Your customers are the beating heart of your business. Their opinions provide a treasure trove of helpful insights your team can use to develop new products and improve service offerings.
For many businesses, the biggest challenge isn’t implementing customer feedback—it’s getting that feedback in the first place.
Online surveys are already a fast and easy way to collect responses from your customers. But what if you could speed up the process even further? That’s where QR Codes come in.
Marketers can use QR Codes in clever ways to direct consumers to a survey in just a few clicks. Implementing QR Code surveys increases customer participation and helps you gather feedback more quickly.
What are QR Codes for surveys?
A Quick Response Code, or QR Code, is a small, square-shaped barcode. Consumers scan the code on their smartphone with a camera or QR Code reader. This takes them directly to a designated link.
QR Codes have exploded in popularity over the past few years. Research indicates that QR Code use in the United States rose by 25% from 2019 to 2020 and only increased from there. You may have seen them in your local restaurants in place of paper menus. However, they are also a very effective way to implement customer surveys.
A survey QR Code takes customers directly to your survey link in their browser. Placing this QR Code prominently in your brick-and-mortar locations, on your social media pages, and on your product packaging can increase traffic to your survey.
The main benefits of QR Codes for surveys
QR Codes are a natural fit for online surveys. Not only do they improve the customer experience for respondents, but they also help businesses improve their response rates and collect feedback more efficiently.
Let’s look at a few of the top benefits of using QR Codes for your surveys.
Increased response rates
Today’s consumers are busy, and they’ll only be inclined to take your survey if it’s quick and easy.
Typing a link out in a browser is clunky and slow, and navigating through a maze of pages on your website can be confusing. Both of these approaches could turn customers off from taking your survey.
By switching to a QR Code, customers could be more inclined to respond. As QR Codes have become more popular, consumer trust in them has increased. You’ll likely see a jump in response rates, resulting in more valuable feedback for you.
More convenient
Customers enjoy the convenience of scanning a QR Code directly on their mobile device. There’s no need to use a computer, download an app, or conduct an online search to find your survey.
QR Codes are also very convenient for survey creators. They’re quick and easy to generate, and their square shape makes them easy to place in your marketing assets.
Real-time data collection
Using a QR Code for your survey means that you won’t have to wait for insights. You’ll be able to log on and read responses as soon as your customers start taking the survey. With Bitly’s QR Code Generator, you’ll get real-time scan analytics as survey responses come in.
Customizable and trackable
QR Codes are fully customizable, so you can adjust them to fit your branding. For example, you can adjust the pattern, shapes, and even colors when creating a Bitly QR Code.
Making a QR Code with Bitly is easy—you can do it in just a few clicks. Dynamic QR Codes allow you to change the redirect link as necessary, and you can track every aspect of the QR Code’s use.
Improved customer experience
A great customer experience is everything, and 58% of consumers are willing to pay more for it. One way to get it is through feedback—but even if customers want to provide feedback to businesses, they’re not always sure how to do it. QR Codes make the survey response experience quick and easy. They work with all mobile devices and reduce confusion in the survey process.
What to consider when using QR Codes for surveys
When setting up your QR Code survey, you’ll need to prioritize the customer experience from start to finish. A seamless experience for customers translates to better insights for your business. Here’s what to keep in mind when creating QR Codes for surveys.
Creating a unique, eye-catching QR Code
Your survey QR Code is a part of your visual marketing, so it needs to stand out from the pack. An eye-catching QR Code will attract survey respondents.
Customize your QR Code image to suit your brand. Changing the pattern, color, and shapes of your QR Code will make it look bolder and more professional. The Bitly QR Code generator makes it easy to create a free Dynamic QR Code and even add a logo—no graphic design experience necessary!
Incentivizing responses
One of the best ways to increase survey participation is by providing customer incentives. For example, you could offer exclusive digital content, entry to a giveaway, or even a discount on future purchases. Customers enjoy participating in surveys when they receive a direct benefit.
Distributing with the right channels
There are many different ways to distribute QR Codes. You’ll need to choose the channels that are most likely to reach your customers. If you have a brick-and-mortar location, putting your QR Code on print media like posters or flyers can be very effective.
If you primarily interact with customers online, you’ll need to use digital distribution instead. For example, you can send the QR Code directly to customers via SMS or email right after they make a purchase. You can also share your QR Code on social media platforms where you have a large audience.
Analyzing your collected data
Once customers start taking your survey, you’ll need a way to analyze their responses and behaviors. When considering Static vs. Dynamic QR Codes, you’ll need a Dynamic option for maximum customization.
This is why it’s so important to use a QR Code platform with built-in analytics features, like Bitly. This makes it easy to monitor the data you’ve collected in real time as responses come in.
In addition to your QR Code platform, you’ll also want to choose a survey platform that offers intuitive data collection and analytics. Google Forms is a popular choice for free surveys and analytics.
Using best practices when building the survey
You should choose survey questions thoughtfully to generate valuable insights. Some questions should be about your products and services, but you’ll also need to ask questions about respondents’ demographics and behaviors. This will help you identify patterns in consumer behavior.
(If you’re not sure where to start, look for survey tools that provide templates.)
Avoid making your survey too long, as customers may get fatigued and leave without finishing. Additionally, you’ll want to stick mainly to multiple-choice questions, as these are easier to analyze than open-ended questions.
Examples of how to use QR Codes for surveys
There are many different ways to implement QR Code surveys in your business. They work well for a variety of industries—here are some of the most popular use cases.
Retail stores
A feedback survey is an efficient way to learn more about your customers’ shopping experiences. Was the store layout effective? Does your product selection meet expectations? Were your staff helpful? Surveys can help you get answers to all of these questions.
Retail stores can place a large QR Code on signage that customers will see as they leave the store. You can also print the QR Code on customer receipts. Have your cashiers mention the survey and any associated incentives to customers when they check out.
Restaurants
For restaurants, a QR Code survey is a quick and easy way to assess customer satisfaction. You can use them to assess food quality, restaurant atmosphere, and staff performance.
One of the easiest ways to distribute QR Codes at restaurants is by placing them directly on the table. If you use QR Code menus, make sure to clearly label your survey QR Code separately.
You can also distribute your survey digitally. If you collect phone numbers or email addresses through your reservation system, use this information to send your QR Code to customers after their meal.
Hotels or resorts
Hotels and resorts can use surveys to learn more about the entire customer experience, from the initial booking through to checkout. Not only can guests discuss their experiences, but they can also provide suggestions for future improvements to your hotel.
Since most guests book their hotel reservations online, it’s easiest to send surveys out digitally via email or text message. Be sure to time survey requests to the end of their stay for prompt responses.
Healthcare
QR Code surveys are a way for healthcare practitioners to check in with clients about the quality of the care they receive. Insights from these surveys help make healthcare more comfortable and accessible for patients.
Place QR Codes strategically throughout your practice, and have your staff gently encourage patients to leave feedback. It’s particularly important to make sure that you create your surveys with HIPAA compliance and patient confidentiality in mind.
Explore Bitly’s QR Codes for online survey success today
If your business is planning to launch a new survey in the upcoming months, QR Codes are one of the most effective ways to distribute it. By using QR Codes, you streamline the survey process for both your customers and your team.
Ready to leverage QR Codes for more valuable survey insights? Get started with Bitly for free today!