Benefit 3: Increased variability and differentiation
When it comes to understanding something as complex as a buyer or customer’s perceptions of your solution, precision is preferred. An 11-point system provides significantly more room for buyers to express differentiation than a 5-point scale. For example, while a good and very good solution may both receive a 4 rating on a 5-point scale, the same solutions would likely receive different ratings on a larger scale, such as 6 and 8. Don’t force your respondent to select the next best alternative.
In our research, we’re also looking for differentiation and an 11-point scale has been shown to increase the variability in responses.
Another notable advantage: your “top box” and “bottom box” calculations will be more powerful. At Primary Intelligence, we calculate the top box (exceptional ratings) as the top 80th percentile, and the bottom box (very poor ratings) as the lower 50th percentile. In a 0-to-10 scale, that equates to 9 and 10 as a top box. In a 1-to-5 scale, the top box includes 4 and 5 ratings. This means even though a 4 rating is just above average (3), it’s counted as an “exceptional” rating, stripping the power of top box calculations.