ensure that everyone participates, but it’s possible to offer too many options that will only serve to confuse your customers.

Keep it Short and Sweet
Nobody’s going to fault you if you use an email survey template that’s simple and straightforward. You’re not in this to impress anyone with your writing abilities or to sell them on anything other than their participation. In order to facilitate that participation, don’t waste their time. Tell them who you are, what you’re asking them to do, why, and how they can participate. Don’t bury the hyperlink to your online survey at the bottom of your email, otherwise it may never get read. Remember, time is money to everybody, including your customers!