Quota Design

Not all surveys will be applicable to all potential respondents. Targeting our survey efforts to those most likely to respond will increase our engagement levels and in theory provide a more interesting experience. How do we know who is most likely to respond? This is a question for the ages, but in...read more

How Social Media + Survey Software = More Customer Endorsements

One of the biggest complaints people have about the net promoter score is that respondents don't need to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. We ask the, how likely they are to recommend us to a friend, family member or colleague, but do they actually recommend us? It's certainly a...read more

Using Qualitative and Quantitative Question Formats

In both consumer and B2B market research we are often faced with questions from clients that require both quantitative research methods as well as the deeper insights that come from unstructured or more qualitative approaches. Fortunately, online survey platforms such as Cvent allow us the ability...read more

Keeping your Survey Reporting On-Track

Creating reports from your online survey platform can be both a blessing and a curse. There are numerous pre-designed report options available which can easily shave hours of time off a project. Reports follow several themes including: Answer Summaries and Details – individual frequency counts for...read more

Make a Survey That Stands Out From the Crowd

According to a recent Business Insider article, “American adults are invited to take surveys 7 billion times each year, with 24% of respondents indicating they were asked to take part in more surveys this year than in previous years.”Customer surveys are an excellent tool to gauge satisfaction and...read more

Customer Profitability Requires a Good First Date

The season of Valentine’s brings out the best in some and the worst in others. Many of us find ourselves reminiscing about first dates and whether or not the date led to a meaningful relationship. The same romantic wonderings can be applied to the customer – company relationship. When cast in this...read more

Time is an Element Worth Considering

Measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction is a primary task for both consumer and B2B market research professionals. Today’s question is a matter of time as in a snapshot (one period in time) or a trend (measurements over a period of time.) Should satisfaction, awareness or other measures be...read more

Is Life Really as Simple as Yes or No?

Are questions with dichotomous answers the best use of our online survey design? Answering this question is not as simple as saying Yes or No. Dichotomous questions (those with two response options) may be simple to answer, however they leave one key component behind. Variance allows us to dive more...read more

Ozzy Osbourne's Advice for Questionnaire Design

In one of Ozzy Osbourne’s songs he uses the phrase “going forward in reverse.” Little did the singer know that his lyrics would also apply to survey research, specifically to the area of questionnaire design.  One of the key concerns facing researchers today is data quality. It is all too easy for...read more

Adding Questions to the Matrix

On occasion a survey comes my way that illustrates, either with excellence or lack of vision, good online survey design. The illustration below comes from a customer satisfaction survey provided by a regional grocery store to their online community. The table speaks to one dimension of the...read more
The Rise of the Smart Phone: Are you Leverging Mobile? 10 Tips for Mobile-Friendly Survey Creation