Information is power and can help direct and re-direct your business as time goes on, keeping you fresh and in demand. A good way to check in with customers is with a survey. And all the better when it’s easy and short. Especially short.

There are a few online tools available, but my favourites are Zoomerang and Survey Monkey which both have free versions for small scale data collection. Each has slightly different features and format, but with both you can quickly and easily set up an online survey and gather helpful data.

Here are some basic rules for preparing a survey that gets completed:

1. No one likes spending a lot of time filling in forms, so keep it short
2. No one likes spending a lot of time filling in forms, so keep it simple
3. Make sure your questions are neither leading nor vague, both of which make the data useless
4. Add an incentive to increase response rate, such as a prize draw or special offer for anyone who responds
5. Only look for answers on things you can do something about. If you cannot build a blue thing-a-ma-jiggy, then don’t ask people if they would prefer a blue or a red thing-a-ma-jiggy.

Keeping your survey scope small and your questions specific will get you better data and usable insights.