Final answer:
The best initial strategy for Chuck to address a low response rate to his web-based survey is to send follow-up reminders to non-responders. Other methods include offering incentives, simplifying the survey, and ensuring its mobile-friendliness. These actions can lead to improved survey participation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best initial strategy to address the low response rate that Chuck experienced with his web-based survey would be option a) Send follow-up reminders to non-responders. Follow-up reminders are an effective method to increase participation as they can prompt non-responders to take the action they may have postponed. On the contrary, increasing the length of the survey usually leads to a higher dropout rate, closing the survey immediately would not solve the issue of low response, and removing open-ended questions, while possibly beneficial in certain contexts, doesn't directly address the issue of non-response.
Another tactic that can be quite effective is to offer incentives to respondents or simplify the overall process of survey completion. Furthermore, ensuring that the survey is mobile-friendly and sending the follow-ups at a different time of day or week could also help boost response rates. These efforts combined can improve the chances that recipients will engage with the survey.