Engaging content is only a portion of what goes into earning more survey responses, as we discussed earlier blog post this month. Another aspect you need to be aware of is survey fatigue. “This occurs when your customers become bored of the surveys they are receiving before they even open them,” says Sarah-​Nicole LeFlore, writing for CustomerThink. How does this happen?

The primary culprit is overzealousness with the number of surveys you send. “Over-​surveying your customers will lead to them seeing your survey requests as spam,” says LeFlore. Sending your clients survey after survey doesn’t give the impression you’re hoping it does: You value client feedback. Instead, too many surveys shows a lack of consideration for the client’s time. They have better things to do than fill out numerous surveys. And if you really need that much help identifying what you could be doing better for your clients, it may lead those clients to question your capabilities to serve them.

Instead of sending a mass of surveys at seemingly random times, LeFlore recommends focusing on the moments when you’ve already been interacting with that client. Send your surveys out after you’ve interacted with your clients, asking them personalized questions about your interaction, what they’re happy with, and what you could be doing better. Surveys are all about collecting data to help you better serve your customer. And that information is most effectively gathered when an interaction with you is fresh in your client’s mind.

Don’t send out mass quarterly (or other timed) surveys that your clients will be tempted to ignore because of survey fatigue. Personalize the timing of your survey, as well as the questions inside to boost the client’s interest in responding. Timing is just as crucial to the personalization process as content. Remember that the next time you consider sending a client a survey.