Use In-App Surveys to Collect Feedback

In the dynamic landscape of event management, the ability to adapt and innovate is a fundamental necessity. However, for innovation to take place, event organizers need to have a deeper understanding of their event’s performance, focusing on strengths and improving upon weaknesses.

One of the ways they can gather this type of information is through customer feedback collection via an app survey.

Gathering feedback from event attendees is more than just a task — it is a strategic advantage that can drive improvements, enhance attendee satisfaction, and lay the foundation for future success.

In this article, we’re diving deep into the world of in-app surveys, exploring how they revolutionize the feedback collection process, and specifically, how we at Core-Apps are leading the way in providing cutting-edge solutions for event organizers.

Capturing Real-Time Attendee Feedback

In the fast-paced environment of events, timing is crucial. An in-app survey gives event organizers the unique ability to capture feedback in real time, which can be a game-changer.

Attendees, still immersed in the event’s atmosphere, can instantly share their thoughts, impressions, and suggestions through the event app. This immediacy eliminates the potential lag time associated with traditional post-event surveys, resulting in more accurate and actionable insights.

Instant gratification for the win.

Imagine a scenario where an attendee leaves a thought-provoking session, brimming with ideas or concerns. With in-app surveys, they can immediately share their experience, providing organizers with valuable information that can shape the trajectory of the event as it unfolds. This feature can significantly impact the quality of the event experience, as organizers can promptly address concerns or capitalize on successful aspects in real time.

Push notifications prioritize engagement.

Moreover, event app push notifications take this real-time engagement to the next level. Organizers can send out timely survey prompts, maximizing the likelihood of responses and ensuring that the feedback captures the attendee’s feelings while they are fresh.

Pro-tip: Core-Apps empowers event organizers with a comprehensive push notification feature that makes it easy to instantly communicate with attendees anywhere, at any time.

The availability and accessibility of in-app feedback — such as ours from Core-Apps — offer organizers an advantage like never before.

Customizable Survey Design and Questions

In-app surveys don’t have to feel monotonous or boring. You can play with the length and formatting in any way you want so you can capture your audience’s maximum engagement. From gamification and social media interaction to interactive sessions and networking, there are countless ways for you to introduce app survey questions.

Core-Apps’ in-app surveys offer a level of flexibility that empowers event organizers to design surveys tailored to their specific objectives. The range of question formats available — such as multiple-choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions — provides the versatility needed to gather detailed insights.

Why multiple-choice matters

Consider the power of multiple-choice questions. By using these, organizers can prompt attendees to indicate their preferences, providing valuable information about which sessions or events resonate most.

Rating scales rate high

Likewise, rating scales, such as a star-based system, enable attendees to give quick satisfaction ratings for sessions, speakers, or the overall event.

Open-ended is always a good option

Open-ended questions, on the other hand, offer attendees the opportunity to provide detailed feedback. This qualitative data can be incredibly valuable, offering nuanced insights into what worked exceptionally well or areas that need improvement.

Consider a combo approach

The ability to mix and match these question formats can empower you to craft surveys that align with your specific goals, whether it’s to evaluate the effectiveness of certain sessions, gather attendee preferences for future events, or pinpoint areas that need immediate attention.

Gathering Actionable Insights for Improvement

One of the primary goals of any feedback collection process is to gather actionable insights, and in-app surveys excel in this regard.

Survey says!

The data collected through in-app surveys provide a wealth of information that can drive event improvement strategies.

Organizers, such as yourself, can use the survey data to identify areas of strength and areas that need improvement. For example, a particular session might receive consistently high ratings, indicating that it should be a staple in future events.

On the flip side, if a session receives lower ratings, the feedback provides a clear signal that adjustments are needed.

A matter of preference

Gathering attendee preferences is another powerful use of in-app surveys. Understanding what types of sessions, topics, or activities resonate most with attendees can give you the ability to cater to those preferences in subsequent events, enhancing overall attendee satisfaction.

Let data define your decisions

But the benefits don’t stop there. In-app surveys also enable data-driven decision-making. Instead of relying on guesswork or subjective impressions, you can make informed choices based on quantitative and qualitative feedback data. This type of decision-making results in a more efficient allocation of resources and efforts, leading to a better event experience, and ultimately, success.

Pro-tip: Take advantage of Core-Apps real-time analytics to make data-driven decisions about your event, on the ground as it unfolds.

Enhancing Attendee Satisfaction and Experience

Keep in mind that at the heart of every successful event is attendee satisfaction. Happy attendees are more likely to return, spread positive word-of-mouth, and become advocates for your organization. Therefore, your objectives should revolve around ways you can improve attendee engagement and guarantee 100% satisfaction.

One solution is in-app surveys. This tool plays a pivotal role in enhancing attendee satisfaction, as it enables you to address pain points, fine-tune logistics, and deliver a personalized, engaging, and unforgettable experience.

In-app surveys empower organizers with insights and immediacy

When attendees see that their opinions matter and that organizers actively seek their feedback, it creates a sense of value and investment in the event. Moreover, timely actions based on this feedback demonstrate a commitment to improving the attendee experience, which your attendees will greatly appreciate.

For example, if in-app feedback reveals that some attendees faced challenges during registration or had difficulty finding specific sessions, you can immediately address these issues by exploring possible solutions. You not only resolve the problem for the current event but also ensure that future events will run more smoothly, creating a positive impact that resonates with attendees.

Always prioritize the personal

When it comes to enhancing the attendee experience, one thing you always need to keep in mind is personalization, which ensures you accommodate the specific needs of your audience at a particular event.

In-app surveys can provide insights into individual preferences, enabling you to customize recommendations, session suggestions, and networking opportunities based on what attendees have expressed interest in.

Overall, this personal touch creates a more meaningful and engaging event journey for each attendee that will make them interested in attending more of your events in the future.

In-App Survey Examples

Now that you have a better grasp of what in-app surveys are and how they can help you drive your event to unparalleled success, let’s dive into some concrete examples of the types of surveys you can create using our in-app survey solution.

Satisfaction Ratings

Utilizing a star-based system for satisfaction ratings is a straightforward and effective way to assess various aspects of the event. By offering attendees the opportunity to rate different elements on a scale (typically from 1 to 5 stars), you can gain valuable quantitative insights into the overall satisfaction levels and pinpoint specific strengths and areas for improvement.

Satisfaction ratings in in-app surveys can apply to:

Sessions: Attendees can rate individual sessions they attended based on their level of engagement, relevance, and overall value. This data helps you identify which sessions your audience appreciated the most and can guide future session planning.

Speakers: You can collect satisfaction ratings for each speaker to understand the quality and impact of presentations, workshops, or keynotes. You may choose to invite high-rated speakers to future events, while you may give those with lower ratings constructive feedback to enhance their performance.

Networking Opportunities: Networking is a critical part of many events. By asking attendees to rate their networking experiences, you can evaluate the effectiveness of networking sessions, lounges, or facilitated meetups. In essence, this feedback ensures that networking opportunities align with attendee expectations, leading to more meaningful connections.

Open-Ended Questions

Another example is open-ended questions. This method empowers attendees to express themselves in detail, providing qualitative insights that go beyond numerical ratings. These questions allow attendees to share their opinions, suggestions, and concerns in their own words, offering valuable context and uncovering nuanced feedback centered around the following:

Session Feedback: Instead of just providing a star rating, attendees can elaborate on what specifically resonated with them during a session. They can share their key takeaways, suggest improvements, or highlight aspects that stood out, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of session effectiveness.

Event Experience: You can use open-ended questions to gather attendees’ overall impressions of the event. What aspects did they enjoy the most? Were there any challenges they faced? This information can help you understand the holistic event experience and uncover opportunities for enhancement.

Future Event Suggestions: By asking attendees what they’d like to see at future events, you receive direct input on potential themes, topics, or format changes. What’s more, attendees might suggest new session types, additional networking activities, or innovative event features, providing inspiration for ongoing event development.

Multi-Selection

By offering attendees the opportunity to select their favorite events, sessions, or activities from a list, event managers add an element of interactivity to the feedback process. This format is particularly useful for gathering preferences and identifying trends.

Favorite Events: Attendees can choose their favorite events or sessions from a list provided. This data can help you understand which topics, formats, or speakers were most appealing to the majority of attendees.

Preferred Activities: For events with various activities, such as workshops, panels, or entertainment options, attendees can indicate their preferences. This information can guide you in planning future events if you focus on activities that resonate with the audience.

Session Ranking: Instead of choosing a single favorite, attendees can rank a list of sessions in order of preference. This approach provides nuanced insights into which sessions were the most popular, helping you allocate resources more effectively in future events.

Items to Survey

In-app surveys can cover a wide range of topics, including session content, event logistics, venue facilities, networking experiences, and even thoughts on potential future event themes.

Let’s take a closer look at an example survey.

[Survey Title: Session Satisfaction]

1. Please rate the following sessions you attended:

  • [Session Title 1]
  • [Session Title 2]
  • [Session Title 3]

2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate the overall quality of the event?

3. What was your favorite part of the event?

4. Is there anything you believe the event could improve upon?

5. Which topics would you like to see covered in future events? (Select all that apply)

  • [Topic 1]
  • [Topic 2]
  • [Topic 3]
  • [Other, please specify]

The combination of quantitative data, qualitative insights, and attendee preferences paints a vivid picture of the event’s impact, strengths, and areas for improvement, ensuring that you can make each event better than the last.

Specific Improvements and Data-Driven Decision-Making

In-app surveys have a tangible impact on event improvement, so let’s look at some scenarios where the implementation of in-app surveys can result in specific improvements, increased attendee satisfaction, and data-driven decision-making.

Session Optimization: After analyzing in-app survey results, event organizers can identify a particular type of session that consistently received high ratings and positive feedback. Armed with this insight, the organizer can decide to expand the number of sessions in that format for the next event, resulting in increased attendee engagement and satisfaction.

Logistical Enhancements: An in-app survey can shed light on some of the challenges attendees experience with event navigation, such as finding specific session rooms or registration booths. The organizer can promptly address this issue mid-event by improving signage, providing detailed maps within the event app, and offering more guidance, resulting in a smoother event experience.

Personalized Recommendations: By gathering attendee preferences through in-app surveys, an event organizer can provide personalized session recommendations to each attendee based on their indicated interests. This can then lead to attendees discovering sessions that further resonate with them, thereby enhancing their overall event experience.

Future Event Themes: An in-app survey can ask attendees about potential future event themes. Based on their suggestions, the organizer can see a trend in the responses, with a significant number of attendees expressing interest in a specific topic. This insight can then guide the organizer’s decision to focus the next event on that topic, resulting in higher attendance and overall satisfaction.

Real-Time Issue Resolution: During an event, in-app feedback can indicate that a certain session may have technical difficulties. Thanks to the real-time nature of the feedback, the organizer will be able to identify the issue and address it immediately, ensuring that subsequent sessions are not affected.

In Conclusion

In-app surveys are more than just a tool for gathering feedback — they are a catalyst for event improvement, attendee satisfaction, and long-term success. Core-Apps’ innovative solutions in this realm empower event organizers to capture the pulse of their audience, make data-driven decisions, and continuously evolve their events to meet and exceed attendee expectations.

Pro-tip: Industry leaders routinely reference The Smart Conference: Session tracking for more data-driven events when they want to leverage actionable insights and elevate their event management.

By leveraging the power of in-app surveys, you can create a dynamic feedback loop that not only provides valuable insights but also fosters a stronger connection between you and your attendees. This connection, built on a foundation of listening and responding to attendee needs, is the key to building a loyal attendee base and ensuring the ongoing success of your events.

Follow these in-app survey best practices and develop the perfect app survey with our help at Core-Apps!

Marie Smith
Marie Smith

Marie Smith is a Marketing Manager with Community Brands. She is passionate about giving back to her community and has always been involved with membership organizations from being a Girl Scouts of America troop leader volunteer, to a Parent Teacher Association President and VP of Membership, most recently. Marie is passionate about creating special experiences for customers and future customers throughout their experiences with our products and resources. In her free-time, Marie is equally passionate about spending time with her family, gardening, listening to live music, and enjoying good food.