Friday, 20 September 2013

Using Online Surveys Effectively For Business And Education

Online Surveys
Surveys are one of the best ways to make use of the information superhighway that is the internet. They deliver precise details that help determine how people feel about specific products or services so the user can offer a more targeted selection of items or services.

A survey is also a great way to gain an understanding of how others react to events or information. Surveys can help a business learn how to better serve their customers, improve products or increase sales. Surveys used in-house can help business owners make the workplace a more productive atmosphere.

However, online surveys are not just for businesses. They are very useful for getting feedback in several areas of life such as:

  • Teaching and Educational Institutions
  • Business Owners and Online Retailers
  • Internet Marketing Specialists


How to Use Surveys to Their Best Advantage and Improve Services

Businesses should ask consumers to take a survey before leaving your website. Do not focus only on those that made purchases. The information from visitors that leave without making a purchase can, in many ways, be even more valuable than that of those that buy something.

Find out why the viewer decided not to make a purchase. Ask if there was enough of a selection, enough information on a given product, or for information on their overall experience with the website. A survey can let you know if a website isn't laid out in an easy to use fashion. What seems right to you may not be accessible to the average user.

Teachers can create a free online survey as a test to see how well students are adapting to the classroom. They can find out if students are comfortable with the teaching methods, class materials and even how comfortable they are with other students.

By using survey software to make blind questionnaires, students do not have to feel pressured to give the "right" answers, and teachers can make adjustments to improve the quality of the classroom experience.

Internet marketers or online entrepreneurs can use online surveys to learn about market trends and forecasts. They can connect with visitors to a website by getting them to answer questions about their likes and dislikes on a given subject. These kinds of surveys are very helpful in determining the right products to offer.

Consumers are more open to answering questions about what they are looking for in general and what will make their lives easier on a website or forum set up to feel like it is offering information or connection with others who share a common interest. Using this type of site in conjunction with a survey can greatly enhance the success of an internet marketing campaign.


Physical vs. Online Surveys

Physical surveys offer the benefit of having a personal interaction with public individuals, and perhaps increasing the responses. However, having a survey taker asking the questions can make consumers more leery about giving the answer they are looking for.

Physical surveys cost a great deal more than it would be to create online surveys. Even paper surveys mailed to consumers will be expensive in both printing and postage aspects where many survey programs are free to use and can automatically send the questions to a mailing list when it is available.

Attaching an online survey to a website is a simple procedure and operates 24/7 without hourly wages or overtime costs of a physical survey taker.


Evaluating Survey Responses

Another benefit of online surveys it that there are tools to help analyze the information gained from each survey, compares it to the group. These survey tools also highlight individual comments where applicable so you can see at a glance where trouble spots exist.


About The Author: Sameer Bhatia is founder and CEO of ProProfs.com which is a leading provider of online learning tools for building, testing, and applying knowledge. Through Survey Software, ProProfs offers marketers and trainers powerful-but-simple features without requiring them to download or learn expensive software. Sameer has a background in technology with a Masters in Computer Science from USC (University Of Southern California) and is an ed-tech industry veteran. You can find Sameer on Google+ and Twitter.

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