The Leader’s Guide to Conversational Surveys: Boosting Response and Gaining Deeper Insight
Many K-12 districts rely on traditional survey questions to gather community feedback on issues like absenteeism, staff retention, and major district decisions—but survey completion rates are dismal.
According to NYU, while most schools can achieve a 70% completion rate for staff and students, completion rates can be as low as 9% when engaging parents. The benchmark completion rate for accurate, representative data sets is 80%, according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Gathering more meaningful data is the first step in making the most of your engagement efforts. Leaders should consider using conversational survey technology if parents and other district partners aren’t responding well to traditional surveys.
Conversational surveys are conducted through messaging platforms, SMS, and, more recently, generative AI. This post explores the benefits of surveying your stakeholders differently.
How to get a 99% student participation rate.
Read the story!
In this Article
Why traditional surveys fall short
Research for the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies on traditional surveys and conversational surveys showed that “users clearly appreciate the conversational form and prefer it over a traditional approach and that, from a data collection point of view, the conversational method shows the same reliability and a higher response quality with respect to a traditional questionnaire.”
The impact of a conversational approach
By asking open-ended questions with a conversational tool, participants are more likely to share their priorities and concerns—the “why” behind their perspectives, not just the “what” that most traditional surveys provide.
The conversational approach prompts participants to expand on their answers, add more details, or consider the question from different angles. The back-and-forth exchange also allows participants to feel heard and have their ideas considered in real time.
Leaders gain access to the real stories of the people in their districts with this approach. Instead of relying solely on the numbers, they get a holistic understanding of the challenges and triumphs in their districts—and they can leverage these stories to make a lasting positive impact.
“What actually drives change is stories, and I can harvest those stories through ThoughtExchange. When I can tell the story of a student who shared the family responsibilities that prevent them from coming to school, it makes it personal for my teachers and my administrators. They can picture that student—and that’s what moves people to action.”
Pflugerville ISD boosted attendance and recovered $8M in revenue
Read the story!
Choosing the right tools for a seamless experience
Generative AI takes conversational surveys to the next level. The AI learns from the participant’s answer in real time and acknowledges their feedback more authentically. It rephrases their answer and asks for confirmation to gain further clarity, making it feel more like a real conversation than messaging platforms or SMS chats. It summarizes all participants’ feedback, so participants know where their perspective lands for the community.
“Parent voice is a very important part of the conversation in my district. ThoughtExchange gives us the platform that we need to let everyone join the conversation and not just have the loud voices dominate, so we have a richer conversation with our community.”
Stop collecting data and start having conversations
If your current surveys aren't working, the solution isn't to ask more often—it's to ask differently. Conversational surveys transform data collection into a genuine dialogue, uncovering the rich, personal stories that numbers alone can't capture. By embracing this technology, you don't just boost response rates; you build a more connected and responsive community.
