Data-Driven Tips for Survey Success

The results are in…

Revinate has analyzed more than eight million survey responses across more than 3500 hotel customers to understand what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to designing and sending guest surveys. For example, did you know that surveys sent between 1pm and 4pm have the highest completion rates?

Hotels collect guest comments in many ways, including online reviews, conversations with guests, and guest surveys, with the latter presenting the best way to receive structured, verified feedback. Verified guest feedback allows management to understand what guests love about their services and amenities and where there are opportunities for improvement. However, getting guests to complete surveys can be challenging and often requires marketing teams spending countless hours A/B testing both the survey design and delivery times to ensure the highest completion rates. In an effort to help our hotel clients maximize survey responses, Revinate crunched the numbers to provide a few actionable tips and recommendations.

Here are five data-driven tips:

Best Time to Send
The time of day a customer receives a survey can make the difference between a survey getting completed or ignored. Our research shows that surveys sent between 1pm and 4pm have the highest completion rate at 35%. Only 10% of guests complete surveys that are sent between 5pm and 8pm.

Best Day to Send
If you want the highest likelihood of response, send your survey directly following the stay. 22% of guests will complete a survey if sent within one day of checkout. Wait four days and your response rate drops to 18%.

Ideal Length
When it comes to conditional questions, the best response rate occurs when you ask 10-25 conditional questions. But if you’re looking for open-ended responses, we were unable to find any substantial difference in completion rate until there are 50+ questions, a challenging length for any guest to complete.

Reminder Emails
If you’re wondering whether or not to send reminder emails, the answer is a resounding yes. 23% of guests receiving survey reminder emails complete them. Without a reminder email, completion rate drops to only 18%.

Regional Differences
There also appear to be regional differences when it comes to survey completions. Properties in Latin America get a 24% completion rate, while properties in Middle East and Africa only get a 17% completion rate. So make sure to benchmark yourself against your market and competition to drive optimal results.

While these tips don’t take the place of a regimented testing strategy, hopefully knowing what works for Revinate customers is a helpful starting point for your own survey program. Need additional advice and best practices? Please reach out. We would love to help!