Survey Introduction Examples With 9 Tips That Actually Work

An engaging online survey doesn’t do much if you don’t give a proper survey introduction ☝️

Survey researchers claim that if the survey creators add a neat introduction to their online surveys.

Here’s an employee survey introduction example:

Hey there! 👋 We’re curated this survey to understand how well you’re adapting to this whole work-from-home setup. We’d love to understand if there’s anything we can do from our end to help you adapt and stay productive throughout the day. Please take this quick survey (shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, we promise). Thank you.

PS: We’ll send pizzas to the first 10 survey respondents 🍕

Worry not, friend. In this blog, we’ll teach you how to write a survey introduction and let your respondents know what the survey is about.

How do you write an introduction to a survey?

You don’t want your respondents to click on ‘no thanks’ or ‘pass’ to your online survey, do you? Well, take a look at one of the survey introduction examples:

“Hi, Alex!

Thanks for being an awesome customer! We absolutely love having people like you in our community and value your feedback every day.

We know that the best way to improve our product and experience is to hear from people who use it every single day- people like YOU! So, we sincerely appreciate your insight because it helps us build better customer experiences. 

Your answers and information will only ever be used to improve your experience and never sold to others. We’ve got you.

Thanks for your continued support. Stay Safe! 

Your favorite grocery store.

Here’s a quick survey with a survey introduction example:

If you find the above survey introduction example profound, we can help you create one.

Sign up for FREE here!

When an online survey is to be taken at the end of purchase or as feedback, it should contain all the necessary elements as they are present in the one above. Those include: 

• Addressing the customer by name
• Thanking them for being a customer
• Personalizing experience
• Protecting personal information and details
• Utmost importance to the customer

There are various companies and new ventures that look for improvement and updates according to the customer’s needs, but they lack the proper approach. A properly executed survey is all we need to grab the customer’s attention and make them interested in giving valuable feedback for a smooth and fluid experience in the long run.

Survey Introduction with Examples: 9 Tips & Best Practices

Things to do:

1. Providing Necessary Information

• Mentioning the name of the organization goes a long way in creating a connection between the customers and the company.
• The goal of the survey should always be honestly stated.
• A trigger response should be created by the use of words.
• What would you do with the information provided it should always be conveyed properly.

Example – “We’d like to know what you think about our product and rest assured, this information is safe with us.”

2. Maintain Anonymity

• The user has the right to know what would happen with the personal information they are providing
• Maintaining anonymity is the first step to gaining their trust without violating their privacy
• Adding a link to the privacy statement of the company will reflect transparency and honesty that anonymity is indeed maintained.

Example – In the end, mention “…all the information you just provided will remain anonymous.”

3. Create An Incentive

• Bring up the objective of an incentive, such as a coupon or a game at the end of the survey. 
• This will create an interest quotient in the mind of the person who is filling out the survey.
• A well-chosen incentive will always work favorably as it will grab the attention of the people.
• The focus should always be on what’s in it for them.

4. Target The Audience

• Targeting the audience and talking about their gain should always be the main goal

For example, asking a computer professional about the medical aspects is not ideal, so the target should be to prepare the survey based on the audience.

5. Concise

• The idea and approach should not be vague.
• A clear and to-the-point approach will attract more reactions and responses.
• The objective of the survey should be transparent.

6. Inviting Atmosphere

• Words and expressions used should be inviting to the audience, then only it will attract the utmost traction
• Just mentioning, “Please fill out the survey to help us get better”, would be neglected by the customer in no time.

But at the same time, if the statement is- “You seem to have enjoyed shopping here, please help us make your experience better for the next time”- the traction, as well as response, would be multiplied.

7. Brand Recognition

• Adding a logo of your company on the top of the survey will add a personal touch and a sense of recognition to the survey. In short, white-label your surveys to make it all about you. 
• It will attract the absolute target audience. 

8. Emoticons

• The use of emoticons works in creating a light environment and makes the survey form look like a fun thing to do.
• It reflects the personal and fun relationship between the customer and the company.

9. Thank You Note In The End

• A simple thank you, in the end, will show the customer empathy and appreciation.

“Thank you so much for putting in your response and adding value to our service. We appreciate your time and patience.”

When these points are put under consideration, the survey introduction becomes easy-going, readable, and interesting for the customers.

Then comes the types of questions that can be asked in a survey. Questionnaires help in rearranging the answers properly. These questions can vary according to the requirement, company brand, profile, etc.

Survey Introduction: Question Types

• Open-Ended questions
• Closed-Ended questions
• Ratings
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Picture Choice Questions
• Demographic Questions

1. Open-ended Questions

Open-ended questions give the freedom to write long answers without any word restriction.

Questions like ‘How was your childhood?” and ‘What is it like to live in XYZ?’ enable the customer to put in their response without any limit for words.

2. Closed-Ended Questions

These questions are mainly of yes/no, true/false type. Usually, choice-bearing questions with no more than one word of an answer are one of the many survey introduction examples to make your audience complete the surveys. 

Did you like the dress? Yes/No

Do you like Spanish? Yes/No

Do you like living in the US? Yes/No

3. Rating Questions

These questions enable the customer to put in their responses in the form of the number of smileys, stars, hearts, ticks, etc. The rating suggests whether the response is satisfactory, good, or poor.

4. Multiple-choice Questions

One of the other important and wise ways for your survey introduction examples is to include multiple-choice questions. This helps in getting the responses under a proper set of answers. 

How old are you?

a)10-20

b)20-30

c)30-40

d)More than 40

5. Picture Choice Questions

Picture choice questions in surveys bring a splash of color and imagery to the data collection process. Imagine being asked, “Which landscape speaks to your soul?” with images of a serene beach, a bustling city, a tranquil forest, and a snow-capped mountain to choose from.

Or consider a question like, “Which meal looks most appetizing to you?” accompanied by mouth-watering pictures of varieties of burgers like this.

These visually engaging questions not only make surveys more interactive but also tap into our instinctive responses, revealing preferences and choices that words alone might not fully capture.

6. Demographic Questions

Demographic questions are simple yet powerful tools in surveys, as they gather basic but important information about people. These questions are straightforward and focus on key aspects of our identity and background.

For instance, a typical demographic question about age might ask,

What is your highest level of education?

a) High School

b) Higher Secondary

c) Graduate

d) Post Graduate

e) Other

This helps to understand the educational qualifications of the respondents.

Another common question is about gender, with options such as ‘Male’, ‘Female’, ‘Non-binary’, or even ‘Prefer not to say’. This question helps in understanding the gender composition of the survey participants.

Things To Consider While Crafting Surveys

Now that we’ve got off on the right foot on how to start and proceed with the questions, it is time for some more pointers for our survey writing:

1. Mention the name of the organization

The name of the organization is an important aspect of generating traction and a feeling of trust amongst the customers. 

2. Clearly mention the goal of the survey

The goal of the online survey should be as clear as water. The improvement in working, changes in delivery, product packaging, anything, and any change should be mentioned to the customer in clear and apt words.

3. Mention the time required to complete the survey

The proper time that would be taken to write the whole survey should be mentioned at the beginning itself. Time is money, so mention the time required in the beginning only. Whether it will take 10 minutes, 5 minutes, or even a minute, it should be mentioned before the start of it. 

The people who are filling out the form should be aware of the time they will be spending on your website for it. If a customer starts filling out the survey form that extends up to a military of 30-40 questions, he/she may not even complete the same.

4. Questions should be asked from customers’ point of view

The survey shouldn’t be biased by your effects. The main focus should be to gather people’s points of view for your services and products. The questions, the answers, and the information shouldn’t be biased with your thoughts about the company or website.

5. Be precise with the questions

Don’t be vague. As mentioned earlier, the responses, answers in the MCQ, or any questions and information should not be vague or disoriented. It should be to the point, apt, and crisp. Only then it will bear the possibility of attracting the customer’s attention and grabbing onto it for a particular period.

Let’s face it, not a lot of people are interested in filling out a survey form and they often click on the back or exit button by even the mention of it. So, to grab their attention, to-the-point language and approach is a must. The language used in the survey should be simple and specific. Beating around the bush won’t be of much help.

Further, avoid leading questions. An online survey should always be concise. Do not extend it too much or make it too long; it will lose the interest of the customer. If there are long and big questions that are necessary to be answered, they should be split into 3-4 questions. It will not hinder the interest and maintain the flow of the survey as well.

Make the questions unambiguous. Example – A question like “How many times have you visited a doctor in the past year?” has a lot of room for interpretation – do nutritionists, spiritual healers, or psychologists count as doctors?

A better question to be asked would be “We would like to know how many times in a year have you visited a licensed medical professional, including dentists, psychologists, chiropractors, and nutritionists.

6. Surveys should be mobile-friendly

Create mobile-friendly surveys, because today everyone is continuously on the move and simultaneously on their phone as well. So it will be beneficial to provide a survey that is mobile-friendly.

7. Tailor the questions according to your services

The type of questions should change according to the website and/or products that are sold.

For example – A clothing website will have a different set of questions, like,

Is the fit perfect?

Is the fabric skin-friendly?

Are you happy with the silhouette?

Whereas, a product delivery company will have a whole lot of different questions to be answered.

Also, avoid questions related to calculations and long-term memory. Imagine asking your customers a question that’ll require them to use a calculator or a pen and paper to answer. It’ll immediately cause the customer to lose interest in the survey.

Example – Instead of “How much water you use in your home last month?” 

You can ask “How much water would you say your household used?”

A) more than usual

B) less than usual

C) same as usual

8. Maintain confidentiality

Emphasize anonymity if the person is willing out of the survey. Nobody wants their personal information such as phone number and email ID to be put in the open and misused.

9. Avoid getting too personal or controversial

Be aware of sensitive and taboo topics. Do not ask questions that trigger chaos or disturb mental peace. Also, do not start with intimidating questions like age and income, it can put people off. Design the survey with a bunch of good questionnaires that are light and easy to answer.

Discourage dishonest answers. Make the environment friendly and non-judgemental so that people can express their opinion wholeheartedly and openly.

Avoid double-barreled questions. For example – Would you like to be rich and famous? It can be a possibility that a person wants to be rich but does not want to be famous. So, avoid double-barreled questions that can confuse the person and hinder their answers and response.

5 Survey Introduction Examples

1. Mystery Shopping Questionnaire

This introduction sets the stage for the respondent to understand their role as a ‘mystery shopper’. It emphasizes the importance of their covert role and honest feedback, which is crucial for such surveys. The assurance of anonymity encourages candidness.

2. Salon Evaluation Survey

This introduction is warm and welcoming, reflecting the personal care ethos of a salon. It acknowledges the client’s patronage and positions their feedback as a direct contributor to enhancing service quality, making the respondent feel valued and involved.

3. Customer Exit Survey

The phrase ‘as you bid us goodbye’ ties the survey to the customer’s recent experience, making it relevant. It highlights the brevity of the survey and the value of the customer’s feedback in improving future interactions and encouraging participation.

4. Movie Theatre Experience Survey

This introduction is engaging and personable, beginning with a warm greeting acknowledging the patron’s recent experience. It emphasizes the value of customer feedback in enhancing future experiences, creating a sense of importance and participation for the respondent, thereby encouraging honest and detailed responses.

5. Restaurant Survey Template

 This introduction of the Restaurant Survey Template is gracious and inviting, mirroring the hospitality of a restaurant. It clearly outlines the areas of feedback (food, service, ambiance), directing the respondent’s attention to critical aspects of their experience, thereby encouraging thoughtful responses

Wrapping up

We’ve covered so many survey introduction examples which can take us to the ideal questions on how to create a proper and appealing survey. Only a short window is there to grab the attention, to hook people in so they can happily answer the survey and the questions.

Any online survey, whether sent through email, social media, or even a website, needs to grab the attention of potential respondents and create a welcoming and light environment. Because improvement for the websites, companies, and retailers will always pass through the responses, suggestions, and feedback given by the consumers and customers.

If you want your online surveys to work, you need a dedicated online survey software tool like SurveySparrow that comes with built-in survey introductions and questions. Feel free to give us a try. 

All the above-discussed improvements are a must for every organization’s sustained growth. So, on your way to preparing a survey now? Let us know how it goes.