Text Survey | How To Collect Feedback Via SMS In 2024

What Is A Text Survey?

A text survey allows you to collect data, opinions, and feedback directly through SMS messaging. With a mass texting service like DialMyCalls, you can send hundreds, or even thousands, of surveys via text message all at once.

All you need to do is ask a question, decide what type of response you want, and wait for the replies to roll in.

Fortunately, given the personal and immediate nature of text messaging, SMS surveys often result in quicker and higher response rates than other survey methods. You can use them for everything from customer satisfaction polls to open-ended employee feedback and much more.

Overall, they’re an effective tool for gaining real-time insights, including both qualitative and quantitative data. Better yet, they’re quick and simple to set up, and you can send your first broadcast in no time.

Types of Text Surveys

There are three different types of surveys you can send through SMS. Below, we explain what they are and the right time to use each one.

Text Polling

Text polling, also called text to vote, is a type of SMS survey in which you send a question with a predefined set of possible responses. There are few different types, including:

• Multiple Choice SMS Polls (e.g., asking employees which new potential workplace initiative they’re most excited about)
• Number Range Text Message Poll (e.g., customer satisfaction surveys, or asking event attendees how many guests they are bringing)
• Yes/No SMS Polls (e.g., asking event invitees if they still plan on going to your event)

Overall, text polls are a great way to collect simple data as quickly and directly as possible. You can even conduct live text polling, which can add some interactivity and intrigue to your next presentation.

Just keep in mind that, while SMS polls are great for collecting quantitative data, the qualitative data you can glean is limited. To gain deeper insights and understand why recipients voted the way they did, you should consider the next type of text survey.

Open-Ended Responses

Another type of survey is open-ended responses, which allow recipients to respond in their own words rather than a predefined set of options. By collecting more detailed and personalized feedback, you can better understand respondents’ thoughts and feelings.

Ultimately, allowing people to express themselves freely and in their own words may allow you to make new discoveries. 

For example, if you’re collecting feedback for a new product, perhaps they’ll mention a flaw you overlooked. Or, if you just had an event, you can let attendees submit ideas for the next one.

You may even consider sending a text poll and following it up with an open-ended survey. For instance, you can send a text poll asking if recipients would recommend your product. You can then segment “yes” responses into one contact group, and “no” responses in another.

From there, you can send an open-ended text survey to the “no” group asking for constructive criticism. Meanwhile, you might send the “yes” group a discount code and request that they leave a testimonial.

The biggest downside to this type of survey is that you’ll need to manually read through responses to gain insights. Depending on the number of respondents, this could be time-consuming.

Link To Other Survey Platforms

One more way to send a survey via text message is to simply link out to another survey platform, like Google Forms or SurveyMonkey.

This option works best if you want to send a longer and more thorough survey. For example, if you need recipients to fill out an entire questionnaire, you’ll want to use a third-party.

While respondents do need to visit a third-party website to complete surveys, you still reap the benefits of the immediate delivery and personal nature of SMS.

The biggest drawback to this method is that recipients can’t complete the survey in their native texting app. 

Additionally, because longer surveys take more time to complete, people may be less likely to finish them, especially if you don’t offer an incentive.

Why Send An SMS Survey?

SMS surveys come with several advantages that other platforms lack. Below, we discuss three of the best reasons to start sending surveys via text message.

Immediate and Personal

As we’ve mentioned before, one of the best things about SMS is that most recipients see your messages almost immediately. 

Text messaging is also the most personal form of communication, making it one of the best places to reach people.

Because of this, text surveys have a quick and high response rate. Remember, the more people who respond to your messages, the more data you’ll have to work with.

Detailed Insights

SMS surveys are also great because you can gain detailed insights from your recipients. 

For example, you can send an open-ended response survey to learn specifically what customers do and don’t like about your product or service. Just ask recipients a question and read through their responses to see what you can learn.

Meanwhile, you can also send text polls to gain high-level understanding of your respondents’ opinions. All you need to do is ask a question, and our text polling system will aggregate the data for you.

Finally, if you need advanced analytics and longer-form surveys, you can send a link to a third-party survey platform.

Targeted Communication Potential

Finally, using SMS polling in tandem with text surveys can be a powerful way to send highly-targeted communication.

For example, if you run a nonprofit, you might send a “Yes/No” Poll to your contact list asking if recipients are interested in volunteer opportunities. 

From there, you can segment respondents into contact groups based on a “yes” or “no”. For those responding “yes”, you can send them a link to a calendar with available volunteer dates.

Meanwhile, for those responding “no”, you might follow-up with an open-ended survey question, like “Do you have any ideas on how you’d like to get involved with our mission?” 

By using a strategy like this, you can communicate with your entire contact list, while still catering to everyone’s interests and desired level of involvement. After all, SMS communication is really only effective if you’re sending messages people want to see.

How To Create and Send A Text Survey

Creating and sending a text survey is super simple with DialMyCalls. Just follow the steps below and you’ll be collecting responses in no time!

1. Build or Import Your Contact List

Before you can send your first text survey, you need people to send it to. So, the first thing you need to do is build your contact list.

If you already have a list of contacts, you can add them manually, or import them via a .csv file. You can also let them opt-in with an SMS Keyword. 

Remember, to comply with mass texting laws, all recipients must give explicit permission to receive your SMS communications.

2. Enable Two Way Texting

Once you have people sign up for your text surveys, you need to enable two way texting in your DialMyCalls dashboard. This feature allows you to receive replies to your outgoing messages.

To do this, you need to select or purchase the long code SMS number you want to use. This vanity phone number is the number recipients will see when you text them.

After we take care of setting up the backend, you just need to configure your two way SMS settings. For example, you’ll need to decide when and where to receive notifications of incoming messages.

3. Select Your Survey Type

Now that you’ve got a list of contacts and 2 way texting is enabled, you need to decide what type of text survey you want to send.

So, think about what you want to accomplish with your survey. Are you looking for quick, high-level insights? Or, are you hoping to read some detailed feedback to gain deeper and more personal insights?

Your SMS survey strategy all depends on what your goals are. To find success, it’s critical that you give careful consideration to this step.

4. Set Up & Send Messages

After selecting a survey type that aligns with your goals, you’re ready to set up your message. 

If you’re sending an SMS poll, you need to write your question and select the available responses. Try keeping the number of selections small so you don’t overwhelm your recipients.

Meanwhile, if you want to ask an open-ended question, simply write it out and tell recipients they can reply directly to your message with their responses.

If you choose to conduct your survey via a third-party platform, simply send out a link and tell recipients what it is.

Whichever type of text survey you decide to send, be sure to include an opt-out so recipients can choose to stop receiving your messages.

5. Collect Responses & Follow-Up

Finally, after you send out your SMS survey, you should start receiving replies relatively quickly.

Depending on your goals, you may want to segment your respondents into different contact groups based on their responses. Fortunately, DialMyCalls’ contact management system makes this simple.

You might also consider sending follow-up polls or questions after the initial message. You can also analyze the data you collect to make improvements or implement popular changes.

Text Message Survey Examples

Text message surveys have a variety of use cases for all types of organizations. Below, we provide some examples of the best ways to implement SMS surveys.

Group Text Survey Examples

If you manage communication for a group of people like a sports team or church you can implement these group text survey examples.

Sports Team Text Survey Examples

For instance, a team manager might send a poll to players asking which day of the week works best for practice:

“This is Coach John from City United. What day works best for practice? Reply 1 For Mondays, 2 For Wednesday, 3 For Thursdays, STOP to end”

Additionally, a sports coach could request open-ended feedback from players and parents to improve their craft:

“This is Coach John from City United. Are there any areas you think the team could improve on? Please respond directly to this message with your thoughts, STOP to end”

Church Text Survey Examples

Meanwhile, a church leader might send out a poll asking congregation members what they’d like this week’s sermon to cover:

“Hello House of Worship family! We’re preparing for this week’s sermon and would love to incorporate topics that matter to you. Which theme would you like to explore? Reply 1 for Faith & Work, 2 for Family Values, 3 for Community Service, STOP to end”

Finally, church leaders can also make use of open-ended text surveys:

“Hi House of Worship Family, we’re looking to expand our outreach efforts, and we’re keen to hear your ideas. What initiatives or causes do you think we should focus on? Please reply to this message with your suggestions. Reply STOP to end”

Business Text Survey Examples

Businesses can also make use of text surveys in a multitude of ways. In fact, business owners can use them to improve relationships with both employees and customers.

Employee Text Survey Examples

When it come to employees, you might consider sending a text poll asking for feedback on remote work policies:

“Hi Company Staff, We’re exploring the idea of a more flexible Work-From-Home policy and would like your input. Which option do you prefer? Reply 1 for Fully Remote, 2 for Flexible, 3 For Full-Time In Office, STOP to end”

You could also follow-up on the example above by segmenting employees based on their responses and asking open-ended questions. For instance, if you create a group for those interested in a fully remote policy, you could write:

“Hi @FirstName, thanks for indicating your interest in the Fully Remote Work-From-Home Policy. To better understand your expectations, could you share what aspects of full-time remote work are most appealing to you? Please reply directly to this message, Reply STOP to end”

Customer Text Survey Examples

For customers, businesses can send surveys to gauge customer satisfaction, get feedback on a new product, and more.

For example, you might send a number range SMS poll like:

“Hi, this is Kayla. Thanks for coming in today! How would you rate your experience today on a scale of 1-5. Reply STOP to end”

You can also send an open-ended follow-up question to better understand what the customer liked and didn’t like:

“Thanks for rating your experience! Where do you feel we succeeded, and what could have been better? Please reply directly. Reply STOP to end”

Finally, for potential products, you might ask customers to rate their interest in purchasing the product. Then, you could follow-up asking for any specific improvements you can make before officially launching.

Live Text Survey Example

If you’re delivering a presentation or throwing an event, a live text survey can be an interactive way to increase audience engagement.

For example, if you’re conducting a workshop, you can use a poll to gauge how well the attendees are keeping up with the pace:

“How do you find the pace of the workshop? We’ll adjust the pace based on feedback. Reply 1 for Too Slow, 2 for Perfect Pace, 3 for Too Fast. Reply STOP to end”

Of course, the immediacy of live text surveys also makes them a good business tool. 

For example, if a customer makes a purchase in store, a cashier could offer to send them an SMS with a link to a third-party survey or testimonial platform. To incentivize them, you may even consider offering a discount code in exchange.

Other Text Survey Examples

There’s really no limit to the types of organizations that can make use of text surveys. 

For example, the leader of a local community group might send out a survey asking something like:

“Hello [Community Group Name] members! We are planning our activities for the year. What types of events would you like to see more of? Reply STOP to end”

Additionally, a property manager might gauge how satisfied residents are with a number range text poll:

“On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate your overall satisfaction with the [Apartment Name] community and amenities? Reply STOP to end”

Ultimately, any organization that wants to collect feedback can find a good use for text surveys.

Text Survey App

A text survey app allows you to send SMS surveys directly from your mobile phone. Fortunately, with the DialMyCalls Mobile App, sending surveys and viewing responses is a breeze.

Not only can you send polls and surveys, but you can also access a host of other mass texting features, like:

• One-on-one conversations with 2-way SMS
• Customized bulk SMS with variable messaging
• Automated texting

If you’re looking for a text survey app with a host of awesome features, DialMyCalls makes a great option.

Get Started With Text Surveys

Gathering and implementing customer and member feedback is key to improving any organization. Luckily, SMS surveys are the perfect tool for this, and getting started is easy with DialMyCalls. 

With our text survey platform, you can send polls, open-ended questions, and links to third-party sites.

To start collecting invaluable recipient feedback, sign up for DialMyCalls. It’s super simple, and you can send out your first text survey in no time!