SMS surveys, a powerful tool for collecting feedbackread the article Boost your workflows and customer engagement with SMSread the article Impulse sus workflows y la captación de clientes con SMSleer el artículo Aumentate i vostri workflows e il coinvolgimento dei clienti con gli SMSper saperne di più Boosten Sie Ihre Workflows und das Kundenengagement mit SMSmehr erfahren
January 10, 2025 - 6 min read

Send surveys by SMS

Image by Romain Didelot
Romain Didelot

Romain Didelot

surveys by SMS

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Introduction

Surveys via SMS are a powerful tool for conducting surveys and collecting votes or feedback from your customers or employees with unrivalled efficiency and speed. With over 95% open rates and up to 40% response rates, these messages outperform traditional methods, enabling instant, confidential feedback for surveys or customer satisfaction assessment. Unlike e-mail, which is often ignored or turned into spam, SMS messages guarantee easy reading and instant interaction, whether it's a link sent via mobile message or the use of text messages to send questions to respondents.

Discover the benefits, options, parameters, creation and follow-up of surveys via SMS to optimize participation rates and the reliability of the data collected, while improving the customer experience.

The advantages of SMS

Fast, easy access

SMS messages are read within 4 minutes of being received on the customer's phone in 95% of cases. This instantaneous aspect enables real-time information gathering, which is essential for a company that needs to survey an up-to-date database quickly. The ease with which participants can access the vote and complete surveys via SMS, either by clicking on a link or by replying directly to the message, increases the participation rate and the quality of the customer experience.

High response rate

This is the major advantage of SMS surveys: the opening rate of SMS (98%), ensuring almost guaranteed visibility. This high open rate translates into a very significant customer response rate (often around 45%), far superior to that of e-mail or other more traditional survey methods. This efficiency favors the acquisition of a large number of quality responses. And the uniqueness of the telephone number improves the reliability of the data collected and the results obtained.

Accessibility on various mobile devices

The high accessibility of SMS surveys, available without an app and compatible with all cell phone models, eliminates technological barriers and makes it possible to reach a vast audience. Whether your target audience is a student, professional or senior citizen, SMS is an effective way of gathering opinions, information and feedback.

How to create your survey: SMS

1 - Define the survey objective

The first essential step before launching your survey at SMS is to clearly define its purpose. Whether the aim is to assess customer satisfaction, collect opinions on a product or service, or conduct an analysis of your audience's expectations and preferences, a precise definition of this objective will enable you to formulate appropriate questions and interpret the responses effectively.

Identifying this objective also helps to select the target audience and adapt the message to optimize the participation rate, analysis and customer experience.

2 - Designing effective questions

No survey is complete without questions. For questions to encourage people to vote, they need to be simple, brief and to the point, to avoid ambiguity and ensure that respondents understand them. Opt for closed questions (yes/no, multiple choice) for simplified data analysis, or open questions for more in-depth feedback.

Limit the number of questions as much as possible to keep participants' interest and prevent the lassitude that can result from an excessively long questionnaire.

3 - Choosing the right platform SMS

The success of your SMS survey also depends on the choice of method, tools and platform for sending SMS. It's essential to choose a tool that offers functionalities adapted to your company, such as contact import, personalization, mass mailing of SMS, the possibility for respondents to reply to messages, and response analysis.

smsmode© allows you, for example, to design and distribute your surveys and benefit from automation features to facilitate sending and follow-up. Our platform integrates with your existing systems through API Yes plugins SMSto become one with your CRM or ERP tool, for simple, total data management.

smsmode©

4 - Campaign configuration SMS

This is where the technical part begins.

Preparing your contact list

Make sure you have recipients' consent to send them SMS. Import your contact database in XLS or CSV format onto our SMS platform. Depending on your objectives, you can include all your contacts or target a specific segment.

Check contact list

Check that phone numbers are valid and eliminate duplicates in your database to prevent multiple mailings and maximize the effectiveness of your campaign. With smsmode©this operation is performed automatically.

Plan your shipment

Scheduling the sending of your SMS is also fundamental. You have the freedom to send messages immediately or to schedule a specific date and time for optimum impact, in line with your recipients' habits.

5 - Sending the survey and managing responses

There are several techniques, with varying degrees of integration, for carrying out a survey via SMS. The choice depends on your preferences and technical environment. 

External method :

This is the technique that comes first. Once your campaign is ready, you distribute your SMS with the survey link inside. This is called a Rich SMS. Several platforms, free, freemium or paid, allow you to edit a survey. Make sure that the survey (web) page is responsive, so that respondents can fill in the survey without difficulty.   

Some online survey tools :

Method SMS answer :

Making it easier to answer increases the participation rate, so why not carry out the entire survey via SMS ? smsmode© allows recipients to respond directly via SMS for simpler feedback collection and higher participation rates. By using keywords or short codes for your SMS answersThis makes the process intuitive and fast for users, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of participation. Analyzing responses is easy from our platform, or you can export the messages received to give you a clear and intuitive overview of the results. You can also set up an API call to filter votes from your URL callback destination.

Time2chat method (virtual number)

The use of a virtual send and receive number (Time2chat) works in a similar way to SMS . The number allows you to receive responses in real time and to segment reactions systematically to centralize responses, making it easier to interact with your audience and organize data.

What's more, a virtual number can be used to personalize automatic responses, sending out personalized confirmations or thank-yous, which can boost engagement and satisfaction among participants. 

To set this up, you need access to a virtual number management platform (such as smsmode© 😉) and a stable API connection to integrate the service with your existing systems and aggregate the responses to your survey. You'll need to set up your API call with a differentiating ID to be able to aggregate the responses brought up by the URL callback. 

6 - Analyze results

Once you've sent the message to your contact list via the chosen method, it's time to collect and analyze the responses. Responses should be automatically collected by the platform, so all you have to do is analyze them to finalize your survey and draw conclusions.

7 - Follow and thank

Send a thank-you message to participants. Share any results or planned actions based on responses.

A few more tips:

Write a clear invitation message:

Include the purpose of the survey, instructions on how to complete it, and an estimate of the time required.

Example:

36037

Hello, take part in our quick survey by answering this question: Are you satisfied with our service? Answer YES or NO.

Optimize your timing:

Send SMS at a time when recipients are likely to be reading it. Use your own experience or best practices in your sector as a guide.

GOING FURTHER
10 sheets on best practices SMS

Discover the 10 keys to effective, profitable SMS campaigns.

10 best practices for SMS campaigns

Test before sending:

Test the survey with a small group to detect any problems.

Respect confidentiality:

Don't share participants' personal information without their consent and ensure that the survey and each partner comply with the RGPD.

Conclusion

As we have seen, conducting a survey via SMS is an effective way of gathering opinions quickly. With an impressive open rate and response rate, SMS is a great way to gather data. The ease and speed of accessing surveys via SMS, coupled with the compatibility of this channel, makes it perfectly suited to reaching a wide audience. All that's left to do is choose a trusted SMS management platform and create your own surveys to benefit from a new, fast and efficient way of collecting opinions and gaining valuable insights. It's up to you!

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