By Ann Ray
On June 28, 2019
Updated June 28, 2019

Are you inferring when you could ask?

I recently completed a detailed customer survey for a software program I subscribe to. It was a conjoint analysis, which presents different feature profiles and price points to the respondent, asking them to pick the one they prefer.

What they will know from my responses? I’m cheap.

What they won’t know? Why.

They could assume I’m generically budget conscious. Or they could look at my industry, business consulting, and guess that as a non-creative I’m not their prime market. But they won’t know.

There are two questions I’d have added to the survey for a clearer picture. I know, I know, length is always an issue. However, this was already an extensive questionnaire, and these are less mentally taxing than the product comparisons in the conjoint portion.

How frequently do you use your current subscription?

Daily
Several times a week
Several times a month
Infrequently or for intermittent projects

How well do the features in your subscription suit your needs?

Not enough functions
About right
More than I need

Now we know if someone is purely price sensitive, or an infrequent user, or a basic function user. Each facet offers its own challenges and opportunities for retention, upgrades (to additional apps), or a possible broader market penetration.

I’d also have added my usual “safety net” question: Comments! Yes, they’re costly to analyze, especially on larger studies, but no survey will ever cover every topic and they’re still cheaper than focus groups or interviews.

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Questionnaires