FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a survey?
A survey asks a smaller group of people a set of questions, so you can understand the whole group they stand for — without having to ask everyone in it.
The different kinds of surveys
There are several kinds of surveys, which include: email blast surveys, panel surveys, phone-based surveys, face-to-face surveys, paper surveys, and on-line surveys. Each kind reaches its group a different way, and the right kind depends on who you need to hear from.
How to design a survey?
Start from the decision the survey has to inform, keep it as short as it can be, and word every question neutrally. You do not have to work this out alone — designing the survey with you is part of what we do.
What goes into designing a survey
Designing a survey is complex. Things to consider are:
1. Population diversity and variability.
2. Whether the population is normally distributed, skewed, or fat-tailed.
3. Budget constraints.
4. Incidence rate and participation rate.
5. A clearly defined goal, confidence level, and margin of error.
6. The order of the questions.
7. The number of answer choices.
8. Survey length and respondent fatigue.
9. Neutral wording.
10. Avoiding absolutes like always and never.
What is a Digital survey?
A survey people take online, through a link — usually a panel survey or an email survey.
More about digital surveys
A digital survey usually refers to either a panel survey or an email blast survey. Both are usually conducted through a static link and usually comprised of little to no open-ended questions.
What is a Phone-Based survey?
A Phone-Based survey is one where the respondent is contacted by phone and a phone interview takes place between the caller and the respondent.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of phone-based survey vs. digital survey?
Phone surveys reach the right person and draw out fuller answers. Digital surveys are faster and reach more people for less. Which one is better depends on who you need to hear from.
Phone and digital, side by side
Phone-based surveys let the caller navigate to the correct respondent, verify knowledge, clarify the intent of questions, and gather stronger open-ended answers. They are often better for B2B surveys.
Digital surveys are less expensive, can reach more respondents quicker, and sometimes respondents feel freer to answer honestly. They are often better for consumer surveys.
How long should a survey take and how much do surveys cost?
Both depend on the project — how many questions it has, how many respondents you need, and how hard those respondents are to reach. Tell us about yours and we will give you a figure for it.
What the time and cost depend on
The length of time and cost depend on the method, number of questions, number of respondents, incidence rate, amount of open-ended probing, and how difficult it is to find and complete with qualified respondents.
What do I actually get?
You get our dedicated team throughout the market study, help designing the survey, support procuring the correct phone lists, survey execution, and if the order is large enough a complete research report in PDF plus raw data, graphs, and charts in Excel.
How much do you charge?
The fee depends on the project — the number of questions, the number of respondents, and how difficult the respondents are to reach. Talk to us about your project and we'll give you a figure for it.
What happens if I’m not satisfied with the results?
We will work with you to get the project deliverable to meet your expectations. If we cannot meet your expectations, we will give you a refund for any reasonable request.
How long will it take to get a quote or complete my project?
For straightforward projects we usually get a quote back within a few hours and can complete most projects within a week or two of getting the complete instructions.
How do I know the quality meets my standards?
We’ll work with you throughout the project to understand your needs, and quality control personnel review the work so you can iterate with us until we get it right.
What can you do?
We specialize in phone surveys, consumer surveys, and helping customers set up the survey correctly. Surveyors are trained to be respectful and compliant with corporate and regulatory rules.