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InternetSurvey
Internet Surveys (web based customer surveys)

Micheslon & Associates Inc. Internet Surveys help customers gain valuable web based information, measuring performance and customer satisfaction.

With the explosion of the Internet today, Internet Surveys are a highly effective way to reach consumers on line.


Internet Surveys are useful for:

Developing questions
Understanding key metrics & statistics
Performing practical analysis
Increasing response rates


There are several benefits of performing research on line:

Less expensive
Broader reach
Speed
Flexibility
Automated reporting
Wider range of options for collecting data


There are also limitations of on-line research:

Difficult to target customers
Recruiting
Validating
Logic controls
No true face to face interaction


Internet Surveys can be used to track both Satisfaction & Performance Research.


Tracking Satisfaction:

Customers & Employees
Identify and measure key experience factors
Measure factors that can be changed
Relative to expectations


Tracking Performance:

Operational in nature
Employee performance
Systems performance


There are seven main types of Internet Surveys:

1.
Email (text)
2.
Bulletin Boards
3.
Web HTML – Flat Form
4.
Web Fixed – Form Interactive
5.
Web Customized Interactive
6.
Downloadable Surveys
7.
Web-Moderated Interviewing


The pros and cons of using different Internet Survey Methods—Which works best for you?

1. Email (text)

-
The first internet research method
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It’s easy, similar to paper and pencil surveys
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No logic testing (Screening only, no if-them logic, limited auto entry)
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Best for internal surveys
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20 questions limit
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Low rate of future interest (boring format)

2. Bulletin Boards

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Modified Delphi Method (collected over time, allows for build on topic)
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Function like a slow motion focus group
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Thread is visible to all participants
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No automated analysis – all open ended
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Best for customer panels

3. Web HTML Surveys

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Flat HTML form is most common
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Participants click buttons and boxes, fill in text, then submit form
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Graphics, audio and video clips, animation can be used
-
Analysis requires CGI scripting (new software will automate analysis)
-
No interactive logic controls

4. Web Fixed-Form Interactive

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Based on 3rd party survey authoring tools (CATI, DBM – allows for logic controls)
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Plays questions on the web the same way as an interviewer
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Limits the range of options in which a survey can be displayed
-
Few tools allow for self hosting (those that do are expensive)

5. Web Customized Interactive

-
Most powerful and flexible option
-
Involves highly skilled programmers
-
Provides all modern technical controls (screening, skip patterns, logic, error checking)
-
Flexibility in layout is the main benefit (aesthetics fits within frames , dynamic and descriptive navigation pop-up messages)
-
Almost always done on in-house server

6. Downloadable Surveys

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Requires previously installed software
-
Survey form is downloaded to respondent
-
Allows for survey to be completed off-line
-
Best for sophisticated respondents (Panels or pre-recruits
-
Expansive and time-intensive

7. Web- Moderated Interviewing

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Good for chat interviews and other discussion formats (like a focus group)
-
Logic and control provided by skilled moderator
-
Best for bringing together geographically displaced participants
-
Participants must be qualified, pre-recruited and motivated


How To Develop Internet Questions:

Study your objectives
What are you trying to find out/accomplish?

Which type of Q&A will work best for you?


Binary responses (yes/no)

-
These are easy to analyze.
-
Make sure you ask only one question
-
Question should be neutral, not leading
-
Offer neither N/A or undecided
-
Best when followed by "Why?"


Likert scales (from 1-5)

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Best for measuring satisfaction
-
Allows determination of how hot or how cold
-
Scales could force polarity or allow for neutral
-
Easy to tabulate by average /mean distribution


Multiple response

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Which areas would you most like to see improved?
-
More difficult to tabulate than single response questions
-
Percent base will be higher than sample
-
Cannot be represented in a pie chart


Open-ended

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Allows respondents to mention anything not covered in survey
-
How else may we better serve you in the future?
-
Also allows for "other" specifics in multiple response
-
Most difficult to analyze (code according to most frequent responses


Make Sure You Understand Key Metrics & Statistics:

-
Metrics are numbers used to indicate satisfaction/performance
-
Baseline metrics define current status
-
Trend metrics define changes over time
-
Key metrics need to be easy to grasp
-
Overall satisfaction = 82% very satisfied
-
Indexes are commonly used to compare multi-location performance
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Random sampling is the key (every 7th respondent)
-
Basic rules of sample size confidence
    100 = 90% +/- 5
    400 = 95% +/- 5
    1,024 +/- = 98% +/- 3
-
Awareness of segment samples


The Keys To Practical Analysis:

-
Keep things simple
-
Try to automate analysis and reporting
-
Decide on a metric and stick to it
-
Test metrics and wording before implementation
-
Changing wording of questions changes results – stay with original wording for trend analysis
-
Develop a baseline metric be conducting the survey with a strong sample the first time (over sample if needed)
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Focus on simple statistics (ave. frequency, percentages
-
Data mining can be done later for more specific analysis
-
Report on total sample (segment at own risk)


How To Increase Response Rates:

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What’s in it for respondents?
-
Is your topic interesting?
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Make it easy for participation
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Use monetary incentives (drawings, cash)
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Information/access incentives
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Multi-media recruiting
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Email, banner, pop-up invitations
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Fax, voicemail, letters, invoice memos


Some Final Words of Wisdom On Internet Surveys:

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Make sure you understand your main objectives
-
Know your audience
-
Make your survey fun/interesting
-
Keep questions relevant
-
Keep it simple
-
Outsource data collection/reporting


Effective On-line Mystery Shopping:

-
Measure service performance
-
Pose as a real customer
-
Make inquiries or place orders
-
Capture customer experience based on pre-determined criteria
-
Let employees know it will occur
-
Let employees know what’s being measured


The cost of a typical NetSurvey project include:

Consultation
Questionnaire design
Participants Incentives
Sample construction
Data tabulation
Graphic presentation of all data
Analysis
Written and verbal presentation of results with specific marketing recommendations


For a Specific Quote On a NetSurvey For Your Company, Please Click Here



Michelson & Associates, Inc.
SiteSurvey Services
For a quote on a customized InternetSurvey study,
call Mark Michelson @ 516-576-1188
or e-mail: solutions@serviceevaluation.com
.



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Michelson & Associates, Inc.
C/O Service Evaluation Concepts, 210 Crossways Park Drive
Woodbury, NY 11797
V: 516-576-1188
F: 516-450-3466
solutions@serviceevaluation.com


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