About Surveys

One of the most challenging issues behind survey software is understanding question types, their uses, and their analysis. Question types are quite simple to understand, there are only really three types. Beyond that the issue is presentation and the data content that you are validating in them. What follows is a brief description of the three questions types and some different ways of presenting them.

Single Answer –
Use this question type when you want a participant to select 1 and only 1 answer choice. You can display the answer choice text in a horizontal, a vertical, a drop-down, or even a graphical manner. This question type is also commonly known as a radio button.

Multiple Answer –
Use this question type when you want a participant to select more than 1 answer choice. The display of this question type is similar to the single answer question type, except for the drop down menu. This question type is also commonly known as a check box.

Text Entry Box –
Just like it says, use this question type when you want the participant to enter in data. The data can be numbers that rank answer choices, or require a participant to enter numbers that sum to a certain amount, or you can have them tell you their life story.

Wow, that was simple.

Online Survey Software—A unique blend of maximizing the gathering of information in a tightly controlled or loosely monitored environment for the explicit purpose of coming to understand a phenomena or event that is elusive, unknown, or just plain interesting.

What is an online survey? Well, for starters it is an online form - nothing more than a series of questions asked to a particular individual by another individual/company/organization. Over the past 10 years Online Survey Software has developed into a powerful information gathering tool. When it was first conceived it was intended to let individuals quickly build forms without a computer programmer. Today, it is a tool that not only replaces one programmer, but even replaces entire consulting organizations and outsourcing solutions. To save money and speed up the process a competent Online Survey Software product will immediately give you a Return on Investment.

As people use tools they expand their paradigm of what that tool can be used for. The same is occurring with Online Survey Software.

Fleeting are the days when a bunch of computer programmers could monkey around and build an Online Survey Software tool. Today, organizations are looking for a corporate tool that will allow them the opportunity to collaborate, share, view, and build surveys while maintaining security; with the ability to grow in features and uses as fast as they are capable of innovating.

Even now that is changing. Corporations are looking to integrate survey software with the numerous corporate functions available. Today, Online Survey Software is so powerful that organizations are building Six Sigma processes around it. In reality, any organization that does not have an Online Survey Software tool will be left in the dark ages. It will be the necessary tool of the future, and business schools not educating their students on the uses, applications, and abuses of it are doing their students a disservice.

Why do I say a business school is doing its students a disservice by not teaching about Online Survey Software? "Time is Money." Before you can manage your time you need to be able to make a decision on what to do with your time. In order to do that, you need information. Information is the precursor to any decision you might make. Therefore, the mantra should be "Information is Money." Today, organizations pay big bucks to keep information, but they are missing a very important aspect to information: you can find out anything you want today!!!! Shortly, and you can quote me on this, organizations will be paying big bucks to quickly gather information. To do that they need an effectively designed Survey Software that will meet all of their internal and external needs. Even if you did put a bunch of monkeys in a room together you'd never come up with an effective solution. The dimensions are far too broad and too many experts are needed. It is no different than building a house - get the foundation right and you'll be able to move any wall you want.

Currently, organizations are spending heavy amounts of cash on storing data, all types of data; but unfortunately, good tools for getting that data in a very user-friendly, decision-making environment are missing from the equation.

Well, welcome to the next wave. It is coming in two parts: 1) linking historical data to current phenomenological data (people's minds), and 2) seeing that data visually. [There are a few organizations currently working on that issue and I'll leave that for another blog.]

With technology, a business or organization can get an answer to any question they want. If you want information today, you should have it today. Know what? Investing time in picking the right survey software is one of the best things your organization could be doing right now.