Designing Surveys for Customers & Employees

A survey conducted by research firm BIA/Kelsey found that 9% of small and midsize business use Twitter for marketing purposes. An earlier survey by online marketing resource, MarketingProfs, showed that 84% of small businesses expect they will increase their use of Twitter and other social media outlets in the future. That same report also takes a look at how large businesses - including Dell and Disney - are using Twitter to reach devoted fans and potential customers. Companies large and small have begun using Twitter. I find this list of companies, although old, to be quite impressive!

At Cvent Web Surveys, we often recommend the use of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to reach a wider audience for your web survey. We've often found it to be most useful in monitoring and acted fast to ensure customer satisfaction. Bad news travels fast these days, and you have to be ready to react. 

If you are distributing your electronic survey in multiple channels (social media, your public-facing website, and through Cvent's email survey software platform) it is important to track where people are coming from. By analyzing where your respondents are coming from, you can more efficiently distribute your surveys in the future or weight responses. This is especially important if you are paying to advertise your survey - perhaps on traditional banner display advertising, website pop-ups, or search ads such as Google AdWords.

Cvent Web Surveys software provides two ways of tracking and analyzing this data. First, we have our "Reference ID". Reference IDs are a short string of text added to the end of your survey URL – "twitter", "yelp", or "google" – for instance, to allow you to track what other website "referred" the survey respondent to complete your online survey. These strings of text will then allow you to use the Cvent's built-in survey reporting to see, analyze, and slice and dice the information to give a clear view of where the survey respondents are coming from. 

Second, Cvent was proud to announce in our last quarterly product enhancement, the addition of Google Analytics integration. Google Analytics is Google's free tool for tracking visitors to your websites. The integration with Cvent Web Surveys software is extremely simple to set up and is a fantastic addition for our clients who use and love Google Analytics.

Now while I heartily recommend using social media as a tool to get your survey in front of more people, there is one thing that is crucial to remember: many businesses block social media websites. Robert Half International, an IT recruiting firm, reported 54% of companies completely block access to sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and even business-oriented LinkedIn. This means, if you're trying to attract those of us who work, you may be facing a higher hurdle than you imagined.

USAA Survey says Shoppers Plan to Use Cash this Holiday Season USAA, the insurance and financial company who we've reported tops customer satisfaction surveys time and time again says shoppers are planning to use more cash and less credit this holiday season. Their insurance survey report shows 85% of shoppers plan to use cash and 62% plan to use more cash this year than last year.

They also found that 56% of consumers have been saving cash throughout the year to spend during the holidays. This jives with other survey research that Americans are, in general, saving more and spending less. Perhaps more important to USAA's financial services business, though, is their data which shows that 74% of those who plan to use a credit card for their holiday purchases plan to pay off the balance immediately. 

On a broader note, a retail survey commissioned by the National Retail Foundation reports overall holiday sales will be down about 1% and that two-thirds of families have adjusted their holiday plans due to the economy.

Online retailers continue to be the bright spot, however, with sales expected to increase about 8%, according to Forrester Research. 

Sabre, a travel-reservations-technology company, recently conducted a survey of 90 global airlines and a whopping 86% said that efforts aimed at maintaining and growing customer loyalty had the most positive impact on their business. The survey also found that 58% of airlines are increasing fees on checked bags and peak travel times, among others, to help their bottom line.

See the disconnect? No? Well, JD Power reported in June that customer satisfaction with airlines has dropped - for the third straight year. JD Power cites increased fees and decreased services as a prime reason for the drop and also notes that the low-cost carriers - Southwest, JetBlue, and Virgin America - have significantly higher satisfaction. They also tend to have far fewer fees.

Everyone knows that airlines are struggling right now, but I bet your business has seen better times as well. Would you ever simultaneously think that customer satisfaction is the most important driver for your business... and then do exactly the thing that depresses that satisfaction the most? The industry has conducted some great research, but the belief that they can somehow do the opposite of what that satisfaction research suggests and still satisfaction in the long term seems tenuous.

But not all airlines are chasing short term revenues as the expense of long term customer loyalty and profits. The New York Times is reporting that some are urging regulation to stop airlines from charging "holiday surcharges" that do not appear as part of the fare, but are added to the price of your ticket later in the purchase process. Who is urging this regulation? Not consumer groups (well, they probably are as well!), but none other than Virgin Group founder and Chairman Richard Branson. Branson says the "fees are not a good idea" and is worried that airlines risk alienating travelers if they add to many after-fare fees. 

It is good to see that not everyone in the industry is blind to the data - and my personal customer experiences say that Branson is right on the money. I know that I am now far, far less likely to even consider flying on the legacy carriers these days. Why fly United if I'm going to be nickled-and-dimed when I can fly Southwest, JetBlue, or Branson's Virgin America? 

Surveying customers and your target market is only worthwhile if you actually listen to the results and act on them. As the former CEO of Southwest Airlines (a Cvent Web Surveys client!), Herb Kelleher said: "We have a strategic plan. It's called doing things". Survey your market, your customers, and your employees and use the date to enact change. Don't ignore it and hope for the best!

We all saw the images of people celebrating in Rio de Janerio after it was announced they would host the 2016 Summer Olympics. But the next games are in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. 

How excited and optimisitc are Canadians that the games will be a benefit to their country? The Canadian Heritage department of the Federal Government recently released the results of their latest survey studying awareness and excitement about the 2010 games. By cross-examining this survey with a similar assessment conducting in 2007 the survey data shows that overall awareness of the location of the games has increased  by 21 points - to 82% this year compared with 61% in 2007. 

Meanwhile, belief that the games will have an economic benefit for Canada is down from 59% to 52%. This pessimistic trend was attributed to the overall downturn in the economy. That said, the numbers are markedly stronger than similar surveys showed during Chicago's failed bid for the 2016 Olympics. In fact, a plurality of Chicagoans didn't want the Olympics at all. 

This sort of market research is key to making the games a success for British Columbia and Canada. Utilizing public opinion polls and surveys to understand how people are reacting to the games will shape how the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee spends their $170 million marketing budget. As with all organizations, VANOC's goal is to ensure maximum return on investment of their marketing dollars. For an event host like British Columbia, the goal will be to secure the largest possible economic impact with sustained, long term effects on industry (particularly tourism). 

Studies have shown that the well-received Sydney games in 2000 resulted in an 25% increase in tourism and it is currently estimated that the Vancouver games could have $10.4 billion economic impact - equal to almost 6% of the province's GDP in 2006.

Utilizing statistically-sound market research helps all organizations, be they schools, for profit corporations, charities, or even large-scale events such as the Olympics to better understand their target market and ensure they achieve their goals.