Survey Tools: Key Advantages

Survey Tools have been in prominence since age unknown. They are the best option when it comes to suggesting or implementing new measures. Any change on or suggestions for a group can be done only if the benefactors know about the beneficiaries. With the evolution of the Internet, online survey tools are gaining much popularity among the masses. From a university student pursuing his academics to big corporates, they are using online survey tools to understand the minds of the populace. From preparing a thesis to launching a product, surveys are a necessity to know the WHY, HOW and WHAT of something.

What are the key advantages of using an Online Survey Tool? Let’s find out:

• Quicker Pace

The average time span needed to complete an online survey project is about two-thirds shorter than the traditional methods. Because information is being gathered automatically, you don’t have to wait for paper questionnaires to come back to you – response time is almost instant. Online marketing experts say that more than half of responses are received within the first three days of the research project.

• Cost – Low to Nil

Using online questionnaires reduces your research costs. You will save money on postage and you don’t have to allocate time and resources to enter the information into a database. Responses are processed automatically and the results are accessible at any time.

• Accurate

The margin of error is greatly reduced with online surveys because participants enter their responses directly into the system. Traditional methods rely on the attentiveness of staff to enter all details correctly, and naturally human error can creep in whenever a person has to perform a repetitive task.

• Faster Analysis

The results of the online survey are ready to be analyzed at any time. View results in real-time so you can act quickly, create graphs for reporting, export data for further analysis and share your results with anyone.

• User Friendly for Participants

The majority of people that have access to the Internet prefer to answer surveys online instead of using the telephone. With an online survey, participants can pick a moment that suits them best and the time needed to complete the survey is much shorter. Questions can be framed such that a participant can skip questions irrelevant to them.

• User Friendly for Researchers

The main benefit of online surveys for researchers is that they increase productivity by saving time. Data is instantly available and can easily be transferred into specialized statistical software or spreadsheets when more detailed analysis is needed.

• Easy to Customize

An online survey is an opportunity to imprint your brand in the user’s mind and remind them of the benefits you provide. Your survey can be styled to match your business website with customized backgrounds, images, logo, fonts, final re-direct page and even the URL of your survey. Being mobile responsive is also of the essence nowadays.

• More Honest

Market researchers have found that participants overwhelmingly prefer to complete online surveys rather than take part in written questionnaires or telephone interviews and usually provide longer and more detailed answers. By designing and sending relevant and targeted surveys, people are more likely to respond with honest answers.

• Select Participants

With an online survey you can pre-screen participants and allow only those who match your target profile to complete the survey.  Thus, you can reach a specific target audience with relevant questions that will apply to them.

• More Flexible

The order of the questions in an online survey can be changed, or questions can be skipped altogether, depending on the answer to a previous question. This way, a survey can be tailored to each participant as he or she proceeds.

Summary: Online Surveys are a great option for people and organizations who would like to conduct their own research – they are less time consuming, cheaper, you get the results faster, and you can transfer and use the data in various applications to answer important questions.

Team TA is currently working with a customer for whom we have developed a custom survey platform that checks the financial readiness of an individual and also suggest steps to improve their finance management capabilities. Yet, the possibilities of employing a survey tool in multiple domains are limitless. Our next blog will be on 5 domains where survey feature as a whole or in part can be achieved.