A survey response rate is the share of people you asked who actually answered. It decides whether your results mean anything: a survey of 1,000 customers that 30 people answer says more about those 30 than about everyone else. This guide is for teams sending customer, employee or event surveys. We share how to measure the rate, the changes that get more survey responses, and how to see where people stop, in Echo Forms in WordPress, in about 15 minutes of reading.
The short version
- Response rate = people who answered divided by people you asked.
- Keep surveys under 3 minutes, and say so in the invitation.
- Send at a good moment, within 7 days of the experience.
- Send one reminder after 3 to 5 days, and stop there.
How do you measure a survey response rate?
Divide the number of people who answered by the number you invited, and multiply by 100. If you email 400 customers and 60 answer, the rate is 15%. The survey completion rate is a second number: of the people who started, how many finished. A low completion rate points at the survey itself; a low response rate points at the invitation. Wikipedia’s page on response rates explains the standard definitions.
Why are survey response rates falling?
Because people get asked constantly, by every shop, app and delivery service. Research from the Pew Research Center shows long-term declines even for professional surveys. Your survey competes with all of them, so it has to be shorter, better timed and clearly worth the person’s time.
What are 9 ways to get more survey responses?
| # | Change | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Keep it under 3 minutes | People decide from the length before they start |
| 2 | Say how long it takes | Five questions, about 2 minutes removes doubt |
| 3 | Send it soon | Within 7 days of the visit, while it is fresh |
| 4 | Say why you ask | Your answers decide next year’s program |
| 5 | Start with an easy question | A star rating gets people moving |
| 6 | Use one question at a time on phones | Feels lighter, as in conversational mode |
| 7 | Send one reminder | After 3 to 5 days, to those who did not answer |
| 8 | Share what changed | People answer again when they see results |
| 9 | Make it anonymous when it can be | Honest answers, especially at work |
How to find where people stop, step by step
- In Echo Forms with Signature, open Entries, pick the survey and press See results.
- Look at the counts: how many saw it, started it and sent it.
- Check Where they stopped on a multi-step survey.
- Shorten or reword the step that loses the most people.
- Run it again for 14 days and compare.
The survey results guide explains each card, and the save and continue guide covers letting people finish later.
Should you send a survey reminder email?
One, yes. A single reminder 3 to 5 days later often brings a second wave of answers, because many people meant to answer and forgot. More than one starts to feel like pressure and hurts how people see you. We put the length and the reason in the subject of the reminder too: 2 minutes to help us plan the next event.
A survey response rate rises with respect for people’s time. Cut your survey to 5 questions, send it within 7 days, remind once, and share what you changed. Our Likert scale guide helps write questions people answer quickly.
See where people stop
Survey results in Echo Forms Signature show how many saw, started and sent each survey, and the step where people gave up.
