Survey Customers and Employees Online

A Cheap and Easy Way to Obtain Valuable Data

Before large corporations jump into new markets or tweak existing products and services, they routinely invest significant amounts of time and money in focus groups and marketing surveys to maker sure their plans line up with what potential buyers want. Now, small business owners on a shoestring budget can gain the same kind of intelligence, using do-it-yourself online surveys.

Online surveys offer valuable and actionable information that can help you shape your business. You can learn what your customers, employees, suppliers and vendors think of your current or planned offerings and what they want to see from you in the future. It’s also a nice way to make people you do business with feel more valued.

Use of online surveys among small businesses has surged nearly 120 percent since 2001, according to Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com), a San Francisco- based online survey provider. According to a Zoomerang study, most small businesses use online surveys to make decisions about product or service ideas and improvements, and to fine-tune customer contact strategies.

Here’s how to get started.

Select a service provider. Many companies can host your survey, collect data and compile real-time online results as well as detailed analysis reports. All you need is an Internet connection and a little time. A simple point-and-click interface makes it easy to create and publish your survey; no programming or HTML skills should be required. Avoid services that want you to download complicated software programs. Do choose a provider that offers support services, via live chat, e-mail or phone. Before you buy, you can take a free test drive at companies such as QuestionPro (www.questionpro.com), SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) and Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com). For a test, you can create a survey with a limited number of questions and responses and the data are viewable only for a limited time.

Compare Rates. Pricing and services vary among providers. SurveyMonkey, for example, charges a very reasonable $19.95 monthly fee, which entitles you to an unlimited number of surveys with feedback from 1,000 of your customers. QuestionPro rates run anywhere from $29 to $250 per month, depending on the kind of analysis you want. Zoomerang offers a $599 annual package. In general, you can expect to get advanced tools to create more detailed surveys and analysis from the pricier vendors.

Design the survey. Once you register and create an account, you are directed by online prompts to design the survey, craft the questions, and post it online. Many survey providers offer tutorials and templates to help you design your questionnaire, which can incorporate your company colors and logo.

“It’s important to keep the survey short, and relevant,” says Vivek Bhaskaran, CEO and co-founder of QuestionPro. Understanding what you want to accomplish will help you write focused questions. Also, explain to participants why you are conducting the survey, how long it will take and what’s in it for them, recommends Donna Mead, co-vice president and general manager of Zoomerang. Offering incentives such as a product discount or a chance to win an iPod or Amazon.com gift certificate will surely boost your response, she says. Promising confidentiality is imperative.

Administer the survey. Generally, you can upload your e-mail addresses and have the provider blast off the survey for you. You can also generate a URL link and post the survey on your web site, and/or include the link in your own e-mails, which is the most popular method.

Don’t worry if you don’t have customer e-mail addresses, or you want to reach a new audience. Zoomerang, for example, has a panel of 2.5 million opt-in survey takers. (www.zoompanel.com). These people happily respond because they receive points that are redeemed for products online. The file can be segmented by 500 selectable attributes including age, gender and product preferences. Zoomerang can also translate your survey into 40 languages to give you international reach.

Analyze the data. Online reporting features and data analysis capabilities vary by provider and pricing package. In general, you’ll get standard charts and graphs (i.e. number of yes and no responses to each question), and highlights of important findings in real time. Data can be viewed online and downloaded to Microsoft Excel or Word. You can also conduct turf analysis and cross tabulation reports—fancy words for comparing data variables. For example, you could examine various age groups and their opinion of your customer service. “This is where the fun begins,” says Bhaskaran. Slicing and dicing data maximizes the value of the information.

Response rates vary depending on survey type and audience. Employee satisfaction surveys earn the highest returns (upwards of 50 percent), followed by customer satisfaction (about 30 percent). General public questionnaires are less effective, but still generate an impressive 10 percent to 20 percent response rate.

“Online surveys are a great way to connect with customers and prospects, and gather valuable data to make informed decisions,” says Mead. Ryan Turk, a partner at Sales Team Builder (www.salesteambuilder.com). The Baton Rouge, La, sales improvement company conducts surveys to help clients identify new marketing opportunities. For example, if a banking client is considering launching a new product, Turk will survey key internal stakeholders and a segment of the bank’s customer base to gather opinions. This enables him to create a dialogue and gather actionable information quickly, says Turk.

Audian Paxson, director of product marketing for ICONIX (www.iconix.com), uses online surveys to learn more about his customers, and get feedback regarding his service. ICONIX helps consumers and businesses recognize legitimate email messages, identify the sender, and avoid fraud. “Consumers like it. When I send off an e-mail to my user base to ask them what they think of my product or how we are doing, we get a great response,” says Paxson.

Using survey data, Paxson has refined his products, and designed a more trusted e-mail icon (a gold lock with a green check mark), which shows up on legitimate e-mail messages. Now, Paxson says that when he goes to business conferences, his peers ask him what consumers want in e-mail security, because of the insights he has gained from online surveys.

Online survey resources: There are numerous online survey service providers, including: SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey.com) Zoomerang (www.zoomerang.com) QuestionPro (www.questionpro.com)

If you want to read what others are saying about online surveys, visit ResearchAccess (www.researchaccess.net), a blog where people ask questions and share their opinions.