Ever try out one of those surveys on the back or the bottom of a receipt? Most businesses use an IVR (interactive voice response) to give the survey because paying a call center in India or the Philippines is just too expensive. Problem is, with IVR, you lose personalization because it is not a human being talking to you but rather, a computerized voice. However, the upside is you save hundreds of thousands of dollars because you don’t have to pay for office space and a call center. That is a definite plus.

How do you cut costs and still get personalization? Mobile surveys. These things have been around since the early 2000s but has never really amounted to anything because of lack of adoption. Now, with the growth of smart phones, people are using their phones for everything BUT phone calls. A recent study released by JFK/NOP Research found that 60.6% of phone users text and 82.5% of iphone users text. Furthermore, the study found that more than 20% use mobile internet and have played a game on their phone.

An easy way to gain personalization and the survey data that you are looking for is to create a mobile survey. People can text in to start the survey and instead of talking over the phone, 3-5 question surveys would be texted to the phone user. Convenient? Yes. Likelihood of being adopted? High. As the study revealed, people use their phones for more than just talking. Furthermore, studies have shown that people now text more than they make phone calls.

The key however is to keep their interest while taking the survey. One company in England gives surveyers instant cash after they take a survey. The company that offers the survey is linked to hundreds of retailers so as soon as a survey is taken, a monetary credit is put on your cell phone. Of course you could always just do the same $5,000 sweepstake drawing that everyone else does.