Top tips to drive high response levels in Performance Measurement Surveys

It’s essential to measure agency performance to enable issues to be spotted early and corrected, as well as for great performance to be identified and celebrated.

Best practice is to collect regular feedback from relevant stakeholders, using an agreed blend of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Online surveys typically form a key element of effective programmes. But to ensure valuable, actionable feedback is gathered high survey participation levels are paramount.

Too low a response rate can give rise to biased results and provide an inaccurate picture of the client: agency relationship. This is particularly so if the number of non-responses is greater than the number of responders. Furthermore, if the volume and quality of your survey responses is too low, it can be difficult to draw useful conclusions and subsequently make it challenging to develop post-survey action plans with your agency.

The Observatory has run performance measurement programmes for clients worldwide for the last 15 years. Here are our 10 tips to ensure high engagement.

1. Build awareness ahead of the survey. Join brand team meetings and demonstrate with specific examples how their input can create positive change.
2. Use the influence of an internal performance measurement champion to communicate the value of performance measurement and participating in the survey.
3. Involve agency relationship managers at all stages of the process so they can encourage their team’s participation.
4. Choose the right people to do the survey. Select a representative number of people who oversee the relationship as well as those actively involved on the day to day.
5. Run the survey at an optimal time. Don’t clash with particularly busy periods or school holidays.
6. Don’t run the survey for too short, or too long a time! But do instil a sense of urgency.
7. Personalise communication when requesting participation.
8. Ensure the survey is a manageable length – only ask what you need to know.
9. Monitor completion rates from day one and don’t leave it too late to chase.
10. Combat survey fatigue by ensuring adequate time between surveys.

Following these Top 10 tips has enabled The Observatory International to deliver an average completion rate for our clients’ surveys of over 80%.
We hope it can help you too.