 Moving
surveys to the web will dramatically reduce costs and implementation
time while significantly improving response rates.The
response rate for an employee satisfaction survey accomplished
on the web is, typically, about 80%, compared to 50% to
60% for paper surveys: Web surveys are easier to fill out;
they may be completed at the respondents’ convenience; web
surveys assist the respondents with the question and answer
options; As well, they may transmit automatic reminder notices
via e-mail; an easy, and inexpensive way to ensure that
respondents remember to fill out the questionnaire.
Data
Integrity - Web surveys eliminate the potential
of incorrect results. Responses are controlled and validated
on the fly. Responses are directly posted to the database
eliminating the need for data entry clerks who may make
typing errors while entering results.
Results
and Analysis - With web surveys, data is automatically
collected in one centralized location, and can be analyzed
and charted in real time while the survey is still in
process. Storing the results automatically in a centralized
data warehouse, and providing accurate results and analysis
to the survey originator does not require any technical
knowledge. This provides added freedom for the survey
originators, who can now simply focus on analyzing the
results, instead of being concerned about the means of
analyzing the results.
Implementation
Cost and Effort - Paper surveys need to be distributed
to the employee or customer. Once completed, their results
need to be keyed in by contractors or dedicated employees;
this part still requires some level of technological knowledge
in order to manage the data. The process of distributing
tens of thousands of surveys, following up on them, keying
in and analyzing the results requires a large investment
in personnel.
Frequency
- The
traditional annual survey results in “all the eggs in
one basket.” Everything depends on how employees are doing
on the day of the survey. The survey process tends to
focus on getting a high response rate. However, how much
is their mood is affecting responses? Are they being honest?
Do they trust their employers?
With more frequent assessment, enterprises gather better
data because they can analyze trends, and not point-in-time
data. For example, if we project this notion to the use
of financial data. An enterprise’s executive team cannot
make sense by only looking at net profit, sales, or cash
flow once a year. They use financial data for decision
making purposes, hence they collect it frequently.
Targeting - Targeting is also critical
in ensuring the quality of survey results. If an enterprise
wants to know what its employees think, they need to ask
all of them. There is one main difference between using
a survey, and basing major decisions on what a focus group
or a couple of people have to say: That difference is
getting honest answers. If a survey is done properly,
it gives some anonymity to the respondents, so they are
positioned to answer as honestly as possible. |
