American cars of the fifties

What do you think are the best car names of all time?

This weeks survey is on car names.

While some car manufactures make life simple for themselves by giving their cars names made up of model numbers others look for the perfect name, one that will stand the test of time and complement the cars design.

From the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost to the Porsche Boxster, the mighty AC Cobra to every boys dream car the Lamborghini Diablo which, from our shortlist, are your favourite names?

Register your vote here Car Name Survey

What Market Research will tell you

We recently discussed why market research was important and here we explain what you can learn from having conducting effective market research.

Know your customers – Market research will help you better understand your customers in a number of ways including their age, gender and geographic spread. The better you know your customer the easier it to target your marketing and fine tune your product or service.

Who are your existing customers and where do they live?

Who are your potential customers and where do they live?

Know your competition – Market Research will help you measure your service compared to others. What are the strengths and weaknesses of your business and are you improving in the areas that customers demand?

Do you have the products or services that people want?

Do you represent value for money?

How does your business compare to that of your competitors?

Ease of doing business – Do your customers find it easy to deal with you and so they find what they want? Is there sufficient advice and assistance on hand?

Do you make it easy for your customers to buy?

Are your employees properly trained?

Marketing – Is your marketing reaching the right people and is the marketing message clear and effective. Which marketing channels should you focus on and which, if any, should you drop?

Is your marketing message understood?

Does your marketing properly represent your brand?

Do you advertise through the right channels?

Are you reaching the right people?

Future Trends – Attitudes change and fads come and go and good market research will allow you to spot the changes in trends and attitudes. Don't get stuck holding the baby and instead be first to market.

Are you able to spot new trends?

Are you able to detect the early signs of decline in current trends that could affect your business?

Spell checking your surveys

Although Survey Galaxy doesn't have a built in spell checker there are a number of browser extensions that are available that will help you check a survey before it is published.

We would recommend ieSpell for Internet Explorer (www.ieSpell.com) or if you are using Firefox Spellbound is a good solution (http://spellbound.sourceforge.net/index).

Monitoring survey response rate

One of the many advantages of online surveys over traditional printed surveys is the ability to monitor the survey response rate in real time and view the latest summary results online.

Survey Galaxy shows statistics that will reports the number of days the survey has been running, the surveys start and end dates as well as the average daily response rate, the total number of responses and the number of completed surveys.

Using the optional Respondent Activity facility you can also view survey responses on a individual basis.

The online summary results will show the results using the latest data in graphical form and will allow you to generate on the fly queries.

Embedding HTML code in your survey

Survey Galaxy allows you to include HTML code in your survey as an unsupported feature but what exactly does unsupported mean?

HTML code is the language that generally allows content be displayed on websites. Simple HTML code can be used to make text bold or italic or both.

The reason that Survey Galaxy allows HTML code but does not support it is because HTML code allows you to do some very clever things so it is a very useful and powerful feature that we feel should be available, but if the HTML coding is written incorrectly it could equally mess up the survey and since we are in the online survey business and not offering HTML programming tutorials we feel that a line has to be drawn.

Basic HTML is very simple, and generally the code is very forgiving so if the coding was incorrect it is unlikely that anything serious would occur - if HTML code is added that prevents the survey from being displayed Survey Galaxy will usually be able to recover the survey on request.

We would encourage people to experiment with some basic HTML or if they want to know how to do a specific action use the Help support option and we will offer some specific guidance.

Choosing the right colours for your surveys

With Survey Galaxy you are able to change the colour of your survey by selecting from a number of standard colour schemes or by creating your own customised colour scheme that can then be saved and used for other surveys.

If you are not trained in graphic design it can often prove difficult in finding colours that work well together and often you may want to use colours that compliment your company brand.

There are a number of websites that will help guide you to choose the right colour scheme such as Colours on the web

Colours on the web has a lot of useful information and by using the colour wizard will allow you to enter a specific colour and return colours are both complimentary to the colour selected and those colours that are contrasting.

Is Steve McQueen Cool?

Who is film's king of cool?

Cool is difficult to define but we generally know it when we see it.

Who do you think is the coolest actor of all time? This weeks public survey gives you a short list of twenty actors that qualify for a cool rating.

Are you more taken with the swashbuckling antics of Errol Flynn or does Tom Cruise personify cool for you? Is the quirky Bill Murray cool or is it all about the moodiness of James Dean?

Choose your coolest actor and rate their finest films.

Coolest Actor Ever Survey

Finding your survey respondents

Once you have created your online survey and published it to the Internet you will want to invite people to participate.

There are a number of methods available to publicise a survey the most popular being a simple link from one or more websites or including the link in emails that are sent to customer, member or employees.

However, there are also online/offline methods such as including the survey link in newsletters, flyers or displaying on notice boards or through public media channels such as a radio announcement.

Often the survey subject and purpose will dictate the best method to use.

Survey Galaxy's Template Library

Survey Galaxy's template library brings speed and ease to creating surveys. The library is split into System, Personal and Account libraries.

To create a library document from an existing survey, first copy the source survey.

Specify when copying that the Survey Type is to be Library, either Personal or if applicable Account.

[The System library is maintained by Survey Galaxy although users may request using the online help facility for additions to be considered for inclusion in the system library].

Edit the survey so that it contains only the items that you want to use in other surveys and then save the modified survey.

A powerful feature of the library is that a template does not need to be used in its entirety so you can include optional items within a template. (i.e. you could have a number of different age groups to suit a number of different surveys).

Once the survey has been created in one of the Libraries you will then be able to import any number of the library items into any survey that you are creating or modifying by using the 'Import from template library' option.

Once imported the items can be tailored in the same way as any other item.

What is a Private survey?

Survey Galaxy's Private surveys are surveys that are created by private individuals who then control who they wish to invite to respond to the survey.

When a private survey is published the publisher is informed of the unique URL that the published survey is allocated.

The publisher may then pass on the URL information to invited respondents or use it to establish a link to the URL from another site.For a private survey only the publisher will be entitled to see the results and have the option to purchase the detailed information, respondents are not able to view the results, unless permission is granted by the publisher.

Prior to publishing, Private surveys are not checked by Survey Galaxy for content but the publisher must abide by the guidelines as described in the sites general terms and conditions.

Why Market Research is important

Benefits of Market Research

Market research is an essential part of any business that wants to offer products or services that are focussed and well targeted.

Business decisions that are based on good intelligence and good market research can minimise risk and pay dividends.

By making market research part and parcel of the business process and conducting market research throughout the lifecycle of a product or service market research will bring the following benefits:-

Market research will help you better communicate. - Your current customers experiences are a valuable information source, not only will they allow you to gauge how well you currently meet their expectations they can also tell you where you are getting things right and more importantly where you are getting things wrong.

By asking the customer you not only show them that you care but you also take the guess work out of customer services.

Market research helps you identify opportunities. - Planning to operate a new service and want to know the preconceived attitudes people have then market research can help, not only in evaluating the potential for a new idea, but also by identify the areas where a marketing message needs to honed.

Market research will minimise risk. - Market research can help shape a new product or service, identifying what is needed and ensure that the development of a product is highly focused towards demand.

Market research creates benchmarks and helps you measure your progress. - Unless you measure you may not be able to gauge how well your business is performing. Early research may highlight glaring holes in your service or short falls in your product, regular market research will show if improvements are being made and, if positive, will help motivate a team.

What is a Public Survey?

Survey Galaxy operates a free public survey area, but what is a public survey?

To qualify as a public survey a survey must be of a non-commercial nature, fairly small in size and on a topic that is open and of general interest to the general public.

Public surveys are often for fun or on a topical issue.

A condition of a public survey is that the online summary results will be available to anyone who participates in the survey and the detailed results are available and can be purchased by anyone.

Unlike private surveys all public surveys carry the Survey Galaxy logo and their subject and content will go through an approval process before being published.

To view and participate in the public surveys visit the public area at http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublic.asp

Members can choose to be on the respondent register where they will be notified of public surveys as they are published.

George Galloway appearing before the Senate Sub-committee on investigations

George Galloway v US Sub-Committee on Investigations

George Galloway was little known outside the United Kingdom but had his day in front of the worlds press when he appeared before the US Senate Sub-Committee on investigations.

The United Nations-backed oil-for-food scheme enabled Saddam Hussein to export oil to pay for essential humanitarian aid to help the Iraqi people cope with UN sanctions imposed in 1991.

The Senate sub-committee on investigations publicly alleged that Mr Galloway received options to buy barrels of Iraqi oil as a reward for supporting Saddam Hussein by selling the vouchers at below market prices to favoured parties, who were able to sell them on at profit.

The Senate committee's report also accused former French minister Charles Pasqua of receiving oil rights from Iraq, something he also has vehemently denied.

Mr Galloway is a controversial British Member of Parliament and flew to Washington to appear before the Senate committee to answer their accusations.

Take part in this weeks public survey to register your view of Mr Galloway

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1735

Maintenance

We are performing a lot of maintenance on the website today, we are introducing some new features and hope to make a formal announcement soon. We apologise for any inconvenience this will cause.

New Rules for Online Surveys and Questionnaires

Online survey websites bring a new dimension to designing and deploying surveys when compared to the more traditional printed survey.

When trying an online survey service for the first time it is common to want to design surveys in the same way as you would for a printed survey. Although this is not a problem there are times where the unique features and benefits of the online survey often means that the traditional methods are not always best practice.

With printed questionnaires you are very much in the lap of the God’s as to whether those that participate in the survey complete the survey correctly. Questions that ask “please tick only one box” will often results in multiple ticks and it is therefore safe to reason that a “tick all that apply” type question is likely to suffer the same logic in reverse.

How do you ensure questions are not missed by participant and how do you differentiate between those that were missed and those that were deliberately not answered? With online surveys you have the ability to address these questions.

This article looks at the ‘online’ advantage over the printed questionnaire – and will also discuss a few general guidelines that will help you write effective surveys and questionnaires regardless of how they are to be deployed.

Branching

In a questionnaire 'branching' is the term used when the respondent is asked a question and based on their answer they are then asked a follow up question or asked to skip to later question.

Although a requirement in some situations branching in many cases can be eliminated altogether and the questionnaire streamlined and made more 'respondent friendly'.

Take the following example:-

The above is an extreme example of branching. The respondents are having to think, and even where the survey software supports an automatic branching facility it introduces a needless level of complexity.

The following demonstrates how this question could be just as easily re-phrased.

This second question/answer format covers all possible permutations, simplifies the survey and ensures that all respondents follow the same clear path.


Scale


Possibly to help simplify the design of printed survey a scale was often used as a way to rate a particular response.

For example:-

With online surveys in particular you can eliminate the need to have a scale as the composing tool will automatically format the headings for you.

This second approach is more intuitive for the respondents as they don’t have to mentally translate their opinion into a scale and it also allows for the introduction of an important additional category ‘No comment/Didn’t attend’.

Subjective Responses

Care should be used when using units of measure that are subjective. Take the following example.

Although all respondents should have no problem answering the above question it will be unclear when analysing the results as to what were the individual definitions of ‘Not very often’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Often’. Some respondents may have interpreted ‘Sometimes’ as meaning once a year, others once a month.

When using units of measurement that can be subjective it is better to qualify your own interpretation to ensure that all participants respond using the same
scale.

Making Questions Mandatory or Voluntary


Unlike a printed questionnaire with an online survey you have the option to make questions mandatory, i.e. where the respondent must respond to a particular question before moving on to the next question. When analysing the results it is always better to have had a positive response than to have no response.

It is often a common assumption that to make a questionnaire more ‘respondent friendly’ then it is good practice to make all questions voluntary. However, providing the respondent with a positive 'No comment' option will show the participant that you appreciate that they may not wish to answer a particular question but will also ensure that the survey results can be properly analysed.


When a response to a question is made voluntary an unanswered question is more difficult to analyse.

The following is an example that might be taken from a delegate feedback questionnaire with the question being made voluntary.

With the above format there is no way of knowing from unanswered questions if the respondent didn't answer intentionally, if they accidentally missed the question or if they dropped out of the survey completely.

A better method would be to make the question mandatory and to add additional options:-

This will ensure that all respondents are canvassed and that incomplete surveys can be identified as being incomplete and not confused with those respondents who did not wish to comment or who did not attend the film.

When analysing the success of a survey it is useful to be able to see if respondents failed to complete a survey and where they dropped out; was it prompted by a particular question or the length of the survey? Such information can be used to improve the design of future surveys.

There are some question/response formats that should not be made mandatory. For example:-

As a rule the above type of question should not be mandatory as a ‘no response’ would in this context be a valid answer.


The following example of a check box should not be mandatory as a 'no response' would again be valid:-

However, there are many advantages in modifying it slightly so that it can be made mandatory.

Free Text

Questions that require a free text response, that is where the respondent is not asked to choose from a list of possible replies but able to write any response they like, should be used sparingly.

There are some questions where free text is essential for example requesting contact numbers and email address.

However, take the following example:-

This type of question is likely to get responses that are in units of years, months, days and weeks, as well as miscellaneous comments such as ‘A few years’, ‘Not long’.

If this information is important for analysis it would make that analysis very difficult, the larger the volume of respondents the more difficult the analysis.

The above question would be better as radio buttons:-

Here in designing the questionnaire a decision has been made as to what criteria is to be used when analysing the data and the format has now made this analysis automatic by grouping the respondents into those chosen categories.

Designing the Questionnaire

When designing an online questionnaire you do not need to start at the beginning. For example if your survey contains standard demographic questions at the start of the survey such as name, age and place of residence you can leave these until you have finalised the body of the survey and then add them at the last minute.

This allows you to focus on the main purpose of the survey and keeps the survey lean so that manipulating the survey, changing the order of the questions, modifying the text is both easier and quicker.

Using Survey Galaxy’s template library you can store common series of questions and available responses and add them in the final stages of designing your survey.

Keep in mind that many of the restraints imposed when designing printed questionnaires such as page length, page width and numbering are not present, or are fully automated, with online surveys.

Survey Galaxy Console

Survey Galaxy have made available a console program that that when installed will create a Survey Galaxy program icon allowing easy access to the Survey Galaxy website direct from the desktop or Program Start menu.

The Console Program is free of charge and available for download either from the Survey Galaxy website’s Information Page or through one of the many free program download websites.

Further details and system requirements are available by clicking on the following link.

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/info.asp?action=tConsole

The Webmaster's Assistant

There are many tools available to a webmaster to analyse website traffic allowing them to monitor the number of visitors, see what pages have been accessed and even the length of time each visitors spends accessing the website.


However, despite the considerable data available what is missing is anything to tell the webmaster what the visitor was thinking. Did they like or dislike the site? Was the layout easy to understand or just plain confusing? Did they find it easy to navigate and maybe the most important thing, did they find the information they wanted?


A website may be generating sales but why are some people that visit the website not buying anything? Was it because they didn't like what was being offered or they couldn't find what they wanted?


Website surveys provide webmasters with an excellent and accurate method of answering these types of questions. Direct feedback from the website visitors cuts to the chase, no need to guess, just ask the visitors themselves how they found the site and if they found what they were looking for.


With an online survey webmasters can find out:-


How often do people visit the website?

How did they arrive at the website?

Are they accessing the website for business or pleasure?

Did they find the information they were looking for?

How easy did they find navigating the website?

Would they recommend the website to others?



A good website survey will be brief and will gather information that once analysed will provide valuable information to help improve the website.


Another alternative to a traditional survey is to embed one or two survey questions within the website after specific procedures. For example at the end of the registration process the visitor can be asked if they found the procedure quick and easy; after ordering an item they could be asked if they found the ordering procedure and payment methods to their liking. To ensure that the questions don't become repetitive to regular visitors the website can be programmed so that the questions are only asked once per registered user.


Website surveys take the mystery out of working out what visitors think of a website and using online survey websites such as www.SurveyGalaxy.com they are quick and easy to design and once implemented will really become the webmaster's assistant.

To see a sample website survey please follow this link:-


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1182

Tony Blair and Gordon Brown 

Despite winning a third term the knives are out for Tony Blair

With the United Kingdoms election over labour were returned to power but with the smallest winning share of the vote ever recorded.

With a vastly reduced majority and with both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats making significant advances at Labour's cost, the labour celebrations were mixed and disenchanted Labour MP's have wasted no time in pressing the case for a new leader.

Prior to the election Tony Blair announced this would be his last term as Prime Minister but will he go on his terms, or do you expect him to follow the fate of Margaret Thatcher and be ousted by his own party?

Is is a forgone conclusion that Gordon Brown will replace Tony Blair or is there a chance that after waiting so long in the wings Gordon Brown will loose out on the top job to Jack Shaw, Robin Cook or someone else?

Have your say in this weeks public survey

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1697

Why Passenger Surveys are a Transport Operators Best Friend

Public transport operators who already use passenger surveys may not fully appreciate the multiple benefits that surveys can bring. Not only are surveys an efficient method of market research that will help identify areas of passenger dissatisfaction, they are also perfect for measuring the effects of improvements and can, at the same time, help promote new initiatives to customers using the service.


Establishing a Starting Point


When embarking on any change management programme it is always good practice to establish a base line before any changes are made. This baseline survey can serve four purposes, it will:-


• allow the proper targeting of investment

• allow measurement of the effect of change

• assist in the moral of those implementing change

• ensure that new issues are kept separate from the original plan and budget


Targeting Investment



There are many areas of any public transport system that can cause passenger dissatisfaction all of which need to be monitored to ensure that the service being provided meets, and where possible, exceeds, performance level targets.


Issues that can be of concern to passenger include:-
• safety and security
• punctuality
• fares and ticket types
• capacity and overcrowding
• quality and design of vehicle
• cleanliness
• facilities at stations and terminals
• facilities for passengers with disabilities


Often limited resources and budgets means that investment needs to be carefully planned and properly targeted.


Passenger surveys allow operators to identify those areas that are of most concern to their customers. Through the analysis of passenger feedback the operator will be able to ensure that their improvement and investment plans are inline with passenger demands and concerns. Issues can be classified into high and low priority, as well as long and short term plans.


Some capital investment such as the building of new terminals, runways, laying new track or upgrading air traffic control or rail signalling equipment may take years to implement. However, the initial survey is also likely to identify some high profile areas that can be implemented almost immediately at a relative low cost.


Measuring Change


From having established a comprehensive programme from an initial survey the objectives for running periodic surveys are twofold.


One objective will be to ensure that the changes and initiatives that are implemented have been effective in addressing passenger issues. A second objective will be to promote and advertise the initiatives that have been implemented and also inform and educate passengers of ongoing improvements and future plans.


Passengers will always be more positive if they can see that improvements have been made and more accepting of outstanding problems if they know that those problems are being addressed.


Keeping Moral


Those implementing change can often develop a siege mentality. Change can take time to take effect and for the passengers to appreciate any improvement.


By monitoring passenger opinion and measuring the results against earlier surveys a successful change programme should see passenger issues change over time, some issues that were problems will no longer be raised.


Passengers will take time to appreciate progress and often those working on a change project will be demoralised with constant criticism from what is often a negative public. It is important that a team implementing change can see clearly the effects of their efforts.


Identifying New and Old


In any long term change management programme issues can change over time. Events can happen that make what was important, no longer important and what wasn't an issue, an issue.


The baseline survey will ensure that the passengers concerns are chronologically documented. Passengers are themselves an evolving group, individual travel arrangements change, fashion changes, life styles develop along with technology. Periodic surveys will allow changes in passenger attitudes to be monitored.


Online Surveys Make It Easy


Online surveys can reach a broad cross section of any travelling public. They are quick to design and implement and they provide feedback in a format that is ready for detailed analysis. The low cost and flexibility of online surveys allows passenger concern to be targeted at specific groups and particular concerns.


Online surveys provide operators with important market research data as well as a platform to promote and advertise their commitment to passenger satisfaction.


Passengers benefit by having an effective channel to raise issues and through periodic surveys will begin to appreciate that the operator is continually investing and improving the service. The following are links to samples of Passenger Surveys


Sample Passenger Survey for an Airline Carrier


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1166


Passenger Survey for a Train Operator


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1170


Sample Passenger Survey for a Bus Operator


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1167

Why Employee Satisfaction Surveys and Employee Exit Surveys make good sense

An employers' most valuable asset is their employees. Learn how online surveys can improve communication between employer and employee and how potential problems can be nipped in the bud.

In a competitive world with the need for businesses to be more streamlined and productive a company can often find itself with a workforce working under pressure resulting in low moral and high staff turnover. The benefits of a company having a highly motivated workforce can be considerable and the two goals of having a workforce that is both motivated and productive should not be regarded as being mutually exclusive to one another.


Left unattended employers run the risk of alienating their employees, events can cause employee frustrations to boil over resulting in employers finding themselves on the back foot, faced with a problem that cannot be ignored.


Ideally employers would take time to understand the needs of their employees and learn from their experiences of working on the front line, but employers are often themselves tied up day to day fighting their own fires.


By automating much of the intelligence gathering process and providing the findings in a format that can be readily analysed online surveys provide employers with an efficient, effective and low cost method to help achieve a pleasant working environment, where staff satisfaction and productivity is high.


Dissatisfied & Unproductive


The are many reasons why employees may be dissatisfied with their job and more often than not staff frustration is channelled into a demand for higher salaries and less hours. Employers who tackle these issues head on, making it all about salary and hours, will often find themselves dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause.


It's not about Money


The following are common barriers to achieving productivity, none of which are likely to be resolved by increasing salaries or reducing hours:-


• Inadequate training

• Out of touch management

• Out of date working methods

• Lack of proper tools and equipment


Many studies have shown that salaries are rarely the number one priority of employees and providing an employer is paying market rate they would be fundamentally wrong to think that paying higher salaries is the answer to all employee problems.


Take the case of a single mother who is juggling a full time job with the need to look after two children. Out of frustration she may demand more money so that she feels that she is able to cope where a better solution, for both her and the company, may be more flexible working hours.


It is About Communication


It is important for any company to encourage communication. Company's that make communication between personnel and management difficult, or take the view that if personnel have a problem they will say something, can often delude themselves into thinking their workforce is content when it is not. It only takes one small problem and one disgruntled employee to feel aggrieved for an entire workforce to develop a destructive 'them and us' attitude.


Improving Communication


One to one meetings between employer and employee would be ideal but in practice only practical for very small businesses.


Regular meetings between management and worker representatives are good in theory but they often become talking shops and can begin to loose their edge as the participants become familiar with one another and the forum runs the risk of being hijacked by the more extrovert personalities.


Suggestion boxes are useful but can be viewed as token efforts by management as they wait for personnel to highlight a problem.


Newsletters can be a positive step, but their purpose is generally to inform and not discuss issues.


Keeping the Initiative


An employee satisfaction survey run on a regular basis is able to ask each employee specific questions and represents a pro-active management initiative where the whole workforce can be consulted on various issues. Surveys are able to provide a level playing field between the quieter and more vocal employees.


Consultation should not be seen as a sign of weakness, a confident manager will take counsel from all quarters before making a decision. By issuing a survey and keeping the initiative the employer is able to tackle problems from a position of strength as opposed to waiting for problems to fester and then develop out of proportion.


Small problems left unresolved can lead to a situation where a minor problem might break the camels back and the workforce mood change from positive to negative over night.


It's Quick and Easy


For the majority of companies online surveys represent a proactive and low cost solution. They are quick to design and for many companies, where the majority of personnel have desktop computers, they are quick to deploy direct to the individual.


In situations where individuals do not have personal access to a computer there are still many options available to implement the online survey solution such as giving access to a shared computer, operator input or, as a last resort, a hardcopy survey.


Job Satisfaction


There are many elements that go towards providing an employee with job satisfaction, from the working environment, working methodology, working ethos, company ethics to having good and effective management. Job satisfaction brings benefits through improved motivation and productivity from a workforce that feels that they are treated as individuals and not a commodity item.


Inform and Educate


An online survey can also be used to educate and pass on to the workforce important information, the 'message' is consistently delivered and does not suffer from the Chinese whisper phenomenon where a message can be distorted as it is handed down.

An online survey can explain a difficult situation and get valuable feedback from the employees as to the best solution. It is rare in this situation that the workforce would appear negative and more likely that they will feel informed and empowered that might in itself turn a potentially negative problem into a positive challenge that unites the workforce.


Exit Surveys


Exit surveys are an excellent way of ensuring that when personnel leave an organisation they are leaving for the right reasons and not due to reasons that if appreciated earlier could have been addressed and resolved by management. Although identifying a problem may not prevent a person leaving it could solve an unappreciated issue that may, if left unchecked, result in other key personnel also leaving.


Analysing the Results


Having consulted the workforce with an online survey the results are available for instant analysis. Common and specific problems can be easily identified and brought to the attention of senior management who will then have the opportunity to address the issues that have been raised.


Summary


Used regularly online surveys represent a simple and productive method of taking the pulse of an organisation and an easy way to establish a two way communication channel between employer and employee with the results providing management with vital, accurate and significant information.


For a Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1163


For a sample Employee Exit survey


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1165

Polling and campaigning made easier using online surveys

Whether campaigning for government, a local chapter or for election to the school council online surveys are the easy and effective election tool that will benefit any campaign. Use surveys to discover more about the electorate, to identifying the issues that really concern them so that each campaign can be tailored to reach the hearts and minds of the voters.


Objective


For any survey it is important to decide from the beginning what the objective of the survey is and when considering conducting a survey in support of a particular candidate consider if the purpose of the survey is to discover what the 'issues' are; or is the survey to be used to promote the candidates image and policies?


In many cases objectives will be in line with the different phases of an election process.


Pre-Campaign


Before campaigning begins a survey is an ideal method to canvass the voters and to determine what the important issues are likely to be. To gain a wider response across the whole political spectrum the survey will preferably be conducted through an independent channel so that people's opinion of a particular candidate does not influence the research.


For a political survey it is essential that the demographics of those surveyed are established as different groups are likely to have both common and varied views. With demographic information there is an opportunity to establish what the main issues are by age group, by income and by gender; do people who rent have the same concerns as those that own their own homes?


A pre-campaign survey will be able to monitor the mood of the voters. Some may, if asked, even indicate who they are likely to vote for in a future election. By listening to the electorate a campaign can be planned better and will allow printed and oral marketing to be properly targeted at the issues that people want addressed.


For candidates that appear out of step with the electorate surveys can provide a measure of how much effort will be required, and in what areas, so that people are convinced and change their views.


Campaign survey


During a campaign an online survey is an effective way to market a candidate's position. Tradition methods of leafleting rely on the recipient reading and taking onboard the message. Leaflets are a one way marketing effort and more often than not dismissed and discarded along with other 'junk mail'.


Consider on the other hand an online survey that can phrase questions such as:-


Do you support candidate Jones's pledge to cut the budget deficit in half to $250 billion over four years; and to reintroduce budget rules capping spending?


To answer this question the respondent has to engage mentally with the survey by reading and then considering the statement before forming an opinion. Because the respondent is able to express their view they are also more likely going to consider the argument. An online survey is not only able to deliver an important policy statement but will also allow the campaign team to monitor the level of support that the candidate has on specific issues.


With the new breed of online survey web sites generators such as www.SurveyGalaxy.com multiple online surveys can be created and published in minutes making it feasible to target specific groups on specific issues. There is no longer a need to devise a 'one size fits all' survey. Surveys that promote policies that are aimed at retired voters can be sent to retired voters, while younger people can be sent surveys that promote the candidates policy on issues that are only important to them.


Using the pre-campaign survey data the 'undecided voter' can be targeted and engaged, with perhaps the opposition's policy being used to highlight the benefit of voting for a candidate.


Do you support the opposition's plans that will reduce the tax burden for high earners and result in middle income families paying more tax?


A well written campaign survey will promote the candidate, measure opinion and monitor how effective the campaign is. Online surveys allow this to be done with considerable ease, they are extremely cost effectively and allow the results to be analysed on the fly.


Comparison


Compare the benefits of online surveys over other forms of campaigning such as door to door and telephone canvassing, leafleting, advertising and personal appearances.


If not already, the Internet is fast becoming the primary method of communication for both business and personal use and provides direct access to a broad cross section of any voting population.


Through the use of email, websites and search engine advertising online surveys are able to target a large proportion of a population at a fraction of the price compared to traditional marketing methods. With the online surveys ability to provide market research, marketing and education there is no other single form of marketing that is as cost effective and versatile.


With the speed of deployment being measured in hours and minutes, not weeks and day, online surveys are able to deliver a flexible and dynamic campaign message keeping pace with the political mood that can change on the basis of a single comment or headline.


With each survey's demographic data a campaign is able to accurately and instantly measure the scale of success in terms of the number of 'messages' delivered, the target group and, based on the results, the effectiveness of the online survey marketing campaign.

Making customer satisfaction surveys work

Why bother?


Good customer service is the life blood of any business. Although new customers are important good customer service will help generate customer loyalty and repeat business. With each satisfied customer your business is likely to win many more customers through recommendations and remember, if you are not taking care of your customers, your competition will.


A Customer Satisfaction survey will help you not only identify problem areas but will also demonstrate to your customers that you care and are proactive in looking for ways to improve the service that you provide.


Where to start?


Objective - Before you start compiling your survey you should first consider what the objectives of the survey are, in that way you will remain focused and find it easier to decide what questions to ask.


Analysis - In addition to the objective consider also how you will analyse the answers having completed the survey. Keep in mind that 'closed' questions (where the respondent is asked to choose from a limited number of responses) are easier to analyse than 'open' questions (where the respondent can reply in anyway they want). Much will depend on the volume of respondents, the higher the volume the more important it is to have an easy method of analysing the results.


Opportunity – Keep in mind that as well as obtaining valuable market research data customer surveys are also a good way to publicise aspects of your service that your customers may not be aware of. After you have drafted your survey read through the survey from a market research view point and check that you are asking the right questions in the right way and that with the feedback information you will be able to make informed decisions. Then, read through the survey from a marketing view point, check that you have phrased each question so that every opportunity has been taken to promote your business? The ideal question will perform the following three functions:-


Market research - provide valuable feedback to help you improve your customer satisfaction levels and in turn your business

Marketing - promote aspects of your business

Information/Education - advertise a service that you provide that your customers may not have been unaware of


For example:- Do you find the in-store baby changing facilities useful?


By asking this question not only will the store receive good feedback on the facility they provide but they will also advertise their baby changing facilities and promote themselves as a family friendly store beyond those customers who have a specific need for the facility provided.


Warts and all – to benefit most from a customer survey you need to be prepared to dig deep and accept the worst. A customer satisfaction survey should be designed to highlight problems so that they can be addressed; regular customer satisfaction will prevent complacency and will also give early warning on where your competitors initiatives may be loosing you business.


What to ask?


Although each business is likely to have specific and unique factors that are important in providing good customer services there are common areas that are relevant to all businesses be they a physical store, Internet based or a service industry. The following are some key areas to providing good customer service.


Communication - Do you make it easy for the customer to communicate with you? When a customer telephones is the phone answered promptly; are enquiries about products or services properly handled? A good business will make every effort to ensure that whatever the customers query it is resolved by the right person, quickly, politely and fairly. If a problem is not resolvable immediately do you promise to respond in a given time period and do you deliver on your promise? Use a customer satisfaction survey to confirm that all your staff are perceived by your customers as being helpful, courteous and knowledgeable.


Location – Do your customers find it easy to visit you, if a physical store, is it conveniently located with good access?


Making it pleasant, making it easy - For a virtual business it is important to ensure that your website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use. Physical store or website, is the store properly laid out, can your customers find what they need and is there sufficient information and help on hand to explain how a particular product works?


The right quality products – Not only should you measure the quality of the service that you provide but you should check that the products and services that you market are what the customer wants and closely match their expectations.


Value for money – Cheap or expensive is not always a good measure, value of money is. Do your customers equate your business with value for money, if not, why not?


Speed and attention – No matter what the business, the majority of customers will want to be dealt with quickly but attentively. Are you doing everything you can to avoid delays? Good businesses will try to treat each customer as an individual, does yours? Attention is one thing but this has to be hand- in-hand with a quick and satisfactory resolution of the query.


Demographics and Specific issues – Take the opportunity to profile your customers, for example where do they live and what is their age group? The more you try to understand your customers the better you will be able to target your business. Within the survey allow customers to highlight specific problems and provide contact details.


What next?


Having completed the survey analyse the results.


Trends – Look for common and specific areas where the service is failing. Ask yourself if the criticism is valid and is there anything that can be done to resolve or minimise the problem?


Training – Are the staff properly trained and do they have sufficient knowledge? Where staff training programmes have been implemented have they had a positive impact on the business?


Follow-up –If a customer who has completed a survey has raised a specific issue ensure that they are contacted and their complaint addressed. Don't loose an opportunity to resolve a problem and keep a customer.


Continuously Monitor - Make-changes and then measure by issuing further surveys.


The following sample customer satisfaction survey for a store demonstrates some of the areas discussed please visit:-


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1140

Relevancy - the new black for online marketing?

Information Overload


With information overload rapidly killing traditional forms of online advertising - today the key to effective marketing is relevancy.


Smaller businesses with a niche or limited product range are more often than not focused by default but for the larger company with a diverse product range the 'all things to all men' approach to advertising is becoming less and less effective.


Monthly newsletters may have worked in the past but with the online marketing juggernaut churning out newsletters after newsletter along with countless other marketing material the newsletter is loosing its punch.


With over zealous spam filters and the sheer weight of marketing material it is not enough that a newsletter is well written and well presented it has to be wanted, and to be wanted it has to be relevant.


How confident can a newsletter editor be that if a subscriber did not receive their regular copy that the subscriber would look to see why; how confident can anyone be that the subscriber would even notice?


For the larger supplier who has a diverse product range the websites and newsletter has to become 'intelligent' and move away from the 'these are the answers to everyone's problems' and develop the individually customised websites and newsletters that says 'these are the answers to your specific needs'.


Adding intelligence


To achieve high relevancy companies need to be able to accurately profile their customers and likely to be at the heart of a high relevancy marketing initiative will be a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.


Along with demographic and personal information such as location, age and gender a good CRM database will also store the customer's lifestyle preferences and build up an individual picture of each customer's likes and dislikes.


Amazon is one such company that has led the way with website relevancy and with their 'one stop' shopping philosophy and vast range of stock it is easy to see why it makes sense for them to highlight to each individual consumer what products may be of greatest interest.


Amazon do this by greeting their returning registered users by name and offering recommendations based on previous purchases and profile information that can be further fine tuned by each customer.


A company that builds an effective CRM database with accurate and current information is in a position to develop both on and off line precision marketing.


With good CRM information newsletters can be delivered with the most relevant story first, a simple step that could make the difference between a potential consumer dismissing, or reading, what has been sent.


How to achieve accurate and effective CRM information


The CRM database is a pool of information and the first task for any company wishing to take the CRM approach is to populate the CRM database with quality information. The most obvious starting point is existing customers and the information that has already been collated such as any existing inquiry and ordering processes.


However, although useful ordering and inquiry processes will not on their own fully profile the existing customer and nor will they profile the potential customer.


A good, cost effective method of populating a CRM database is to conduct online surveys and questionnaires where demographic and personal information can be gathered along with lifestyle and general profiling information.


A small incentive may be required to ensure a good response but companies need to take advantage of the human trait where many people are willing to express an opinion. Online surveys can be targeted at the existing customer in the form of customer satisfaction and product evaluation surveys as well as the potential customer in the form of market research, advertising and general promotion.


Using to days breed of online survey websites such as http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com anyone can now generated online surveys on the fly, they are easily adaptable and can be used to react quickly to shifts in the market. Online surveys offer an effect non-passive marketing channel, quite unlike any other form of advertising, where the survey mentally engages the consumer.


Using an online survey websites such as www.SurveyGalaxy.com where the gathered survey information is stored in a database it is a simple task to upload the relevant information into the CRM database.


If the CRM database is the queen bee of any precision targeted marketing campaign then the online survey represents the worker bee, gathering information and delivering the message.


With good CRM information companies are able to reduce their costs by not wasting time sending information to people who have no interest in their product. By keeping their powder dry for when they do have something that a particular consumer will find useful and of interest they will be able to maximise their marketing resource and develop better communication with the consumer.


When it comes to marketing relevancy is undoubtedly the new black.

Encouraging Contact

The small time promoter has to work hard and on a shoestring to get an audience of a few hundred people to fill a venue. Flyers, word-of-mouth and media name checks are some of the tools promoters use to fill small venues or club nights. Building a loyal following from grassroots is no easy task. Considering the amount of effort that can be required to fill even the smallest of venues it is surprising that very few promoters capitalise on their efforts and use the actual event to maximise the opportunity to encourage further audience contact.

With a little thought and small outlay online surveys can be used to provide the promoter with valuable feedback and the opportunity to engage in further contact with the audience. Using an online survey website such as www.surveygalaxy.com a promoter can now quickly and easily create an online survey.

With an online survey a promoter can find out exactly:-

who attended;
what persuaded them;
what they thought of the event;
would they expect to attend again;
would they recommend future events to their friends.


A good way to ensure a good response is to have a supply of business sized cards that are marked clearly with a slogan like "Feedback", "Your opinion counts", "Tell us what you thought". Each card would have a web address pointing either directly to the survey or to a website where a link to the survey can be placed. The cards can be issued at the door with the tickets, or handed out among the audience and being the size of business cards they are small enough to be stuck in a pocket, purse or wallet. It may not even be necessary but a small incentive wouldn't harm the response rate perhaps the chance to win a free guest pass for a future event, a signed CD or T shirt.

Using the results from online surveys the promoter is able to:

Obtain a profile of the audience
Gauge the overall success of the event
Measure the effectiveness of different promotion
Receive feedback on the venue and facilities
Receive feedback on the act
Promote on a one on one basis
Build a targeted database for future events
Build a loyal audience
Link to merchandise and other promotions


Considering the effort that it takes to promote an event and the little extra effort required in using online surveys to encourage further contact and all the immediate and long term benefits that will bring – could it be any easier?

The following example shows the feedback that could be used for a breaking band. It not only gathers valuable feedback, but continues to promote the band, their CD and gives the opportunity to encourage further contact.

www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1533

To view the summary results of the survey:-

www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishResults.asp?survey_id=1533

Market research – how good is the data?

"Make money for taking surveys"," Cash for your opinion", "Make easy money at home".

Everywhere you look there is a company willing to pay people to participate in their surveys. It seems like a win win situation, the participants get paid for providing their opinion, the market research company gets paid for conducting the research and the companies, that fund the research, gathers valuable data.

But, how valuable is that data?

Well run surveys are still vital to those companies who wish to research a market and obtain feedback on particular products or services. Many people are willing to express an opinion, and a small incentive like a chance to win a prize or a small payment is often all that is required to encourage people to give up their time and participate.

For years market research companies have assembled groups of participants into survey pools or survey panels, groups of people willing to provide an opinion on a range of subjects. Often incentives of nominal value were offered as a 'thank you' for the participant's time; however the explosion of 'paid for taking surveys' websites has spawned a new profession - the professional survey participant (PSP).

For companies that are relying on market research generated by panels of PSP's the question they must ask is how flawed is the data that they are relying on? Does the average PSP represent a cross section of society or a niche? What social group do they really belong to and is it smart for a company to base research on groups of people that are willing to comment part time, and sometimes, full time, on anything and everything?

Not all panels should be tarnished with a negative brush after all customer and employee surveys to name just two rely on a survey pool. However, customers and employees are to some degree stakeholders in a company's research, by participating customers will benefit from better products and services, employees will be able to voice concerns and help make improvements to working conditions and methods, more importantly the views of the customer and the employee are valuable. Likewise panels that are made up of hand picked participants chosen for their knowledge, expertise and experience are equally valid and in some cases a necessity.

The panels that should be questioned are those that are assembled by surveys that rely on large volumes of the general public whose motivation for participating is only the reward they will receive, they will often have no knowledge, understanding or interest as to the 'who', 'why' or 'what' of the research that is being carried out.

Research companies that attract either part-time or full time PSP's rarely make any reference about the importance of the research they conduct but instead concentrate on offers of easy money and extra income.

Some survey methods will be more vulnerable than others, the most vulnerable perhaps being the online surveys itself. Company's that use PSP research data have to ask themselves how many surveys would it take for each PSP to realise that the more surveys they take the more cash or other incentives they receive. Will they after completing three or four surveys even think about the question or just click on any random response?

Although telephone surveys and focus groups will be less prone to the problem of people responding in a random or unconsidered manner with each telephone survey they take, and focus group they attend, they are becoming less like a member of the general public and more like a professional respondent.

A survey can have many purposes and not all surveys are conducted with a view to being impartial and fair. Like a tobacco company that funds research into the effects of nicotine, the findings can be manipulated to reinforce a particular line of argument. Panels and PSP's have their place but if a company is relying on good and accurate market research data – beware the survey panel!

Alternative Treatments

Alternative Medicine anyone?

This weeks public survey on Survey Galaxy is related to alternative medicine. What are your views on this subject, do you find it all a lot of mubo jumbo or do you think that some alternative therapy's may be better than mainstream medicine?

Participate in our free survey and register your view.

http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1687

Want to start a publishing revolution?

Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It's time to breathe more life into your copy. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate, get closer to your readers and engage their mind and soul - we're talking revolution.


As it was in the beginning


Publishers have for many years relied on letters to get feedback from their readers and although email has opened up this method of communication it is still time consuming and difficult to process with only a fraction of the received correspondence ever being used.


Let's face it, as well as being an overhead for the publisher, to most people it is an unrewarding medium in terms of effort required and response received, just think of the number of letters that go unpublished and unread.


As it is now


The Internet has brought new channels of communication and has opened up opportunities that allow us to challenge traditional methods. The Internet is now a mature technology, no longer the preserve of the new fad brigade but a technology that has been embraced by a global population, young and old alike and it allows us now to re-evaluate the way things are done. Newspapers, trade journals, magazines and ezines now have the opportunity to change the mental process.


When people read an article they often would like to comment, and historically this has required them to feel strongly enough to put pen to paper; or with the creation of the Internet send an email. Sure emails are easier but it still takes time to craft an email and time for the majority, is what they haven't got. The letters page although interesting are at best a snapshot of comments; a well crafted and well written letter on any given subject may hold the view of the majority, or the minority, as it is a free text medium and difficult to measure.


As it should be


Now consider the advantages of linking articles to online surveys where as a publisher you will have the ability to obtain valuable feedback from your readers and in a form that can be easily measured. Just as important as you communicating with your readers is giving your readers a way to communicate with you where they know it will count.


Want a snapshot of opinion? Did they like that article? Did your readers agree with what was said or do they take the opposite view?


Now it's easy


In the past surveys would have taken considerable effort to design and publish and altogether was a process too long winded and therefore reserved for the niche and bigger topics.


However, using sites like http://www.SurveyGalaxy.com surveys and questionnaires can be created and published via the internet by anyone who has a pulse. Professional looking surveys and questionnaires created in minutes that make the perfect compliment to articles that prompt opinion and debate.


The advantage over letters and e-mails are that all the feedback is managed and measured and sites like Survey Galaxy will provide you with a real time poll that you can either keep to yourself or share with your readers.


It's not even one or the other now


Link each article to an online survey and not only extend the life of the article as people have a channel to express their views, but involve your readers in the discussion where they now know their opinion will be counted.


You think they would rather send an email? - no problem - include the facility within the survey and get the best of both worlds.


It's fast, low cost, and easy to do; it will engage and empower the reader, provide excellent feedback and having established a dialogue you then have the opportunity to link to other related articles.


Try it now and register your opinion of this article here:-


http://www.surveygalaxy.com/surPublishes.asp?survey_id=1065

20 Top tips to writing effective surveys

Writing surveys is easy; or is it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing effective surveys is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys.



1. What is the purpose of the survey?


Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don't loose sight of its purpose.


2. Title the survey


The survey title is a golden opportunity to instantly summarise a survey's objective and grab the attention of invited respondents. Respondents are going to invest time in completing the survey so make them feel that their investment is worthwhile.


3. Do not make the survey any longer than it needs to be


Every question that is asked should be asked for a reason. Focus on 'need to know' questions and minimise 'nice to know' information.


4. Use plain English, avoid jargon and acronyms, maintain consistency and don't ask questions that may result in ambiguous answers


Care must be taken in wording a question. If a question is not clear then there is every chance that respondents may interpret the question differently to that intended by the publisher making any analysis of the data meaningless or at the very least misleading.


5. Avoid long questions


Try to use short sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to cause respondents discomfort and can lead to a higher level of incidents where respondents abandon a survey.


6. Ask one question at a time


Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like 'Do you like football and tennis?'


7. Avoid influencing the answer


It is important not to load the question. 'Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to children be prosecuted?' is unlikely to have any value.


8. Ensure that the answer format used allows the respondent to answer the question being asked


Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be less inclined to complete the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a "Don't know", "Can't say" or similar response option.


9. At the same time that you compile the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed


If a question is asked that allows a free text open ended response appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarised. Consider grouping answers. For example "How long have you worked here?" - 'less than 1 year', 'between 1 and 3 years' and 'more than 3'.


10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows


When asking questions group the questions into clear categories as this makes the task of completing the survey easier for the participants.


11. Target your respondents


In some cases you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can't easily control the respondents consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don't fit your target profile.


12. Allow the respondent to expand or make comments


Allowing the respondent to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember though for a large sample collection it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.


13. If the survey you are conducting is to be confidential ensure that your pledge is upheld


If you have assured the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any identifying information destroyed after the survey is complete.


14. Weigh up the benefits of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable


If your respondents are to be anonymous then appreciate that you will be unable to follow up or match "pre" or "post" surveys. However in some cases allowing people to remain anonymous will allow people to respond without possible peer pressure.


15. Give careful consideration to the best response format


It is good practice to maintain a consistency in the format used for responses. Keep in mind that when analysing the data radio buttons are easier to analyse than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.


16. Give the respondent an idea of how much time the survey will take


Respondent drop out can occur if the survey appears to be a stream of never ending questions. It is good practice to give an indication as to how long the survey is likely to take so the respondents can choose the best time to complete the survey.


17. Inform the respondents of the survey end date


Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advice respondents as to the surveys end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.


18. Pilot the survey


Before publishing a live survey publish a small pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to ensure that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.


19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey several times


Check and check again that the survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If possible get someone else to proof read the survey before you publish, if no one else is available then take a break before checking again.


20. Remember to say thank you


To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and should be thanked either in a covering letter, at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider incentives such as a prize draw or reward.



For more information please visit http://www.surveygalaxy.com