Successfully engaging respondents in the survey process results in better, more thoughtful consumer inputs as well as happier respondents (who are more likely to participate again). Fostering engagement includes both intrinsic elements (building affinity with respondents) as well as extrinsic (the survey experience). This presentation will focus on the “how-to’s” of respondent engagement,with emphasis on actionable steps researchers can take to create a two-way relationship with respondents and a more engaging experience within the survey process.

Much has already been said about managing sample sourcing, leveraging state-of-the art software, and improving respondent cooperation through a variety of steps. This paper contributes to a comprehensive overview of best practices in online research by taking a careful look at the important – and greatly expanded – role of the questionnaire in online research. Virtually all online surveys are self-administered. That fact alone provides an argument for the need for questionnaires appropriate to online administration. The questionnaire that awaits the online survey-taker provides a crucial – and often overlooked – element in the mix. The received truths about questionnaire design, unfortunately, come primarily from a time before online studies were possible. Now that we’ve had a look at the results of online versus offline research some adjustments need be made. Specific attention is paid to forced-choice and open-ends that can frustrate respondents and provide unfortunate dispensation to survey takers to disengage from the exercise at hand.

Learner Outcomes:

• Understand the steps needed to build ongoing affinity with respondents

• Optimize the respondent experience within the survey process

• Understand how sub-par surveys ultimately hurt the entire research industry