How to Write an Effective Survey Introduction for SaaS

Regular surveys are necessary for a company to deliver what’s expected. They help you know whether your business is headed in the right direction or not. They can also inform your decision-making process.For SaaS companies that rely on subscription renewals, surveys are particularly important. Surveys are a great way to get customer feedback, which you can use to improve your SaaS product and customer experience. These are critical to ensuring your customers stay loyal to you.Put simply, you need surveys if you want to achieve your SaaS business goals.But it’s not enough for you to send any type of survey. If you want people to answer your survey in the first place, your survey introduction needs to be on point. An effective survey introduction can help motivate respondents to finish the survey and provide honest answers.Here are tips you should follow when writing an effective survey introduction for your SaaS company.

Outline the purpose of the survey

State your objectives in your survey introduction. Your potential respondent should understand the goal of your survey from the get-go. Do you want them to review your product during the user free trial so you can improve it? Maybe you want them to give feedback on your customer support so they can provide better service?Remember, your respondents are busy people. They want to know what good answering the survey will do early on. If they don’t see the value in answering it from the start, they might just stop reading and ignore your survey entirely.Muse's survey introduction is an excellent example of a survey introduction that clearly states the questionnaire’s purpose. The introduction tells readers from the get-go that the goal is to make some significant changes to the job-search platform depending on survey responses.SourceNotice that in the example, the company also highlights what the customers can gain if they answer. That’s a great way to get people to devote their time to the survey.

Maintain a friendly tone

The tone of your introduction is important. Keep it friendly so your survey respondents feel that they can trust you with their honest feedback. Never use a tone that’s too serious. If you do, your respondents will only feel intimidated and will be less likely to complete your survey.Here’s a great example of a survey introduction using a friendly tone.SourceReading the message makes the recipient feel at home. The sender positions themselves as a friend asking for a small favor. You wouldn't say no to a friend, would you?Lastly, using the right emojis can set the tone of your message. Using emojis thoughtfully can amplify your message, too. Headspace, for instance, uses emojis at the end of their emails.In your survey introduction, make sure you also thank your respondents in advance. You’re asking people for a favor, after all. It would be wrong to ask them to do something without making them feel that you’re grateful for their time, regardless of what they decide to do with your survey in the end.

Keep it to the point

An effective survey introduction shouldn’t bore readers. It is not the right place to give lectures or market your SaaS products. Again, your potential survey respondents are busy people. You should respect their time and keep it to the point.That means you shouldn’t beat around the bush.So, you don’t need to delve into your entire SaaS company’s story or enumerate five reasons why you’d like them to answer your survey. If you can tell them the most important points in your intro in one line or two, do so. See how Atlassian does it:SourceIf you’re stating the time needed to complete your survey in the intro (and you should), be as specific as possible as well. The phrase “a few minutes” won’t cut it. If you’re specific about the time, they’ll know whether or not they can answer your questionnaire then and there.They’ll appreciate you for taking the time to give them this specific detail. After all, they won’t end up wasting their time answering survey questions only to stop halfway through because they have to go to work.Plus, being straightforward about how long it will take to complete the survey can benefit you as well. Respondents can end up providing incorrect info when they start rushing through the survey once they realize, after answering a few questions, that they actually don’t have enough time to complete it. Worst case scenario: You conduct an analysis of your inaccurate survey data and come to a false conclusion.See how Emailoctopus is specific about how long completing the survey will take:SourceIf you can’t give a time estimate for completing your questionnaire, just give them the precise number of questions you have for them.

Avoid using technical jargon

Jargon is an unnecessarily complicated language. It may be used to impress, but it doesn't inform.Using technical terms in a survey introduction can bring about misunderstanding or alienation, even if your readers are interested in what you have to say. If your readers see technical jargon in the survey introduction, they are less likely to go about answering the survey in the first place. You also want to avoid buzzwords that sound important but are actually meaningless so you can connect with your potential customers and survey respondents.The good thing is that these types of terms usually have counterpart terms that are easy to understand. You just need to take the time to do your research and find simple terms that your readers can digest.For instance, instead of saying you want to improve the “SaaS ERP experience” with customer feedback, you can simply say you want to improve the “product experience.” Instead of using the frequently-used SaaS buzzword “ideate,” say “think” or “strategize.”If you really have to use technical language because you can’t find an easy-to-understand counterpart term, make sure you clearly define the term.Write your introduction—and your questions at that—in simple language. You can use a style guide to keep all that copy consistent.

Provide clarity on the respondent’s privacy

Respecting your respondent’s privacy is a big deal. There are privacy laws and regulations you need to be aware of and comply with even when you're sending a survey to gather feedback.So, if you can’t keep your respondents anonymous, tell them what you intend to do with the data. You also want to include a sentence in your introduction that specifies that you won’t use the data for any other purpose. See the sample survey intro below:SourceReaders also want to know how you’ll process the details they provide you. If you need the respondent’s email address to follow up with them, you have to reassure them that they can opt out at a later date.You can also include a link to the privacy statement of your SaaS company in your survey introduction. This way, you can keep the statement on privacy policy short in your intro. You can also give people the chance to read more on your SaaS privacy policy web page.What if you’re using anonymous surveys instead? Let people know about it as well. You’ll get high-quality feedback if your respondents know that their responses remain confidential.

In Closing

Survey results represent people’s thoughts, opinions, and feelings. They also provide a snapshot of attitudes and behaviors. These insights are even more valuable to SaaS companies, which rely more on customer retention than acquisition. Ultimately, the valuable feedback they receive from online surveys can help them make good decisions within their SaaS company and ensure their customers stay loyal to them.Writing an effective introduction will help you get the SaaS feedback you need. Outlining the purpose of the survey and keeping the introduction to the point can motivate people to complete it. Make sure you provide clarity on the respondents' privacy. Don’t use technical jargon or an unfriendly tone, as that can put people off. They might end up not answering your survey.Follow the tips from this article, and you’ll see an increase in your survey completion rates. Your surveys will also yield the valuable and accurate information you need to ensure your SaaS business’ success.