Last Updated: May 9, 2025
Getting customers to respond to your survey is harder than ever. You probably skip most of the surveys you’re sent—I know I do. After a trip, I’m flooded with requests from the airline, hotel, and rental car company. I rarely fill them out.
If your customers are doing the same, you’re not alone. But it’s a problem. A low survey response rate means your data is weak, and your decisions might be based on the wrong feedback.
To improve the customer experience, you need stronger data. That starts with knowing how to increase survey response rates in ways that actually work.
In this article, you’ll find 10 research-backed strategies to increase survey response and get more accurate, actionable insights. From design to delivery, these are the best ways to make your surveys easier to complete—and harder to ignore
#1 Understand What Response Rate Really Tells You
Your response rate is more than a number—it’s a signal. A low response rate can point to flawed survey design, weak outreach, or even customer disengagement. Worse, it skews your data, reducing its representativeness and credibility.
A high response rate, by contrast, boosts your confidence in the results and helps you spot actionable trends with greater precision.
This chart shows how many completed survey responses you need to reach statistical reliability, based on the size of your customer base. If your response rate is too low, you won’t hit these targets—and your data will mislead rather than inform.
That’s why improving response rate isn’t just a tactical win—it’s a strategic imperative.
#2 Survey Design: Keep It Focused and Friction-Free
Good survey design starts with clarity. It’s not just about how your survey looks—it’s about how quickly and confidently customers can respond.
Keep your surveys short. Aim for five minutes or less. Start with easy questions to build momentum, and avoid confusing, technical, or biased language. Double-barreled questions and leading phrasing? Skip them.
Use familiar formats like rating scales, multiple choice, and yes/no questions. These reduce mental effort and keep respondents moving.
At Interaction Metrics, we design surveys that align with how people actually feel and think. Every question is built to minimize confusion, reduce response bias, and improve completion—because better design leads to better data and a better customer experience.
#3 Nail the Timing (and the Follow-Up)
When it comes to surveys, timing matters. Send your request too soon, and customers may not have had time to reflect. Wait too long, and they may forget the details—or ignore your message entirely.
For B2B companies, the sweet spot is usually three to five business days after the interaction. That gives customers enough time to form an opinion while the experience is still fresh.
And for product surveys, timing is everything. Gathering relevant insights shortly after a purchase helps you capture feedback while the experience is still fresh—boosting both the clarity and usefulness of the responses.
The time of day also plays a role. Mid-morning on weekdays tends to get the best open and click rates.
Equally important is the follow-up. A single, well-timed reminder can increase survey response rates by as much as 30 percent. Just keep it polite, and don’t overdo it.
Knowing when to send surveys—and how to follow up—can make a big difference in how many customers take the time to respond.
#4 Improve the Respondent Experience
Every time a customer fills out a survey, they’re giving you a gift—their time and attention. Make that experience feel worthwhile.
Use a conversational tone and keep your questions easy to understand. Reassure respondents their answers are private, and always include a simple thank-you.
Help them stay engaged by adding a progress bar and offering a “prefer not to answer” option on sensitive questions. These small touches reduce friction and build trust.
A well-designed survey doesn’t just improve your data—it also strengthens the customer experience. It shows you care about feedback and respect your customers enough to ask the right questions in the right way.
#5 Use Persuasion Techniques
Simply asking customers to take your survey won’t achieve a high response rate—there’s a lot more to it. Sending survey emails from a real person can enhance engagement and increase response rates.
Social proof, as in “other customers have already provided their feedback,” can help. So can appeals to authority and using power words. A few techniques we use to achieve a consistently high survey response rate are these:
- To break through email clutter, consider email subject lines carefully. Make sure they follow an arc of increasing importance throughout your survey campaign.
- Only use the word “reminder” in the subject line once—and that is for the very last reminder.
- Use engaging, strong verbs in the survey links, like “tell us here.”
- Let the email signature line reinforce the action you want your customer to take. For example, “looking forward to your input.”
- Emphasize your survey request with judicious use of bold and italics.
Targeting active customers who have recently engaged with your brand can lead to more relevant and actionable customer feedback.
Understanding how customers feel about their experiences is essential for crafting effective surveys.
If you’re not already familiar with Robert Cialdini, he has a lot to say about persuasion and how to bring customers into compliance with your goals.
#6 Offer a Thoughtful Incentive (Quid Pro Quo)
If you want customers to respond, consider offering something in return. Even a small reward can make a big difference.
This might be a priority code for faster support, a donation to a cause your customers care about, or a simple gift card. What matters most is that it feels relevant and sincere.
Incentives show goodwill. They signal that you value your customers’ time and want to hear what they have to say. When done right, they can increase survey response rates and lead to more completed surveys—giving you better data to work with.
Thoughtful rewards aren’t about bribing people; they’re about showing respect. And that kind of respect often pays off in stronger participation and higher-quality feedback.
This survey shows a priority code in action.
#7 Personalize and Optimize Your Email Invitations
Email remains one of the most effective ways to send surveys—especially when your message feels personal.
Start with the customer’s first name. Even a small detail like “Hi, Jordan” can make your survey invitation feel more direct and engaging. This kind of personalization has been shown to increase survey response rates significantly.
Keep your message short and to the point. Respect your customer’s time, and make it clear what you’re asking for.
Finally, make sure your email looks great on every device. A well-optimized email survey—easy to read and easy to click—can reach a wider audience than SMS or web-only formats.
When your email feels like it came from a real person, and it’s easy to engage with, your response rate almost always improves.
#8 Use a PS in Your Email Invitation
This last tip is straight from the bible of direct marketing. While this doesn’t work for SMS survey links, if you are sending your survey request by email, always include a PS that, in just a few words, reiterates why you want your customer (or employee) to take your survey.
You can also use the P.S. to:
- Highlight urgency (“This survey closes Friday”)
- Reframe the benefit (“It only takes 2 minutes, and your input goes straight to leadership”)
- Show appreciation (“We know your time is valuable—thank you for sharing it with us”)
Even if your email is short, the P.S. stands out. It gives you one last chance to make your message personal, persuasive, and easy to act on.
#9 Send Surveys Through Multiple Channels
Sending surveys through multiple channels is an effective way to increase survey response rates and reach a wider audience. By using a combination of email surveys, web surveys, phone surveys, and mobile devices, you can cater to different preferences and increase the likelihood of survey participation.
To improve survey response rates, it’s essential to choose the right channel for the target audience and ensure that the survey is optimized for multiple devices. This can include using a responsive design, large buttons, and minimizing scrolling to make it easy for respondents to complete the survey on their mobile devices.
By sending surveys through multiple channels and using a tailored design method, you can increase response rates dramatically and gather more accurate feedback from customers.
#10 Completion Rate Matters Too
Survey response rate measures how many people start your survey. Completion rate shows how many finish it. Both numbers matter—and they work together.
A low completion rate drags down your overall response rate and weakens your data. Improving completion rate is critical to gathering valuable insights from survey respondents.
To boost survey response rates, use strategies that help respondents finish what they start. These include keeping surveys short and focused, using a progress bar to track completion, and providing immediate feedback to respondents.
Avoid sending too many surveys to the same customer. Survey fatigue can lead to lower response and completion rates. Use a gentle reminder to encourage respondents to complete the survey, and provide a feedback loop to show that their input is valued. This can increase survey participation and improve data quality.
Additionally, use a randomized experiment to test different survey designs to identify the most effective strategies for improving completion rates and increasing survey response rates.
Survey Response Rate—It Matters!
The problem with a low response rate is that the less feedback you get from customers, the less representative your survey data is. In other words, the less you’ll know about your customers at large.
Improving survey response rates contributes to more representative survey results. Ensuring statistical validity is crucial for accurate and reliable survey results, as it accounts for factors like target population and survey distribution methods.
Why does representativeness matter? Because data you can count on is data you can act on. When your survey results reflect your full customer base, your insights are more objective, reliable, and repeatable.
Completion rate also plays a role. It shows how many respondents finish your survey after starting it—which is different from the response rate. Both can be improved through smart design, good timing, follow-up reminders, and thoughtful incentives.
Ultimately, representative data ensures that the opinions of some groups aren’t ignored while others are magnified. Learn how you can create more objective surveys with customer experience science.
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Interaction Metrics builds scientific surveys that result in decisive outputs and actions. Want scientifically proven ways to increase survey response rates—and make the most of your customer feedback? Let’s talk.
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