8 TIPS TO ENSURE A HIGH RESPONSE RATE
1. Customize the instrument: People are more willing to participate in that which they have a hand in creating.
The survey becomes their own, and enjoys more respect than a generic instrument that is thrust upon them. Also worth noting is that respondents will imbue the results with greater credibility if they helped design the questions.
2. Protect Anonymity: Have your vendor explain specifically how respondent anonymity will be protected, including how narrative comments will be sanitized. State that the contract requires your vendor to eliminate not only names, but also to rephrase potentially transparent references to individuals.
3. Include a section for narrative comments: Very useful information typically resides within narrative commentary, yet many vendors prefer not to provide open ended questions because sanatizing them is so time consuming. Insist that narrative questions be included! It demonstrates interest in employee opinions beyond what the quantitative section reveals.
4. Share results with all staff. Even if staff only receive an abbreviated version of the results, access to the full results should be available to all. (There are exceptions to this. If a departmental data cut is included, constructive purpose is accomplished by exposing how the various departments scored. Tell staff in advance that the departmental cut may be withheld)
5. Promise that remedial steps will be taken: Senior management shouldn't promise to "fix" everything right away, but response rates go up when those surveyed believe that their input will make a difference. Although it's not possible to promise what will be tackled, or how it will be tackled, it is possible to describe the types of remedial steps (workshops, task forces, individual coaching, etc.) that could be taken, and to promise that staff input will be considered in prioritizing next steps.
6. Include staff in remedial efforts: Improving poor scores isn't solely the job of mangement; all staff should be engaged in stewarding the design and execution of improvements.
7. Publicize, Publicize, Publicize. Prior to launch and while the instrument is "in the field", the exec team needs to "talk it up" at every opportunity, expressing interest in the coming results and demonstrating a spirit of openness to change.
8. Your survey provider should prepare talking points regarding the above to help ensure these important messages are included in pre-launch communications.
2. Protect Anonymity: Have your vendor explain specifically how respondent anonymity will be protected, including how narrative comments will be sanitized. State that the contract requires your vendor to eliminate not only names, but also to rephrase potentially transparent references to individuals.
3. Include a section for narrative comments: Very useful information typically resides within narrative commentary, yet many vendors prefer not to provide open ended questions because sanatizing them is so time consuming. Insist that narrative questions be included! It demonstrates interest in employee opinions beyond what the quantitative section reveals.
4. Share results with all staff. Even if staff only receive an abbreviated version of the results, access to the full results should be available to all. (There are exceptions to this. If a departmental data cut is included, constructive purpose is accomplished by exposing how the various departments scored. Tell staff in advance that the departmental cut may be withheld)
5. Promise that remedial steps will be taken: Senior management shouldn't promise to "fix" everything right away, but response rates go up when those surveyed believe that their input will make a difference. Although it's not possible to promise what will be tackled, or how it will be tackled, it is possible to describe the types of remedial steps (workshops, task forces, individual coaching, etc.) that could be taken, and to promise that staff input will be considered in prioritizing next steps.
6. Include staff in remedial efforts: Improving poor scores isn't solely the job of mangement; all staff should be engaged in stewarding the design and execution of improvements.
7. Publicize, Publicize, Publicize. Prior to launch and while the instrument is "in the field", the exec team needs to "talk it up" at every opportunity, expressing interest in the coming results and demonstrating a spirit of openness to change.
8. Your survey provider should prepare talking points regarding the above to help ensure these important messages are included in pre-launch communications.