Additional Information on Mail Surveys
Mail surveys can be successfully used in the workplace for obtaining anonymous feedback from employees. They also work well in service industries where management wants to conduct an ongoing measurement of the quality of service provided. For example, a hospital may wish to regularly survey a random sample of the thousands of patients they treat each year.

The sample (addresses mailed to) can be taken from many different sources including purchased or public address lists or a company's customer database. Obviously, accurate mailing addresses are necessary for a successful mail survey. If very large samples are needed, mail surveys can be cheaper than other methods.

With a mail survey, however, it can be difficult to control who completes the questionnaire. Anyone in the household can fill out the survey even if he or she is not the intended recipient. The sample can be biased because the people who take the time to fill out and return the survey may not be indicative of the entire population. Returns can be skewed to older people who are home during the day.

The response rate is generally low in mail surveys, therefore more surveys need to be sent out to obtain the required sample size. Typically, mail surveys are slow to complete and survey response rates can be affected by the seasons. For example, fewer people respond in November and December, when they may be busy preparing for the holidays or in the summer when they may be on vacation.

To increase response rate for a mail survey, many techniques can be implemented. Providing an incentive to complete the survey (cash, sweepstakes entry or free product) and developing a survey that looks easy to complete are critical. Providing a return postage-paid mailer also increased response rates.

Other Related Topics:
Mail surveys
Strengths and weaknesses of mail surveys