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Frequently Asked Questions about
Online Questionnaires
- Can you do any online survey, or just ones that you develop?
- What do your online questionnaires look like?
- Where does the content for a questionnaire like this come from? Who writes all this stuff?
- How long does it take for a person to complete an online questionnaire?
- How do I get started if I think I want to do an online questionnaire?
- How long does a whole questionnaire project take?
- Who completes an online questionnaire?
- How do they find their way to the right questionnaire on your server?
- Are the responses to a survey on the internet private?
Can you do any online survey, or just ones that you develop?
We can host, analyze and report any kind of survey, and we can assist you in designing a survey with any response format you think is appropriate for your survey objectives. But we specialize in reliable and valid methodologies because we have used all the conventional techniques, and find very few meet the stringent requirements of our profession. With most of the surveys and questionnaires you see in organizations today, there are common mistakes and problems directly caused by the choice of questionnaire methodology. A reliable and valid survey is not just a modified or "tweaked" version of the same old "agree/disagree" or rating scale surveys we see everywhere. These surveys employ different methods and they look different from conventional questionnaires.
What do your questionnaires look like?
Each of the topic areas listed on the left has examples of how the questionnaires appear for that particular application. They are not like the simple "do-it-yourself" surveys that are being actively promoted on websites today. But they deliver what the others can't — reliable and valid results.
Where does the content for a questionnaire like this come from? Who does the customization of a custom survey?
Seldom does a project require writing all the questionnaire content from scratch. We will be happy to provide you with "seed lists" of issues similar to your project objectives. You can add to, delete from or edit the seed list items until your list looks right.
How long does it take for a person to complete an online questionnaire?
A typical questionnaire has 2 or 3 question pages with 40 decisions on each page. This will usually take a person 20 to 40 minutes to complete.
How do I get started if I think I want to do an online questionnaire?
The easiest starting point is to introduce yourself to us, and tell us your needs that brought you to our web site. We are not IT professionals, but professionals in survey and assessment technology, and we have been in this business since before the first desktop computers. All of our telephone and e-mail advice is without cost, and we have materials for you to get your project started.
How long does a whole questionnaire project take?
Here's what has to happen, and estimates of how long each step might take:
- Project Design - Determining the scope and objectives of the project, the questions and items or issues to be studied, who will be the sample or population that will be surveyed. You may already have some of the broader issues in mind, some of the more specific can be developed rather quickly, if you are in a hurry. A few weeks to as short as a day.
- Installation to our server - 4 to 6 hours.
- Completion of the Questionnaires - A few days to a few weeks.
- Data Analysis and Report - Two to five days to FedEx a hard copy, depending on the destination.
Obviously, the "fuzzier" estimates are for activities that are beyond our direct control, such as getting decision-makers on board and getting people to sit down, log on and complete the questionnaire. Interpretation and action steps will follow your receipt of the report, and, although we don't know your organization as well as you do, we can still give you our take on the data.
Who completes an online questionnaire?
The basic answer is "the people who have the viewpoints you need." For projects like a Values Analysis and Team Effectiveness, the group could be as small as 10 to 20 people, all internal players. A Customer Service Assessment might involve people in and out of the organization, numbering 50 to 200 or more. Each scenario presents different tasks to pull the appropriate respondents into participation. All must have access to the internet to complete the questionnaire online. That doesn't mean others cannot participate; you may choose to include printed questionnaires as a part of the project, for valuable input from people not internet connected.
How do they find their way to the right questionnaire on your server?
Depending again on the nature of the project, there are a number of ways:
- If you know the names and e-mail addresses of all you want to participate, you can send them each an e-mail invitation with the URL of the questionnaire included. When they receive the message, most browsers will let them simply click on the URL and they are connected.
- A link can be placed on your company's intranet that brings the respondent to our server. When the survey is completed, they are returned to your company's server.
- For other situations, a combination of e-mail and other written materials may provide them with the logon URL.
Are the responses to a survey on the internet private?
We employ a secure technology to protect the privacy of responses. We employ 128-bit encryption and secure sockets layer (SSL) technology for the presentation of pages and retrieval of response data. That is the same level of security that banks and e-commerce sites use. No one can "eavesdrop" on the signals and find out how people are responding. They cannot even find out what decisions the respondent sees on the screen. This means that from our server to the screen of the respondent back to our server, the information is protected.
How do I get more information?
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