Terms

Closed Question

A closed question is a type of query that requires a respondent to choose an answer from a limited, pre-defined set of responses, such as 'yes' or 'no' or from a list of multiple-choice options. This format is primarily used to gather quantitative data in surveys and questionnaires, as the structured responses are straightforward to analyze statistically and identify trends.

Examples of Closed Questions

Closed questions come in several formats, each tailored to gather specific types of structured feedback. They range from simple binary choices to more complex scales and rankings. These formats guide the respondent toward a clear, quantifiable answer.

  • Dichotomous: Questions offering two opposing answers, such as "Yes/No" or "True/False."
  • Multiple-choice: Questions that provide a list of options from which the respondent can select one or more answers.
  • Rating scale: Questions that ask respondents to rate an item on a numerical scale, like rating satisfaction from 1 to 5.

Advantages of Using Closed Questions

Closed questions are straightforward for respondents, speeding up data collection. Their simplicity leads to higher completion rates and makes people more willing to answer sensitive questions. This format also ensures responses are consistent and relevant.

The main advantage is the ease of analysis. Quantitative responses can be easily converted into charts and graphs for clear visualization. This simplifies data comparison across groups, allowing for efficient, evidence-backed conclusions.

Closed Question vs. Open Question

The choice between closed and open questions hinges on your data collection goals and the depth of insight required.

  • Closed: These questions provide a limited set of answers, generating quantitative data that is easy to analyze. They are ideal for large-scale enterprise surveys where consistent, comparable data is needed for statistical analysis. However, they can restrict respondent expression and may miss nuanced feedback.
  • Open: These questions allow for free-form, detailed responses, providing rich qualitative insights. They help companies understand the “why” behind customer behavior but are more time-consuming to analyze. They are best used to gather in-depth feedback or explore new ideas.

Common Uses in Surveys and Interviews

Closed questions are a cornerstone of quantitative research, widely used in surveys to gather structured data efficiently. In interviews, they serve to confirm specific details or narrow down topics. Their primary function is to collect data that is easy to categorize and analyze across large groups.

  • Surveys: Ideal for large-scale data collection where statistical analysis is key.
  • Interviews: Used to gather specific facts or confirm information quickly.
  • Quantitative Data: Essential for collecting numerical insights and measurable feedback.
  • Consistency: Ensures all respondents answer from the same options, making data comparable.

Tips for Crafting Effective Closed Questions

To create effective closed questions, use clear and simple language that is easy for respondents to understand. Ensure your response options are distinct, cover all likely answers, and don't overlap. This clarity helps gather consistent, quantifiable data and reduces ambiguity, leading to more reliable insights for analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions about Closed Question

Can closed questions be biased?

Yes, they can introduce bias if options are leading or incomplete. To avoid this, ensure options are mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive, and phrased neutrally. This keeps the data objective and reliable for analysis.

When should I use closed questions over open questions?

Use closed questions for quantitative data collection, like large-scale surveys where statistical analysis is needed. They are ideal for validating hypotheses or measuring satisfaction, providing structured, comparable data efficiently.

How many options should a multiple-choice question have?

While there's no strict rule, 3 to 5 options are generally effective. This range provides enough choice without overwhelming the respondent, ensuring balanced and meaningful data collection for most survey scenarios.

Other terms

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Microservices

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Microservices

Buying Criteria

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Sales Development Representative (SDR)

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Account-Based Everything

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Account-Based Everything

Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

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Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR)

Sales Productivity

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Sales Productivity

Marketing Metrics

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Marketing Metrics

Digital Strategy

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Digital Strategy

Lead Routing

Learn about lead routing, including benefits of effective lead routing, key steps in implementing lead routing, lead routing vs. lead scoring: understanding the differences.

Lead Routing

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

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LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Key Accounts

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Key Accounts

Bounce Rate

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Bounce Rate

Email Personalization

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Email Personalization

Target Account List

Learn about target account list, including building your target account list, key benefits of a target account list, & strategies for prioritizing accounts.

Target Account List

Account-Based Marketing Software

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) software helps teams coordinate personalized marketing and sales efforts to land high-value customer accounts.

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Referral Marketing

Learn about referral marketing, including benefits of referral marketing, building a successful referral program, & referral marketing vs. affiliate marketing.

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Sales Cycle

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Gated Content

Learn about gated content, including benefits of gated content, crafting effective gated content, & gated vs. ungated content: key differences.

Gated Content

Sales Presentation

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Sales Presentation

Warm Email

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Google Analytics

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Sales Pipeline Velocity

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Sales Pipeline Velocity

Copyright Compliance

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Copyright Compliance

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B2B Sales Channels

Return on Investment (ROI)

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Return on Investment (ROI)

Sales Operations Analytics

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Sales Operations Analytics

Serviceable Available Market

Learn about serviceable available market, including calculating your serviceable available market, & key factors influencing serviceable available market.

Serviceable Available Market

Data Visualization

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Data Visualization

Persona Map

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Sales Sequence

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Sales Sequence

Load Testing

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Load Testing

CCPA Compliance

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CCPA Compliance

CRM Analytics

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CRM Analytics

Geo-Fencing

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Geo-Fencing

Positioning Statement

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De-dupe

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Account View Through Rate

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MEDDICC

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Sales Coach

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Docker

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Intent Data

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Break-Even

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Customer Data Management (CDM)

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Inside Sales Rep

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Intent-Based Leads

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Employee Engagement

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Cost Per Click (CPC)

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Product-Led Growth

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PPC

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Jobs to Be Done Framework

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OAuth

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Predictive Lead Generation

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Robotic Process Automation

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Enrichment

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Firmographic Data

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Customer Journey Mapping

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User-generated Content

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Price Optimization

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Payment Processors

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User Experience

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Content Syndication

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Sales Territory

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Buying Signal

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Net 30

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Brand Loyalty

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Brand Loyalty

Sales Calls

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Contact Data

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Adobe Analytics

Adobe Analytics is a leading web analytics solution for gaining real-time insights into user activity across websites and mobile applications.

Adobe Analytics

Analytics Platforms

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Performance Plan

Learn about performance plan, including creating a successful performance plan, & essential elements of a performance plan.

Performance Plan

No Spam

Learn about no spam, including ensuring compliance with no spam rules, strategies for effective no spam practices, & no spam vs. traditional email marketing.

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Horizontal Market

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Horizontal Market

Trigger Marketing

Learn about trigger marketing, including implementing trigger marketing strategies, benefits of trigger marketing, trigger marketing vs. traditional marketing.

Trigger Marketing

Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty is a customer’s devotion to a brand, shown by their repeat purchases and engagement, driven by positive experiences and trust.

Customer Loyalty

Edge Locations

Edge locations are globally distributed data centers that cache content close to users, reducing latency and delivering web content much faster.

Edge Locations

Account Match Rate

Account match rate is the percentage of target accounts successfully identified and matched against a specific database or data provider.

Account Match Rate

Bottom of the Funnel

Learn about bottom of the funnel, including maximizing conversions at the funnel's end, & strategies for nurturing bottom-funnel leads.

Bottom of the Funnel

Net New Business

Learn about net new business, including strategies for growing net new business, & key metrics for tracking net new business.

Net New Business

Sales Partnerships

Learn about sales partnerships, including building effective sales partnerships, types of sales partnership models, benefits of cultivating sales partnership.

Sales Partnerships

Custom API integration

A custom API integration is a bespoke connection between software, enabling them to communicate and share data to meet unique business requirements.

Custom API integration

Data-Driven Lead Generation

Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.

Data-Driven Lead Generation

Sales Prospecting Techniques

Learn about sales prospecting techniques, including essentials of effective prospecting, & crafting your prospecting strategy.

Sales Prospecting Techniques

Call for Proposal

A Call for Proposal (CFP) is a document that solicits proposals, often through a bidding process, for a specific project or service.

Call for Proposal

Sales Stack

Learn about sales stack, including building an effective sales stack, key components of a sales stack, sales stack vs. marketing stack: understanding the dif.

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Analytical CRM

Analytical CRM analyzes customer data to uncover actionable insights, helping businesses make smarter decisions and improve customer interactions.

Analytical CRM

Version Control Systems

Learn about version control systems, including understanding version control systems, benefits of using version control, & types of version control systems.

Version Control Systems

B2B Sales

Learn about B2B sales, including key strategies for B2B success, types of B2B sales models, & B2B vs. B2C sales: understanding the differences.

B2B Sales

Commission

A commission is a service charge paid to an agent for a transaction. It's typically a percentage of the sale, rewarding performance directly.

Commission

Dark Funnel

The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.

Dark Funnel

Customer Data Analysis

Customer data analysis is the process of examining customer information to uncover insights that drive business decisions and improve experiences.

Customer Data Analysis

Digital Rights Management

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is technology that controls access to copyrighted digital content, restricting its use, modification, and distribution.

Digital Rights Management

Stakeholder

Learn about stakeholder, including identifying stakeholders, roles & responsibilities of stakeholders, & stakeholder engagement strategies.

Stakeholder

Psychographics

Learn about psychographics in marketing, including understanding it, crafting psychographic profiles, & psychographics vs. demographics.

Psychographics

Lead Generation Software

Learn about lead generation software, including benefits of lead generation software, & key features of effective software.

Lead Generation Software

Nurture Campaign

Learn about nurture campaign, including key elements of a nurture campaign, & steps to launching a successful nurture campaign.

Nurture Campaign

Account Mapping

Account mapping is comparing your customer list with a partner's to find common prospects and unlock new sales opportunities.

Account Mapping

Sales Script

Learn about sales script, including crafting an effective sales script, essentials for a winning sales script, sales script vs. spontaneous pitch.

Sales Script

Small to Medium-Sized Business

Learn about small to medium-sized business, including characteristics of SMEs, scaling strategies for SMEs, challenges facing SMEs, & SMEs in the global market.

Small to Medium-Sized Business