You sent out 100 customer survey emails. Three weeks later, you've got maybe 8 responses. Meanwhile, your competitor sends out 100 SMS surveys and gets 45 responses by the end of the day.
That's how capable SMS is for feedback collection. And honestly? It's about time more businesses figured this out.
Your customers are busy. They're scrolling through social media while waiting in line for coffee. They're checking texts during commercial breaks. They're definitely not sitting at their desktop eagerly waiting to fill out your 15-question email survey.
But a quick text asking "How was your experience today? Reply 1-5"?
That gets answered.
With Easify's SMS survey platform, you can tap into response rates that make email surveys look like snail mail. Let's dive into how you can start collecting the feedback you actually need—fast, efficiently, and without the crickets.
Why Use SMS for Customer Feedback?
Easify is a highly effective platform that uses SMS for Customer Feedback & Surveys, helping businesses achieve high engagement and response rates.
Higher response rates compared to email
Email surveys get around 6-10% response rates on a good day. SMS surveys? We're talking 45-85% response rates.
Your survey question text pops up right on their lock screen. No hunting through spam folders.
With Easify, our clients consistently see SMS survey response rates 3-5x higher than their old email campaigns.
Real-time feedback collection
Email feedback trickles in over days or weeks. SMS feedback rushes in within hours.
This matters more than you think. A customer had a bad experience at lunch? They're telling you about it at 3 PM, not next Tuesday.
You can fix problems while they're still fresh. Apologize while the customer still cares. Turn a negative experience into a recovery win.
Why is this important? You'll see patterns emerge quickly. Real-time data = real-time solutions.
Ideal for on-the-go customers
Your customers are already glued to their phone. They’re texting on the go, during commutes, or between back-to-back meetings.
SMS surveys meet them right there. No need to dig through emails, click on external links, or wrestle with login screens and pop-ups.
Just a quick text that takes 10 seconds to reply.
Whether it’s your 65-year-old customer on a flip phone or a 25-year-old with the newest iPhone, they can both respond easily!
Types of SMS Surveys You Can Send
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Surveys
The classic "How did we do?" survey. Simple, direct, effective.
Example:
With Easify, you can automate these texts. The key is timing. Ask while the experience is fresh, but not so immediately that you're interrupting the actual experience.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) Surveys
The gold standard for measuring customer loyalty. "How likely are you to recommend us to a friend?"
Example:
NPS surveys tell you who your brand champions are (9-10 ratings) and who might be spreading negative word-of-mouth (0-6 ratings).
Custom Surveys Tailored to Your Needs
Maybe you need something specific. Post-event feedback. Product feature requests. Service quality checks.
Example:
Fitness studios can use custom surveys to plan their class schedule based on member preferences. A dentist office can ask about appointment timing preferences to optimize their booking system. The possibilities are, well... infinite.
How to Create an Effective SMS Survey?
Identify your target audience
Not every customer needs the same survey. Your VIP clients might get different questions than first-time visitors.
Segment by:
- Purchase history
- Service type
- Customer lifetime value
- Geographic location
- Previous survey responses
Tag customers based on their behavior, preferences, demographics, etc. Then send targeted surveys that actually matter to each group.
A restaurant might survey frequent diners about new menu items, but ask first-time visitors about their overall experience and what brought them in.
Choose a survey type
Match your survey type to your goal:
- Want to track satisfaction over time? Use CSAT.
- Need to measure loyalty and referrals? Go with NPS.
- Gathering specific feedback about a new service? Create a custom survey.
Don't overthink it. Start simple. You can always get more sophisticated later.
Design short and simple questions
SMS surveys live or die by brevity. Your customers are answering while walking, working, or waiting in line. So, how long should the surveys be?
Good:
"Rate today's service: 1-5"
Bad:
Aim for questions that take 5 seconds to read and 5 seconds to answer.
![IMAGE SUGGESTION: Side-by-side comparison of a good vs bad SMS survey question]
Add follow-up options for deeper insights
Sometimes you need more than a number. Add follow-up questions for low ratings or specific responses.
Example flow:
- "Rate your experience: 1-5"
- If they reply 1-2: "Sorry to hear that! What went wrong? Reply with details."
- If they reply 4-5: "Glad you enjoyed it! Mind leaving us a quick Google review? link"
Use validation to improve response accuracy
Some customers will reply "good" when you asked for a 1-5 rating. Others might send random responses.
Make sure you gently corrects these responses: "Thanks! Could you reply with a number 1-5 instead? 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent"
This keeps your data clean and your response rate high.
How to Send SMS Surveys
Build your contact list
You need phone numbers, and you need permission to text them. That’s a legal requirement.
Collect numbers:
- At checkout (in-store or online)
- During appointment booking
- Through loyalty program signups
- Via website opt-ins
- At events or trade shows
Always get explicit consent. "Can we text you surveys and updates?" is clear and legally compliant.
Schedule and automate delivery
Manual survey sending is a nightmare. You'll forget, send at bad times, or overwhelm customers with duplicate surveys.
Here are some automation tips:
- Send CSAT surveys 2 hours after purchase
- Send NPS surveys 7 days after service completion
- Send follow-up surveys 30 days after resolution
Use tools and integrations to streamline the process
Your messaging platform should play nice with your existing tools like:
- Shopify, WooCommerce, Square (eCommerce)
- Calendly, Acuity, BookThatApp (Scheduling)
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive (CRM)
- Zapier (connects to 3,000+ other apps)
Customer makes a purchase? Survey automatically queues. Appointment gets completed? Survey sends. No manual work required.
Deploy and monitor
Once your surveys are live, watch the metrics:
- Response rates
- Average ratings
- Response time
- Drop-off points
Easify's analytics dashboard shows you exactly what's working and what needs tweaking.
If response rates drop, maybe you're sending too frequently. If ratings suddenly dip, investigate what changed in your business.
Best Practices for SMS Surveys
Set a clear goal
Every survey should have one primary purpose. Are you trying to:
- Measure overall satisfaction?
- Identify service problems?
- Gather product feedback?
- Find potential reviewers?
Mixed-purpose surveys confuse customers and dilute your data. One goal per survey keeps things focused. That is the way to go.
Keep messages short and simple
SMS has a character limit, right? Even though most phones support longer messages, shorter is always better for surveys.
Use simple language. Avoid jargon. Write like you're texting a friend.
Choose the right time to send
Timing matters enormously. Send too early, and the experience isn't complete. Send too late, and they've forgotten.
Best practices by industry:
- Restaurants: 2-4 hours after dining
- Retail: Same day as purchase
- Healthcare: 24 hours after appointment
- Service businesses: 1-2 days after completion
Test different timing with your audience.
Use incentives (if applicable)
Sometimes a small incentive boosts response rates significantly.
Examples:
- "Complete our 30-second survey for 10% off your next visit"
- "Rate your experience and get entered to win a $50 gift card"
- "Quick feedback = free appetizer on your next visit"
Keep incentives small and relevant.
Avoid sending too frequently
Survey fatigue is real. Bombard customers with surveys, and they'll stop responding altogether.
General rule: No more than one survey per customer per month, unless they're very frequent customers.
Always follow up when needed
Low ratings need follow-up. Not surveys, but actual human contact.
When someone rates you 1-2 stars, that's not survey data. That's a customer service emergency.
Benefits of SMS Surveys
Fast response time
Email surveys collect responses over weeks. SMS surveys get most responses within hours.
This speed lets you:
- Fix problems quickly
- Capitalize on positive feedback
- Make real-time operational adjustments
- Show customers you care about their input
Easy to send and track
SMS surveys are straightforward to create, send, and track. Easify's dashboard shows response rates, ratings distribution, and trending patterns at a glance.
Even the least tech-savvy team member can set up and manage SMS surveys.
Higher engagement rates
SMS has a 98% open rate. More opens = more responses = better data = smarter business decisions.
Your customers are already engaging with SMS. You're just joining the conversation.
Cost-effective feedback collection
Traditional market research is expensive. Focus groups, phone surveys, mailed questionnaires - all costly and slow.
SMS surveys cost pennies per response and deliver results immediately.
Easify's pricing starts at just a few cents per survey SMS sent. Compare that to hiring a market research firm or losing customers due to unaddressed problems.
SMS Survey Success Stories
eCommerce
BoutiquePlus, an online clothing retailer, was struggling with product returns and unclear customer satisfaction data.
They started sending SMS surveys 24 hours after delivery: "Hi! Your order from BoutiquePlus arrived yesterday. How did everything fit? Reply 1 (Poor) to 5 (Perfect)"
Results after 3 months:
- 73% survey response rate
- 15% reduction in returns (they identified sizing issues early)
- 28% increase in repeat purchases (follow-up surveys led to personalized recommendations)
Healthcare (Doctors, Med Spas)
Wellness First Medical Spa wanted to improve patient satisfaction and online reviews.
Post-treatment SMS survey: "Hi Sarah! How was your experience at Wellness First today? Reply 1-5 (5 = amazing!)"
Follow-up for 4-5 ratings: "So glad you loved your treatment! Would you mind leaving a quick review? Google review link"
Results:
- 81% response rate on satisfaction surveys
- 340% increase in Google reviews
- Identified staff training needs from low-rating feedback
Gyms & Coaches
FitLife Gym was losing members and didn't know why.
They surveyed new members after their first week:"How's your first week at FitLife going? Rate your experience 1-5!"
Low ratings triggered personal follow-up calls from trainers.
Results:
- Discovered their onboarding process was confusing
- 45% reduction in first-month cancellations
- Improved staff training based on specific feedback patterns
Real Estate & Local Businesses
Downtown Realty surveyed clients after closing: "Congrats on your new home! How was your experience with Downtown Realty? 1-5 stars"
High ratings got asked for referrals and reviews. Low ratings got immediate calls from the broker.
Results:
- 67% increase in referral business
- Identified and fixed communication gaps in their process
- Improved Google rating from 3.8 to 4.7 stars
Choosing the Right SMS Survey Platform
Features to look for (automation, analytics, integrations)
Essential features:
- Automation: Set-and-forget survey sending based on triggers
- Analytics: Real-time dashboards and trend reporting
- Integrations: Connect with your existing business tools
- Templates: Pre-built surveys for your industry
- Compliance: TCPA and GDPR compliance built-in
- Support: Real humans who understand your business
Easify includes all of these – just saying.
Why SMS survey over with email survey tools?
Email survey tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform are great for detailed, long-form surveys. But they fall short for quick feedback collection.
SMS vs Email surveys:
- Response rates: SMS wins 45-85% vs 10-15%
- Response time: SMS wins (hours vs days/weeks)
- Simplicity: SMS wins (no links, logins, or forms)
- Mobile optimization: SMS wins (works on any phone)
- Detailed questions: Email wins (better for complex surveys)
Use email for annual customer satisfaction studies. Use SMS for daily operational feedback.
Two-way SMS functionality
Basic SMS platforms only send messages. You need two-way functionality for surveys.
Customers reply to your survey questions. Your platform needs to:
- Receive and process responses
- Send appropriate follow-up messages
- Handle invalid responses gracefully
- Store data for analysis
Easify's chat SMS feature handles survey flow automatically. Customers can even ask questions during the survey process.
![IMAGE SUGGESTION: Screenshot showing a two-way SMS survey conversation]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average response rate for SMS surveys?
SMS surveys typically see 45-85% response rates, compared to 10-15% for email surveys.
Response rates vary by:
- Industry (healthcare and personal services see higher rates)
- Relationship with customer (existing customers respond more than prospects)
- Survey timing (immediately after service vs days later)
- Question complexity (simple rating vs multiple questions)
Are SMS surveys easy to create?
Yes! SMS surveys are much simpler than email surveys.
No design work needed. You don’t need to worry about HTML coding or mobile optimization. Most surveys take 5 minutes to set up.
How do they compare with email surveys?
SMS surveys excel at quick, frequent feedback collection. Email surveys work better for detailed, comprehensive feedback.
Use SMS when you need:
- High response rates
- Fast feedback
- Simple questions
- Regular pulse checks
Use email when you need:
- Detailed responses
- Multiple question types
- Complex branching logic
- Annual comprehensive surveys
Many businesses use both. SMS for daily operations, email for quarterly deep-dives. And when it's time to send email surveys, Easify has you covered there too!
Can I link SMS to online surveys?
Absolutely! SMS works great as a gateway to longer online surveys.
Example: "Quick question! Rate your experience 1-5. For detailed feedback, click here: link"
This gives you the best of both worlds:
- High initial response rates from SMS
- Detailed feedback from motivated respondents
- Simple responses from busy customers
Start Collecting Feedback with SMS Today
Talk to an expert
Still have questions? Want to see how SMS surveys would work for your specific business?
Our experts understand your industry's unique challenges. They'll show you exactly how successful businesses like yours are using SMS surveys to improve customer satisfaction and grow revenue.
Explore pricing and plans
Easify’s pricing is transparent and affordable. Plans start at just $49/month. But here’s the best part – before that, you get a 7-day free trial!
Start Today!
Easify makes it simple to start collecting the feedback you need, when you need it, from the customers who matter most.
Ready to hear what your customers really think? Start your free Easify trial today and send your first SMS survey in the next 10 minutes.
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