Cutting-edge survey research has been a cornerstone of our work since our founding. Our work is anchored in proven methods and best practices in the survey industry, with a strong emphasis on timeliness, efficiency, quality, and technological innovation. Increasingly, this requires mixed-mode survey designs and mobile technology solutions.
A survey is a research method for collecting information from a selected group of people using standardized questionnaires or interviews. While many people think of a questionnaire as the “survey”, the questionnaire is just one part of the survey process. Surveys also require selecting populations for inclusion, pretesting instruments, determining delivery methods, ensuring validity, and analyzing results. In continuous quality improvement, surveys help to identify customer expectations, measure satisfaction levels, and determine specific areas for improvement.
Survey Format:
Surveys can be conducted through:
- face-to-face interviews
- telephone interviews
- paper questionnaires
- online questionnaires
- a combination of these methods.
Some factors to consider in deciding on a format are:
Cost:
The cost of face-to-face and telephone interviews are generally higher than other formats and stem from interviewer expenses. Paper survey costs depend on the material, printing and postage costs. The cost of an electronic format survey depends on whether software is purchased or a free online survey service is used. Several companies offer limited web survey services at no cost. (These types of services can be found by using a Web search engine to search for “free web surveys”.) Generally, web surveys tend to be the least expensive format.
Project Length:
Across all survey formats, development of the questionnaire generally will take about the same amount of time. It is administration of the questionnaire and the data entry requirements that vary by format. Typically, online questionnaires require the least amount of time because the delivery is almost instantaneous and the time required for data entry is short.
Sampling Bias:
To provide valid and useful results, the population being surveyed should fairly represent stake-holders. Some survey formats, such as online surveys, may not reach a fair representation of the audience since some members may not have access to the Web or e-mail. For example, since older persons are less likely to use the Internet and e-mail, an online survey of retired persons may not be the best choice. A mailed or phone survey may be a better choice for these types of audiences.