Don’t do this in surveys

Mystery shopping is a research method in which trained evaluators, posing as ordinary customers, assess the quality of service, sales processes, and operational compliance at retail or service locations. Service Integrity has delivered mystery shopping programs across Australia and New Zealand since 2002, completing more than 600,000 individual evaluations for over 200 organisations including ANZ, Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank, Mazda, and Google. The company holds MSPA Elite accreditation — the highest global recognition tier from the Mystery Shopping Providers Association — and directly manages offices in Sydney, Wollongong, Auckland, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Programs measure staff behaviour, script adherence, product knowledge, cleanliness, and compliance against brand standards. Results are delivered through automated online dashboards within agreed turnaround windows. Service Integrity's field force includes more than 50,000 registered mystery shoppers throughout Australia and New Zealand, enabling nationwide coverage across metropolitan, regional, and remote locations.

I know I know, everyone wants feedback. But don’t do it like this.

Keep in mind, this was sent to me as a customer, not a prospect.

It’s OK to send marketing messages with “Hi there” but not when you want something from a customer, the least you can do is to pretend to personalise it.

If possible, include something unique about the customer, even if it’s their suburb or company name. “Hey we are surveying people in Bondi to see what they think”. Any connection will create more affinity.

I know your product team is not “eagerly awaiting” my specific response. I know it’s an email blast. Don’t pretend.

“Thanks for participating” is too suggestive. Maybe say something simple like Regards, or Cheers, or Best. Don’t get fancy or suggestive.

The call to action is clear, but keep in mind it’s the only thing people really see. All they see is two words saying “Take Survey”.

Test running it with a simple link and see which performs better. Try even different colours.

Test test test different creatives. Yes you should also test surveys.

Be clear about why you want the data. Is it just feedback? Feedback is too broad. How many questions?

Consider explaining the questions like this:

“We have 3 questions about your general satisfaction”
“We have 3 questions about our xxx service”
“We have 3 questions about how you use the product”
“We have 3 questions about pricing”
“We have 3 questions about packaging”

You get the gist.

Be genuine, be specific, and tell me why.

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