Frequently Asked Questions
In this
section you will find brief answers to some of the questions we
receive most often from site visitors and clients.
Periodically
we add a few of our favorite questions here. And of course, if you
have a question that is not answered here — or want to offer
a different point of view — you are welcome to call us or
send
a us message. If we use your question, we will include your
name and affiliation if you wish.
How
can we be sure we get a good response rate? We have no resources
for incentives.
- Target your survey. Make sure you are surveying
the right individuals within your target group. And make sure
they know you! Response rates improve when you have a strong relationship
with the group to be surveyed.
- What's in it for them? Tell your target group how participation
will benefit them.
- Communicate! Let your target audience know a survey is coming.
Tell them how their results will be used. If you have surveyed
this audience before, tell them how their feedback has affected
what you do. If appropriate, reassure them of confidentiality.
What
is a good response rate, anyway?
That depends.
What is the relationship between you and the group you plan to survey?
Employees in a tight-knit organization may respond in numbers as
high as 80-90% — unless confidentiality is a concern. In less
cohesive companies, response rates of 50-65% can be expected.
Customers
with a big investment in your products and services have a strong
incentive to reply — if they believe you will act on their
input. Response rates of 30-50% are typical.
Pop-up
web surveys may attract a low level of responses (as few as 2-5%),
unless they are very short and relate directly to an immediate experience
such as a purchase or participation in an online conference.
If
we change our practices in response to survey results, can we expect
our scores to go up?
Yes, if
you develop and implement action plans specific areas, scores will
likely go up in those areas. Also, if your survey is designed to
reveal the attributes that contribute most to overall satisfaction,
loyalty, morale, etc., and you work on the weakest and most influential
areas, you can reasonably expect an increase in overall results.
How
can we best use the results?
- Identify key drivers — attributes most important to your
targted outcomes.
- Communicate results widely throughout the organization.
- Conduct follow-up discussions with employees about results —
what they mean, why we got those results, and what should we do
in response? Keep an open mind, and balance discussion of both
positive and not-so-positive results.
- Require action plans based on key drivers.
- Hold managers and employees accountable for results.
Call us toll-free, 877-666-2486,
to discuss how we deliver results that matter for your business
objectives. Or complete our contact information
form to let us know how we can reach you. |
