Various factors affect an assessment’s response rate, and we’re here to help you optimize them! But first – what is a good response rate? It depends, but the industry standard is above 50%. To clarify, that means that more than half of the people that get your assessment complete it. This seems easy, but it can be hard to achieve depending on circumstances, timing, and other factors!
Below, we’ll dive into a few factors that can increase assessment response rates and share how you can optimize your assessments for maximum engagement! Remember – you could have the most amazing assessment, but its value is severely diminished if not enough people take it or complete it.
Assessment Audience
Who is your target audience for an assessment? Who would this assessment provide the most value to? Think about these questions as you create and share an assessment, as they will greatly impact the number of respondents who engage with and complete your assessment.
Also, consider the context: for example, an assessment respondent who is already a client of yours and is completing your assessment as part of a program they’re in will be more likely to complete a longer assessment. If you’re using your assessment as a lead magnet, think about keeping it more accessible. Read on to learn how to entice respondents to start and finish your assessment.
Assessment Length – Number of Questions
In general, the shorter, the better for assessments. As mentioned above, if your audience is existing clients (people you already have a relationship with), longer assessments can be used. Those respondents are already familiar with you and will be more likely to complete an assessment as part of a course, program, or evaluation. Maybe you’re using assessments to track and measure their progress or gather valuable information about a program. These clients are already a part of your world and will be more engaged with the content and assessments you share with them.
For new respondents (you don’t already have a relationship), we recommend 20 or fewer questions in an assessment. It’s important not to overwhelm them or accidentally gatekeep you and your services through a long series of questions. First, keep things short and simple, gather the necessary information to benefit respondents, and then continue the relationship from that jumping-off point.
Expected Return on Time Invested
What will a respondent get from filling out your assessment? What is the value you are providing them? Your respondent wants to know they’ll get something for the time they invest in completing an assessment, so communicate that with them. Some examples could be:
- Immediate results and analysis – delivered automatically to their browser screen and email address based on their responses
- Some other tangible benefits – coupons, free coaching sessions, etc
- A PDF report – that they can download, save, and print – that contains their detailed results and analysis
How to Improve Assessment Response Rates
We’ve covered a lot, but here are some brief reminders as to how you can improve response rates for your online assessments:
- Know your audience and design the assessment accordingly! For example, shorter for lead magnets and longer for current clients.
- “Sell” your assessment by offering something at the end, ie- a discounted session.
- For shorter assessments, use the single-question layout and enable the progress bar.
- Request contact information at the end of the assessment – if the respondent has already invested the time to answer the questions, they are more likely to provide their information
- Provide a simple thank you message on-screen and the meat of the report via email. That will encourage respondents to use a real email address. Of course, you’ll want to clearly state that on the contact information page.
Ready to get started yourself? Click here and create your assessment today!
Cindy Sideris is a NY-based writer passionate about engagement marketing and an expert on online assessment strategy.