{"id":158190,"date":"2022-02-03T09:06:02","date_gmt":"2022-02-03T08:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/blog\/customer-surveys-what-are-filter-questions-is-there-an-alternative\/"},"modified":"2025-07-01T16:46:34","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T15:46:34","slug":"customer-surveys-what-are-filter-questions-is-there-an-alternative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/blog\/customer-surveys-what-are-filter-questions-is-there-an-alternative\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Surveys: What are Filter Questions?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">Filter questions, otherwise known as contingency questions, are used in studies and surveys to target respondents and route them to questions that apply to them. This classic targeting method has been used for decades.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">Over the past few years, a more modern approach has emerged:<strong> highly targeted surveys.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">So, what is a filter question? What are its limits? In what way are ultra-targeted surveys a modern alternative? Read on to find out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chap1\"><span lang=\"FR\">What is a Filter Question? [Definition]<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">As the name suggests, a filter question is a question that aims to filter survey respondents. This age-old process is also used to target survey and customer\/marketing study respondents.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"two-examples-of-filter-questions\"><span lang=\"FR\">Two Examples of Filter Questions<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p><span lang=\"FR\">Let\u2019s take an example to illustrate how a filter question works: \u201cAre you a home-owner?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22369\" src=\"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/customer-care.jpg\" alt=\"customer surveys\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the answer, you can redirect the respondent to the questions that apply to them. For example, you could divide the next questions into two groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Questions 2 to 6 apply to home-owners.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Questions 7 to 10 apply to tenants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Respondents who answer \u201cYes\u201d to the first question will be asked to answer questions 2 to 6, whereas the respondents who answer \u201cNo\u201d will be rerouted to questions 7 to 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>Let\u2019s take another example: \u201cAre you interested in [name of a service or product]?\u201d. If the survey is about that particular product or service and the respondent answers \u201cNo\u201d, then they are redirected to a thank you page, as the survey does not apply to them. Only those who answer \u201cYes\u201d are rerouted to the next part of the survey.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22370\" src=\"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/customer-management.jpg\" alt=\"filter questions\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the survey is deployed on the Internet, this rerouting can be automatic. For example, the Skeepers\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/feedback-management\/\">CX Management<\/a>\u00a0solution allows to configure confidentiality rules so as to personalise the questions according to the answers given to previous questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"filter-questions-a-classic-solution-to-target-survey-respondents\">Filter Questions, a Classic Solution to Target Survey Respondents<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The filter question method is a classic way to target respondents in customer\/marketing studies and surveys. Filter questions ensure that you only ask respondents questions that apply to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><p>If the survey is administered in a paper format, the respondent is instructed to skip to the questions that apply to them. If the survey is online, only the filtered questions are displayed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chap2\">The Modern Alternative to Filter Questions: Highly Targeted Surveys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"filter-questions-are-based-on-post-hoc-targeting\">Filter Questions are Based on Post-Hoc Targeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filter questions allow to target respondents within a survey. When a respondent starts a survey, the filter question either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Redirects them to the applicable questions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Or invites them to \u201cexit\u201d the survey if they are not the target audience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\n\n\n\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The sorting and filtering process takes place after the survey or study has been deployed. Which is the main disadvantage of classic filter questions. As a result, surveys or studies are sent to respondents who don\u2019t fit the target, which can:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">\n\n\n\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Impact the quality of collected answers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Irritate certain respondents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000\">Increase study or survey costs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But today, there is an alternative to filter questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"highly-targeted-surveys\">Highly Targeted Surveys<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This alternative takes the form of highly targeted surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A highly targeted survey is a survey that is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Designed for a specific target audience that is qualified beforehand and includes precise questions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22371\" src=\"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/customer-purchase.jpg\" alt=\"filter questions\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\"><strong>Highly targeted surveys<\/strong> tend to be short because all the questions apply to the target respondent. This is a huge advantage compared to classic surveys based on filter questions, simply because short surveys have a better&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2384218\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">response rate<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">Highly targeted surveys are designed, in theory, with a specific target audience in mind. This differentiates them from mass surveys that filter respondents with contingency questions. As mentioned above, the filter method leads to potentially non-relevant respondents receiving the survey and to targeting after deployment. Whereas a highly targeted survey targets its audience before deployment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">Highly targeted surveys have another characteristic: they are \u201csmart\u201d. This means that they are triggered at the right time in the customer journey, based on customer behaviour (triggers), and that they are personalised with customer data <strong>(mainly CRM).<\/strong> Which means that filter questions are no longer necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span lang=\"FR\">For all these reasons, highly targeted surveys are slowly replacing classic filter question surveys. We hope to have convinced you of the benefits of this modern approach!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:35px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<!--HubSpot Call-to-Action Code --><span class=\"hs-cta-wrapper\" id=\"hs-cta-wrapper-cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a\"><span class=\"hs-cta-node hs-cta-cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a\" id=\"hs-cta-cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a\">&lt;!&#8211;[if lte IE 8]&gt;<div id=\"hs-cta-ie-element\"><\/div>&lt;![endif]&#8211;&gt;<a href=\"https:\/\/cta-redirect.hubspot.com\/cta\/redirect\/20304540\/cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img\" id=\"hs-cta-img-cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a\" style=\"border-width:0px\" height=\"159\" width=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/app\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a.png\" alt=\"Discover our Solutions: Book your Demo\"><\/a><\/span> hbspt.cta.load(20304540, &#8216;cb2d0916-f405-47e9-bb18-4064b993938a&#8217;, {&#8220;useNewLoader&#8221;:&#8221;true&#8221;,&#8221;region&#8221;:&#8221;na1&#8243;}); <\/span><!-- end HubSpot Call-to-Action Code -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Filter questions, otherwise known as contingency questions, are used in studies and surveys to target respondents and route them to questions that apply to them. This classic targeting method has been used for decades. Over the past few years, a more modern approach has emerged: highly targeted surveys. So, what is a filter question? What&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":94799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4134],"tags":[],"case_study_solution":[],"landing_page_cat":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-158190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improve-customer-loyalty-us"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158190"},{"taxonomy":"case_study_solution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study_solution?post=158190"},{"taxonomy":"landing_page_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/landing_page_cat?post=158190"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skeepers.io\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=158190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}