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Interactive SMS Surveys

Interactive SMS surveys send questions one at a time via text message, with guests responding directly via SMS. This conversational format achieves the highest engagement rates but has specific limitations and best practices.

How Interactive SMS Surveys Work​

The Conversation Flow​

Step 1: Survey Initiation

System: Hi Sarah! Quick check-in about your stay at
Beach House Villa. Mind answering 3 quick questions?
Just reply to each one.

Step 2: First Question Sent

System: Question 1 of 3: Is everything working properly
at the house? Reply YES or NO

Step 3: Guest Responds

Guest: Yes

Step 4: Next Question Sent

System: Question 2 of 3: On a scale of 1-10, how clean
is the property? Reply with a number 1-10

Step 5: Guest Responds

Guest: 9

Step 6: Final Question Sent

System: Question 3 of 3: Anything we should know about?
Reply with your thoughts or type SKIP

Step 7: Guest Responds

Guest: All great! Love the beach access.

Step 8: Survey Complete

System: Thank you! Your feedback helps us provide the
best experience. Enjoy the rest of your stay!

Key Characteristics​

Sequential Delivery:

  • One question at a time
  • Next question sent after previous response received
  • Creates conversation-like flow
  • Reduces cognitive load

Direct Replies:

  • No links to click
  • No apps to open
  • Just reply to the text
  • Extremely low friction

Real-Time Engagement:

  • Most responses within 5 minutes
  • Captures immediate reactions
  • Enables fast issue resolution
  • Great for mid-stay checks

Supported Question Types​

Interactive SMS surveys have limitations on question types due to text message constraints:

✅ Fully Supported: Yes/No Questions​

How It Works:

System: Did you receive the check-in instructions?
Reply YES or NO

Guest: YES

Accepted Responses:

  • YES, yes, y, Y
  • NO, no, n, N
  • Case-insensitive

Best For:

  • Confirmation questions
  • Simple binary choices
  • Quick status checks
  • Issue identification

✅ Fully Supported: Rating Questions (1-10)​

How It Works:

System: How clean is the property? Reply with a
number from 1-10 (1=poor, 10=excellent)

Guest: 9

Accepted Responses:

  • Numbers 1-10
  • Validates numeric input
  • Rejects out-of-range values

Analysis Support:

  • Standard rating analysis works
  • NPS analysis works
  • Full statistical calculations
  • Trend tracking

Best For:

  • Satisfaction scores
  • Quality ratings
  • NPS surveys
  • Quick feedback

⚠️ Limited Support: Single Choice (Radio)​

How It Works:

System: What type of stay is this? Reply with the
number of your answer:
1. Family vacation
2. Romantic getaway
3. Business trip
4. Group gathering

Guest: 1

Guest Must:

  • Reply with option number (1, 2, 3, 4)
  • Not the full text of the option
  • Can be confusing for guests

Limitations:

  • Not intuitive (guests want to type the answer)
  • Easy to make mistakes
  • Limited to ~4-5 options (SMS length)
  • Poor user experience

Recommendation:

  • Use sparingly in SMS Interactive
  • Consider converting to Yes/No questions
  • Or use SMS Link instead for better experience

Example Conversion: Instead of:

"What type of stay is this?"
1. Family vacation
2. Romantic getaway
3. Business trip

Consider:

"Is this a family vacation?" YES/NO

❌ Not Supported: Multiple Choice (Checkboxes)​

Why Not Supported:

  • Too complex for SMS replies
  • Would require multiple messages or complex syntax
  • High error rate
  • Poor user experience

Alternative:

  • Use SMS Link for multiple choice questions
  • Or split into multiple Yes/No questions
  • Or use free text: "Which amenities did you use? Reply with your list"

✅ Fully Supported: Free Text​

How It Works:

System: What could we improve? Reply with your
thoughts or type SKIP

Guest: The WiFi was a bit slow in the bedrooms,
but everything else was perfect!

Accepted Responses:

  • Any text response
  • SKIP or PASS to skip question
  • No character limit (will be truncated if extremely long)

Best For:

  • Follow-up to ratings ("Why did you give that score?")
  • Detailed feedback
  • Issue descriptions
  • Testimonials
  • Final "anything else?" question

Limitations:

  • Long responses may be split across multiple SMS
  • Some guests may give very brief responses
  • No rich text formatting

Best Practices for Interactive SMS​

Survey Design​

Keep It Very Short:

  • Recommended: 2-4 questions maximum
  • Absolute max: 5 questions
  • Completion rate drops significantly after 4 questions
  • Each additional question = 10-15% drop in completion

Optimal Survey Structure:

Question 1: Yes/No (warm-up)
Question 2: Rating (main metric)
Question 3: Free text (why?)

Example:

1. Is everything working properly? YES/NO
2. How would you rate your experience so far? 1-10
3. Anything we should know about? Reply with your thoughts

Question Writing for SMS​

Be Extremely Concise:

  • SMS has 160 character limit per message
  • Questions split across multiple texts confuse guests
  • Aim for under 120 characters per question

Good Example:

"How clean is the property? Reply 1-10"
(42 characters)

Bad Example:

"Thinking about your overall experience with the cleanliness
and maintenance of the property, including the kitchen, bathrooms,
bedrooms, and common areas, how would you rate it on a scale
from 1 to 10?"
(219 characters - splits into 2 SMS messages)

Use Simple Language:

  • Short words
  • No jargon
  • Clear instructions
  • Action-oriented

Include Response Format:

"Is the house clean? Reply YES or NO"
"Rate the property 1-10"
"Any issues? Reply or type SKIP"

Timing Considerations​

Best Send Times:

  • Mid-stay wellness check: Day 2, between 10 AM - 2 PM
  • Issue detection: Day 1 evening, around 6 PM
  • Quick check-in: 2-3 hours after arrival

Avoid:

  • Late night (after 8 PM)
  • Early morning (before 9 AM)
  • During likely activity times (dinner time, excursions)
  • Checkout day (too hectic)

Time Zone Critical:

  • Always use guest's local time zone
  • More important for SMS than email
  • Text at wrong time = very intrusive

Response Handling​

Guest Types:

Fast Responders (70%):

  • Reply within 5 minutes
  • Complete entire survey in one sitting
  • System handles automatically

Slow Responders (20%):

  • Reply hours later
  • System waits for response before sending next question
  • May complete over several hours
  • Totally fine - system handles gracefully

Partial Completers (10%):

  • Answer 1-2 questions, then stop
  • System waits indefinitely for next response
  • Mark as "Sending" status in database
  • Don't re-send - they can continue anytime

Error Handling​

Invalid Responses:

System: Rate the cleanliness 1-10

Guest: pretty clean

System: Please reply with a number from 1 to 10

Out of Range:

System: Rate the cleanliness 1-10

Guest: 11

System: Please reply with a number from 1 to 10

Retry Limit:

  • System prompts for valid response up to 2 times
  • After 2 invalid responses, moves to next question
  • Preserves user experience (doesn't feel like nagging)

When to Use Interactive SMS​

✅ Best Use Cases​

1. Mid-Stay Wellness Checks

Survey: "Beach House Mid-Stay Check"
Q1: Is everything working properly? YES/NO
Q2: How would you rate the property so far? 1-10
Q3: Need anything from us? Reply or SKIP
  • Catches issues while you can fix them
  • Shows proactive care
  • Very short, very fast
  • Perfect for SMS Interactive

2. Urgent Issue Detection

Survey: "Quick Check-In"
Q1: Did you find the property easily? YES/NO
Q2: Everything as expected? YES/NO
Q3: Any problems we should know about? Reply or SKIP
  • Sent 2-3 hours after arrival
  • Catches critical issues immediately
  • Low guest burden (2-3 questions)
  • Enables fast resolution

3. Simple NPS Surveys

Survey: "Quick Rating"
Q1: How likely are you to recommend us? 0-10
Q2: What's the main reason for your score? Reply with your thoughts
  • Core NPS question
  • One follow-up for context
  • Lightning fast to complete
  • High response rate

4. Single-Question Pulses

Survey: "Cleanliness Check"
Q1: How clean did you find the property? 1-10
  • Tracks specific metric
  • Almost no guest burden
  • Can send frequently
  • Extremely high completion rate (85%+)

❌ When NOT to Use Interactive SMS​

1. Long Surveys (5+ Questions)

  • Use email or SMS Link instead
  • SMS Interactive completion drops off
  • Feels intrusive for many questions
  • Poor user experience

2. Complex Questions

  • Multiple choice with many options
  • Checkbox selections
  • Detailed demographic questions
  • Use SMS Link with web form

3. Questions Requiring Context

  • Questions with long explanations
  • Questions with images
  • Questions with formatting
  • Email is better

4. Post-Stay Comprehensive Feedback

  • Guests have moved on
  • Not time-sensitive anymore
  • More thoughtful responses needed
  • Email or SMS Link better

5. Detailed Owner Surveys

  • Too complex for SMS back-and-forth
  • Owners expect professional format
  • Need charts, graphs, data
  • Email with proper formatting

Completion Rate Optimization​

Typical Completion Rates​

By Question Count:

  • 1 question: 85-90%
  • 2 questions: 75-85%
  • 3 questions: 65-75%
  • 4 questions: 55-65%
  • 5 questions: 45-55%
  • 6+ questions: <40%

By Timing:

  • Mid-stay (in property): 70-80%
  • Just after arrival: 60-70%
  • Post-checkout (same day): 50-60%
  • Post-checkout (next day+): 30-40%

Maximizing Completion​

1. Front-Load the Ask

Good: "Quick 2-question check-in about your stay"
Bad: "We'd love your feedback on several aspects..."

2. Progress Indicators

"Question 1 of 3: ..."
"Question 2 of 3: ..."
"Final question: ..."

3. Make Skipping Easy

"Reply with your thoughts or type SKIP"

4. Thank Immediately

"Thank you! Enjoy your stay 🌴"

5. Keep It Conversational

Good: "How's the WiFi working?"
Bad: "Please rate the quality of the internet connectivity"

Technical Considerations​

SMS Limits​

Character Limits:

  • Standard SMS: 160 characters
  • Messages auto-split if longer
  • Try to keep each question under 120 characters
  • System handles splitting automatically

Message Costs:

  • Each SMS sent costs credits
  • Multi-part messages = multiple credits
  • Rating question + response = 2 SMS (1 out, 1 in)
  • 3-question survey = ~6-8 SMS total (questions + responses)

Rate Limiting:

  • System paces message delivery
  • Prevents carrier spam flags
  • Slight delay between questions (1-2 seconds)
  • Doesn't impact user experience

Status Tracking​

Survey Statuses:

  • Pending: Survey assigned but not started
  • Sending: In progress (questions being sent/answered)
  • Completed: All questions answered
  • Errored: Delivery failure

Abandonment:

  • Surveys stay in "Sending" status if incomplete
  • Guest can continue anytime by replying
  • No expiration
  • No automatic follow-up (to avoid spam)

Carrier Considerations​

Supported Carriers:

  • All major US carriers fully supported
  • International carriers: varies by country
  • Toll-free numbers required for high volume

Delivery Issues:

  • Invalid phone numbers show as Error
  • Carrier blocks appear as Error
  • Monitor error rate in reports
  • Contact numbers must include country code
FeatureInteractive SMSSMS Link
Question typesLimited (Yes/No, Rating, Text)All types
Question count2-4 optimal5-10 optimal
Completion rate70-80%50-60%
Response timeMinutesHours
User experienceConversational, low-frictionProfessional, feature-rich
SMS cost~6-8 messages per survey1 message
Best forQuick checks, urgent issuesComprehensive feedback
Guest burdenVery lowLow-medium
Rich formattingNoYes
Images/brandingNoYes

Rule of Thumb:

  • Use Interactive SMS for real-time, urgent, simple surveys (2-4 questions)
  • Use SMS Link for comprehensive, thoughtful surveys (5-10 questions)

Real-World Examples​

Example 1: Mid-Stay Wellness Check​

Survey Name: "Day 2 Check-In" Send: Day 2 at 11 AM local time Delivery: SMS Interactive

Questions:

Hi {{first_name}}! How's your stay at {{property_name}} going?
3 quick questions:

Q1: Is everything working properly at the house?
Reply YES or NO

[Guest replies YES]

Q2: How clean did you find the property when you arrived?
Reply 1-10 (1=poor, 10=excellent)

[Guest replies 10]

Q3: Need anything from us? Reply with your thoughts or type SKIP

[Guest replies "All perfect, thank you!"]

Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your stay 🌴

Automation:

  • If Q1 = NO → Alert property manager immediately
  • If Q2 < 7 → Create urgent housekeeping ticket
  • If Q3 contains text → Route to guest services

Example 2: Arrival Confirmation​

Survey Name: "Arrival Check" Send: 3 hours after check-in time Delivery: SMS Interactive

Questions:

Hi {{first_name}}! Hope you made it to {{property_name}} okay.
2 quick questions:

Q1: Did you find everything you needed for check-in?
Reply YES or NO

[Guest replies YES]

Q2: Any issues we should know about right away?
Reply or type SKIP

[Guest replies SKIP]

Perfect! Text us anytime if you need anything. Enjoy! 🏖️

Automation:

  • If Q1 = NO → Immediate SMS alert to on-call manager
  • If Q2 has content → Create urgent ticket

Example 3: Simple NPS​

Survey Name: "Quick Rating" Send: 4 hours after checkout Delivery: SMS Interactive

Questions:

Hi {{first_name}}! Thanks for staying at {{property_name}}.

Q1: How likely are you to recommend us to a friend? Reply 0-10
(0=not likely, 10=extremely likely)

[Guest replies 9]

Q2: What's the main reason for your score?
Reply with your thoughts or SKIP

[Guest replies "Amazing location and super clean!"]

Thank you! Hope to host you again soon! 🏡

Automation:

  • If Q1 = 9-10 → Wait 2 hours → Send review request
  • If Q1 = 0-6 → Alert owner → Send apology + discount
  • All responses → Store for analysis

Best Practices Summary​

Do's​

✅ Keep surveys to 2-4 questions ✅ Use for time-sensitive feedback ✅ Send mid-stay for issue detection ✅ Write concise questions (<120 chars) ✅ Include response format in question ✅ Thank guests immediately after completion ✅ Use for Yes/No, Rating, and Free Text questions ✅ Respect time zones strictly ✅ Set up automation for low scores ✅ Monitor completion rates

Don'ts​

❌ Don't send surveys with 6+ questions ❌ Don't use complex question types (multiple choice with many options) ❌ Don't send late at night or early morning ❌ Don't re-send if guest abandons (they can continue anytime) ❌ Don't use for detailed post-stay surveys ❌ Don't ignore invalid responses (system handles automatically) ❌ Don't use overly formal language ❌ Don't forget progress indicators ❌ Don't ask compound questions ❌ Don't use for owner surveys (too informal)

Next Steps​