We often hear the age-old question, “What do people really want?”
The answer is simple: ask them!
Surveys are indispensable in obtaining data to develop effective strategies and discover possible solutions for a wide variety of research topics. Surveys collect data that is representative of the group being surveyed, allowing researchers to make informed decisions or draw conclusions. Surveys provide a critical source of data and insights for everyone engaged in the information economy, from businesses to media, to government and academics. Through a well-designed survey strategy, we can acquire information that gives us a competitive edge and enables us to stay ahead of the curve. Checkout our other post, 10 Things to Consider When Designing a Survey.
To create a successful survey, it’s essential to craft questions that are clear, concise, and unbiased, avoiding leading or loaded questions that could influence the answers. Make sure to refer to our other post, Asking the Right Questions to learn the best techniques that will get you results.
What types of surveys are there?
Face-to-face surveys
Telephone surveys
Self-administered paper and pencil surveys
Self-administered computer surveys (online surveys)
While surveys vary widely in how they’re conducted, there are a number of common components. Many of these features have been studied in extensive detail by survey methodologists, psychologists, statisticians, and in many other fields of research.
BENEFITS OF USING AN ONLINE SURVEY
There are several benefits to online surveys over more traditional methods, such as paper surveys, and not just because of the money you can save.
The advantages of taking surveys online are endless. This method allows you to collect information from a large number of people in a concise time. Since surveys are currently a commonly used tool, they have managed to delve into different sectors such as government agencies, universities, non-profit organizations, etc.
When you take surveys online, you get several advantages over traditional methods. To understand the concept more elaborately, let take a closer look at the key benefits of using an online survey.
Here are a few of the key benefits you should consider:
Faster responses mean more responses
Unlike paper surveys that require you to wait for responses to be posted back, answers from an online survey can be gathered automatically. Survey respondents are likely to respond faster to your online survey too, because they can be completed with a few clicks. Respondents prefer receiving the survey over email. Ease of participation dramatically increases as the respondents can choose a suitable time and place to register their responses according to their convenience
Cost effective
Online questionnaires are significantly cheaper than traditional surveys. You don’t have to spend money on postage. And you don’t need the same resources and time to input responses on paper questionnaires into your database.
Online surveys are more accurate
Paper surveys have a higher margin for error because answers given via paper forms need to be input manually into your system to be analyzed. According to a study, human intervention increases the margin of error by 10%. With an online survey maker it decreases the margin of error due to answers being entered directly into your system.
Respondents can be flexible and honest
According to a study, researchers have found increased participation by respondents when deployed with online surveys rather than answering lengthy questions. By designing questionnaires that ask relevant questions, respondents are honest with their answers and can skip some questions, while jumping to others, to create more neutral options and increasing their flexibility to respond.
Real-time analysis with every response
Survey data collection is much faster online because you don’t have to spend time manually re-entering responses from paper forms into your system, meaning you get real-time analysis of your data that can be broken down and interpreted much quicker. This has never been more true with Surveyor being supported by Salesforce platforms. NPS and CSAT metrics are readily available with every survey submission.
Wide range of audience
Online surveys can be accessed by anyone, anywhere. This removes the limitations associated with paper surveys that need to be distributed by hand or post. Suddenly, you can conduct more comprehensive research at scale, getting a better understanding of your chosen topic or study globally.
Online surveys have now become the most widely used survey data collection method. The survey response online is very high compared to other research options. A wide variety of advanced and straightforward question types are available in online surveys. With online surveys the data collection and data analysis are now structured and easy to manage. The management of data collection has never been better with Surveyor now being supported by the advanced application of Salesforce software.
Why create surveys using a survey tool?
It’s easy to create a follow-up or new survey with digital software. Digital software can save your organization time and money thanks to lower setup and administrative costs. It’s more convenient for the customer or respondent because they can take the survey on whichever digital device is most convenient for them (tablet, computer, mobile device, etc). It’s also more convenient for you, as you just need to send the survey link via email and you’ll have the data in your survey management software as soon as responses come in.
Digital surveys scale, too. You can send a survey to thousands of people and even translate it into multiple languages so a survey respondent can reply with ease (increasing the chance of gaining a reply).
Through the Surveyor survey tool, you can get answers to your most important marketing, branding, customer, and product questions. This online survey software can handle everything from simple customer feedback questionnaires to detailed research projects.
You can also leverage listening survey tools to capture feedback from more than 125 data sources, including online reviews and social media sites. Then, manage your data from the survey platform to break down silos, understand customers, and run targeted research.
Furthermore, with drag-and-drop simplicity — even for the most advanced surveys — you can create questionnaires that fit your exact purpose, and utilize built-in intelligence (powered by Salesforce) to get higher-quality data.
Surveyor plus Salesforce puts all the information at your fingertips, making it easy for you to access, measure, and examine data that are critical to your organization — and its success — without you having to jump between systems.