Personally Asked to Participate in a Survey:

¶ … Personally Asked to Participate in a Survey:

Thoughts and reflections

There are few things more irritating than hearing the phone ring during dinnertime and being asked to participate in a survey. Quite often, these calls come from anonymously-named marketing companies. The speaker on the other side of the phone garbles my name and speaks in a stilted and scripted manner. Immediately, I ask myself: 'why should I volunteer my valuable time and personal data just to improve the marketing resources of this company of which I have never heard?' Usually I just hang up and ask for my name to be removed from the list of persons willing to participate in surveys.

I seldom agree to participate in surveys unless I am asked to do so in exchange for receiving a desirable coupon from a manufacturer. Sometimes, when I make a purchase there is a link at the end of the receipt asking me to talk about my customer experience online, in exchange for 10% (or some other amount) off of my next offer. To me, this seems like a fair exchange for my information in exchange for a desirable incentive. However, the online format has other additional advantages for the consumer. First of all, I am able to complete the survey when it is convenient for me -- at my computer desk, when I am working, versus when I am about to have dinner. Second of all, I know the company with whom I am interacting, in contrast to an anonymous person who calls me at home. If I know the company, I also feel slightly more secure that my data will not be used for improper purposes. And sometimes I genuinely wish to offer my opinion about the experience because I want to help make the company serve its customers better.

The other occasion during which I will participate in surveys is if I am asked to do so after I have called a company for assistance. Sometimes I am asked to participate in a short phone survey about my customer service experience. If the representative has been very helpful or unhelpful I like the company to know. Also, if the employee has gone above and beyond the usual standards of assistance, I want to make sure he or she gets a favorable rating (similarly, if the representative has been surly and unhelpful, I also want the company to know).

Companies that wish to solicit data from customers must ensure that the time commitment customers make to answering surveys is 'worth the customer's while' in terms of incentives. The surveys should ideally be conducted online, but if the companies must do interviews over the phone, the company representative should immediately identify him or herself. They should explain to the participant how the data is to be used and why the company is conducting the survey. A consumer will more likely finish a survey if he or she believes it might enhance the customer service experience of a wireless company, versus a marketing firm that is only identified by a generic name and is vague about how the customer's personal information may be used.