With love, from Barcelona
Typeform ©
Elizabeth Stokoe is a Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University. She’s studied the way people talk and interact for over 25 years. And she helps companies achieve their goals by transforming their communication.
Hear more about how Liz helps companies
How can Liz help my business?
Here’s three things you can start doing right now to improve your online interactions
Conversational copy. Welcoming websites. Awkward attempts to ask “How was your weekend?” They’re all meant to show you care about your customers.
But Liz found that the most empathetic option is often to get straight to the reason for talking.
Be direct about your objective and you’re more likely to get the results you’re after—unless your customer is really in the mood for a chat.
Questions are immediately engaging. After “hello,” we start conversations with them all the time: “How are you doing?” “Up to much this evening?” “What’s that on your face?”
Put a question on your Welcome Screen, then edit the Start button to fit the context of that question:
Ever been trapped in a form that felt like it would never end? Let your respondent know where they are with some signposting: “Almost there!”
A bit of encouragement will mean fewer people leave your form unfinished.
Typeform lets you add a short description under each question. Use this space to guide respondents, give an example, or head off any doubts that people may have.
Pro tip: avoid using it to clarify your original question. If you feel the question is ambiguous, try to make it simpler until it’s self-explanatory.
The secret to better answers? Better questions
How a Professor of Social Interaction can improve your forms and help you get the info you need
What can she teach me about writing typeforms?
Every business has to ask its customers personal questions. Email address, gender, and marital status are all useful info for marketers—but people aren’t always comfortable sharing it.
So ask yourself: am I really entitled to ask this question? Or is this person doing me a favor by answering?
If it’s the latter, wait until the end of the customer’s business to ask. And phrase the question to reflect your low entitlement to ask.
In other words, always think about who you’re talking to. It might sound obvious, but Liz finds that most companies and organizations need a friendly reminder.
Maybe it’s something small like personalizing welcome emails for new customers. Or maybe it’s sensing when not to stick to the script on a phone call.
Look for ways to tailor each person’s experience with your company.
Short answer: a lot. Professor Stokoe went through a bunch of our typeform templates and came up with some simple tips that’ll get you better responses.
Here’s a few to get you started:
Try a typeform approved by Prof. Stokoe
Want to take a typeform edited and approved by Liz for a spin? Get started with one of these, then make it your own.
The secret to better answers? Better questions
How can Liz help my business?
Here’s three things you can start doing right now to improve your online interactions
Try a typeform approved by Prof. Stokoe
Elizabeth Stokoe is a Professor of Social Interaction at Loughborough University. She’s studied the way people talk and interact for over 25 years. And she helps companies achieve their goals by transforming their communication.
