What are Video Surveys?
Video surveys are a data collection method harnessing the power of visual and auditory cues to get insights.
The information you extract depends on the purpose and goals. Through these you can set the right questions to ask, which brings the information you need.
The process to set questions for text and video surveys might be the same, but the video survey answers are more expressive.
This means you can look beyond the words to analyze the user’s behavior and sentiments as they give answers.
Don’t worry even if you don’t have an expert to read the signs, there are AI-empowered video survey tools to let you understand the context and emotions, from which you can analyze the user's experiences.
The extracted data is like a treasure trove for brands to make customer-centric updates to products and services.
Everything you have read above is a means to an end, which is to understand your users.
Businesses use all sorts of tested and unique methods to know their customers, and video surveys are there on the top of everyone’s list.
Benefits of Video Surveys | Why Should You Make the Switch from Text-Based Surveys?
As customers share videos answering survey questions, it brings authentic feedback.
Moreover, when almost all your customers have smartphones, conducting video surveys has become easier.
In a world where 83% of people prefer watching videos rather than reading an instructional manual, don't you think they will be more comfortable giving answers through video as well.
I have seen several of our clients come back to us to conduct more video surveys just because they got a good response. Here are a few benefits that I have seen brands receive through video surveys.
- They are More Interactive
Video surveys are more interactive than any other form of survey, period. Here’s why;
- The visual engagement created with videos and other multimedia elements makes the survey more appealing and engaging. As users can share their views more interactively, they won’t hesitate in adding depth to their answers.
- Video surveys have proven successful in creating a personal connection with the respondents. Moreover, video surveys can be built with adaptive logic asking personalized questions, which means the users will respond with real-time feedback.
Overall, it creates an immersive experience for respondents and, in turn, captures more engaging and informative responses.
- In-depth Responses
I have never seen survey responses longer than 4-5 lines. Even when the question asked may attract a longer response, respondents try to sum it up in as few words as possible.
On the contrary, my experience and so do our clients, proves that when given the opportunity, users are willing to explain their perspective in some detail.
As users add more context to the answers, it’s good for you because you can use that information to improve your product or services.
- Understand Customer Sentiment
Video survey responses are especially useful when the investigative question is regarding a complicated problem.
Text surveys excel at getting you the “WHAT” but fail to capture the “WHY.”
Video surveys conveniently asking relevant questions to the users can extract useful information.
Going beyond the words, they can help you analyze users’ responses for emotional cues and chances in sentiments.
So, from analyzing the tone of speech to facial expressions and even their body language, everything can be decrypted to obtain useful information.
Let me give you an example. “The product is great. It only took me half a day to get it working”.
Textual analysis of this statement will show a positive result because of the word “great.”
But when spoken, it’s easier to detect sarcasm through the eye rolls or a subtle laugh, etc.
So, the statement that actually has a negative narrative will be shown as a positive one in textual analysis.
- Extract Honest Feedback from Customers
People lie in a survey. The reason can be anything from to come as more desirable, or they are being defensive, or when they get forgetful, or anything else.
Despite the reason for lying in a survey, it won’t help you in any way but only give a false impression of customer satisfaction.
You cannot catch a lie in text surveys, but they are easy to catch in a video survey.
AI-enabled video interview solutions have proven instrumental in analyzing respondent’s facial expressions, eye movements, tone, and several other non-verbal cues.
Since these are recorded video surveys and not face-to-face interviews, it’s easier for the users to share their honest feedback.
- Better Accessibility
Your customers can take the video surveys at a time of their choosing, which is something they can also do with a text survey so there’s nothing new here.
However, using video interview software is better in terms of inclusivity. People who aren’t fond of typing or who cannot type can simply submit video responses.
A multinational brand can now record responses in their customer’s local language and translate it for their understanding.
Such elements are seldom possible in text surveys.
Video surveys let users curate honest stories from personal experiences.
As they knit together every experience and interaction with your product or service, they share authentic information you will need to deliver better experiences in the future.
How to Build and Execute Video Surveys?
As video surveys usher brands into a new era of market research, it's essential to use the right methodology.
Here’s how to plan the survey for success;
- Prepare for Video Recording
The survey respondents need to know about what they are getting into and how to improve their survey experience.
Doing so will also benefit you in getting clear information. Hence, you must do the following;
- Conducive Lightning
Have adequate lighting for clear visibility by sitting against natural light (in front of a window, etc.).
Ask your users to do the same, as you will need to see their faces clearly to analyze facial expressions.
- Noise Cancellation
Record your videos in a quiet room without any noise disturbance and minimal distractions.
In addition to this, also ask your customers to record their answers with minimal distractions. So, you can ask them to use a microphone and keep it close to their mouth.
- Background and Attire
Record videos in a neutral background while avoiding clutter. Your attire should either be professional or simple enough.
- Craft Compelling Video Questions
Ask questions that get answered. Engaging questions bring valuable insights from the respondents.
To set the right questions, use the formula we use at Qwary;
- Know the purpose of conducting the survey
- Add close-ended and open-ended questions.
- Each question must address a single topic or pain point.
- Don’t ask too many questions so that it gets boring.
- Avoid asking leading questions.
In addition to these general suggestions, I recommend you use question flow and sequencing.
This means arranging the questions in a logical progression order, building from general to specific topics. Add to this, the funnel approach where you start with broad questions and then narrow down to more focused ones to prevent churn and address user’s pain points and do so much more.
For example;
- “On a scale of 1 to 10, can you describe the overall experience with our service?”
It’s a broad question and asks a general question while setting the stage for a more specific follow-up question.
According to the rating by the user, the next questions can be,
- “Can you describe the reason behind giving this rating?”
A positive rating is good, but if the user gives a negative rating to the previous question, then this question will ask them to delve deeper into the reasoning.
You can use this information to initiate changes in the product.
- Equipment Recommendations
Given the fact that most of the users will use their smartphones to record survey answers, you cannot force them to use devices with certain specifications.
Since recording videos is something everyone can do easily, all you need to do is suggest they put the phone at the right angle and hit record.
But do recommend recording videos in the highest possible quality.
However, on your end, make sure you are using professional equipment to record the questions you want to ask, including a dedicated microphone and ambient lighting, among others.
Edit the recorded videos to remote unwanted footage and ensure your videos are as short as possible.
You can add transitions to improve the video aesthetics and also adjust the audio quality to ensure it’s clear and without any background noise.
- Survey Distribution and Collection
Well-planned survey distribution is crucial to reach the intended audience and record their responses within the stipulated time.
You can use all the available methods or select the ones that will have the maximum impact while distributing the survey.
Your survey distribution should also account for the questionnaire size and complexity.
Take care of the following in survey distribution;
- Gain the respondent’s consent.
- Share enough information about the survey to help them decide whether to take part in the research.
The most popular video survey distribution methods are;
- Pop-up in the website or application.
- Sending emails inviting users to take the survey.
- Survey link sharing by SMS.
- Push notification in the application.
- Sharing QR code linked to the survey.
- Using social media platforms to provide access.
Survey distribution is an ongoing process. You can change the delivery method mid-way and adjust it according to the response rate.
Similarly, survey collection is also an ongoing process. Monitor all survey responses as soon as they are submitted.
The video interview software you are using for the survey will have built-in features to record all responses and categorize them into different segments.
Applying different in-built filters you can extract valuable information from the survey data to make customer-centric decisions.
Build Video Surveys with Qwary
Qwary takes your video survey experience to the next level as we help you create conversations and not a simple questionnaire.
With Qwary, you can record your questions and share them with your respondents, who will then record their answers.
Every question you ask has a video-based response, which makes it look like an interview rather than a plain survey.
With Qwary, you can use the power of AI to create video interactions.
Ether you can describe your idea of creating a survey or choose an idea from the available options.
For instance, I have selected “New Product Feedback Collection.”
Our tool will then ask you to share more information about your business and product.
Give as much information as you can to help AI build a relevant survey for your users.
Hit Generate, and you will receive a welcome note along with pre-generated questions relevant to your survey goals.
You can then record your videos about asking the same questions as generated by our tool.
Once all videos are recorded as per the recommendations, you can upload them, replacing the dummy video.
Alongside adding videos, you can also make additional changes to the video’s position, add a written description, etc.
When it comes to distribution, Qwary gives you multiple options and you can use all of them or selected ones to send the survey.
As your users respond to the survey, their video responses will be recorded and stored within the tool. You can access the recordings from the Results, which also display insights, survey summary, response analysis, NPS, rating scale answers, and even sentiment analysis.
As you can see, Qwary offers an end-to-end solution for executing video surveys and helps you extract authentic information from your users to build better products.
Conclusion
From the outset, video survey analysis may look like a lot of work as you have to record and edit videos, collect and analyze responses, and extract valuable insights.
But with a multitude of video survey tools available, you can streamline the process, provided you are using a tool like Qwary.
Built with the motive to ease your experience, Qwary helps you create, share, and collect survey responses with a few button clicks while ensuring that every aspect of the process is customizable to your needs.
Get in touch with us to know more about how Qwary can elevate your video survey experience.
FAQs
- What are the types of video surveys?
Video surveys can take different forms, including product feedback, product experience, employee experience, market research, customer experience, product adoption, product usage, and qualitative analysis.
- Are video surveys better than other forms of survey methods?
Video surveys are better in terms of engagement, depth of insights they can extract, and flexibility. However, creating video surveys is easier said than done, especially if you are not using a dedicated tool to build one.
- How long should be a video survey?
A video survey’s length can range from 1 minute to 30 minutes. Given the nature of this survey, where users have to record videos, the length can vary, especially considering the number of open-ended questions you have added.
- For what purposes can I use video surveys?
Video surveys can be used for any purpose you like, including research, experience analysis, feedback, etc. But they work exceptionally well when you want to record authentic customer experiences and need to know the subtle emotional cues.
- How can I increase the engagement rate of video surveys?
You can enhance the engagement rate by keeping the videos short and adding interactive elements to ignite users’ interest. Plus, ask personalized questions in the survey to motivate your users to give answers.
