| Tips for avoiding common pitfalls when conducting | | | | the survey will take - It is good practice to |
| an employee survey or a customer survey: | | | | indicate approximately how long the survey is |
| Employee and customer surveys enable | | | | likely to take so respondents can choose the best |
| businesses to gather important information, | | | | time to complete it. Respondents may drop out if |
| perceptions and insight from employees, | | | | the survey appears long with no end in sight. |
| customers and other groups (e.g. suppliers, | | | | 12. Tell respondents the survey end date - |
| shareholders, members, etc.) and then make | | | | Encourage completion of the survey as soon as |
| better, more informed decisions. Surveys are the | | | | possible and inform respondents of the survey's |
| most effective way to quickly gather anonymous | | | | end date so they are able to schedule the |
| or identified feedback and suggestions from large | | | | necessary time. |
| numbers of people. | | | | 13. Ask pertinent questions - Only ask survey |
| Some of the many types of employee and | | | | questions about issues that you really want to |
| customer surveys that businesses conduct include | | | | learn about and that you are willing to take action |
| employee satisfaction surveys, employee | | | | on if the results indicate a need to do so. |
| engagement surveys, employee opinion surveys, | | | | 14. Ask pertinent demographic questions - Only |
| 360 leadership surveys, employee benefits | | | | ask demographic questions that will provide useful |
| surveys, IT customer satisfaction surveys, | | | | information that you can take action on. Employee |
| customer opinion surveys, customer satisfaction | | | | surveys should identify department, location if |
| surveys and risk surveys. | | | | your company has more than one location, and |
| Organizations sometimes fail to achieve the | | | | possibly other information such as gender, age |
| results they should be realizing from surveys due | | | | range, race, years of service with your |
| to several reasons. These reasons include poor | | | | organization, etc. Likewise, customer surveys |
| design, asking the wrong questions, failure to | | | | should include questions that identify demographic |
| conduct the survey effectively, difficulty getting | | | | information about business customers or |
| people to respond, inadequate analysis of findings, | | | | consumers being surveyed. |
| failure to communicate and take action on the | | | | 15. Make the responses anonymous - Unless you |
| results and other reasons. The purpose of this | | | | really need to know who responded and the |
| article is to provide tips for getting more value | | | | specific responses provided by each employee or |
| from a wide range of business surveys. | | | | customer, ensure that all individual responses will |
| 34 Tips that will help your organization achieve | | | | be anonymous, with no ability to link responses to |
| significant value and a strong payback from | | | | individual responders. Communicate that the |
| employee surveys and customer surveys: | | | | responses are anonymous and that all individual |
| Tips 1-6 focus on specific types of employee | | | | responses will be aggregated. This encourages |
| surveys and customer surveys. Tips 7-34 will help | | | | people to respond, and to respond honestly. |
| you conduct any type of survey more | | | | 16. Organize survey with questions in logical |
| effectively. | | | | categories - Group questions into clear categories |
| 1. Employee satisfaction surveys, employee | | | | as this will make it easier for the participants and |
| engagement surveys and employee opinion | | | | it will also be easier to analyze and make sense of |
| surveys - These employee surveys should be | | | | the responses. |
| conducted annually to get the greatest benefit in | | | | 17. Keep rating scales consistent - To the extent |
| terms of identifying new opportunities, problems | | | | possible, minimize the number of rating scales |
| and measuring progress since the most recent | | | | used. This makes it easier for responders. |
| survey and monitoring trends. Employees have | | | | 18. Plan for an appropriate survey response period |
| extensive information how satisfied they are and | | | | - People are often busy, or they may be away |
| how engaged they are in their job. They also | | | | and not available to respond to surveys when |
| have considerable knowledge and insight about | | | | they first receive them. Three to four week |
| customer satisfaction and needs. Employee | | | | response periods are recommended. Follow-up |
| satisfaction surveys, employee opinion surveys | | | | reminders should be sent out weekly during the |
| and employee engagement surveys should include | | | | survey response period. |
| questions that get at key issues that drive | | | | 19. Promote the survey to increase participation - |
| employee and company performance. Don't be | | | | Pre-survey announcements and follow-up |
| afraid to ask questions that you expect will | | | | communications during the survey response |
| gather negative responses, including satisfaction | | | | period help to increase participation. |
| with compensation. When questions are worded | | | | 20. Provide an opportunity to include comments |
| effectively, they provide important information | | | | and suggestions for all or most questions - |
| you need to know and act on. If you are not | | | | Comments provide insight and information that |
| willing to ask the important questions, why are | | | | explains why employees and customers are |
| you conducting an employee survey? | | | | satisfied or dissatisfied. Comments often also |
| 2. Employee benefits surveys - Your organization | | | | include useful suggestions for making better, more |
| may be providing benefits that are not in sync | | | | informed business decisions. Themes and trends |
| with what many of your employees need. | | | | are often identified while analyzing the comments. |
| Employee benefit surveys will tell you if | | | | 21. Keep the length of the survey as short as |
| employees are satisfied with benefits and what | | | | possible - Every question asked should be asked |
| you need to change. Results from an employee | | | | for a reason. Limit asking questions that will |
| benefits survey help your benefits decision | | | | provide you with 'nice to know' information and |
| makers to make better, informed decisions that | | | | instead concentrate on the 'need to know' |
| can achieve greater value for benefits dollars | | | | questions. |
| spent by both your organization and your | | | | 22. Use plain language, avoid acronyms, maintain |
| employees. | | | | consistency and don't ask questions that may |
| 3. 360 leadership surveys - Many people believe | | | | result in ambiguous answers - Word questions |
| that the most important driver of organizational | | | | clearly. If questions can be interpreted in more |
| success is its leaders. A 360 leadership survey | | | | than one way, the responses will be suspect and |
| provides feedback to individual leaders at any level | | | | there is a risk that analysis of the survey data will |
| of an organization about how they are perceived | | | | be misleading and unreliable. |
| by their peers, direct reports and from leaders | | | | 23. Avoid including long questions - Use concise |
| above them in the organization. When conducted | | | | sentences wherever possible. Long questions can |
| for many of an organization's leaders at the same | | | | cause a respondent to lose focus and possibly |
| time, 360 surveys also provide comprehensive | | | | abandon the survey. |
| consolidated information about the organization's | | | | 24. Proofread the survey carefully - Review |
| leadership strengths and weaknesses, and where | | | | itthoroughly more than once and if possible, have |
| leadership needs to be strengthened. Companies | | | | other people review it. Make sure the survey is |
| should consider conducting a 360 leadership | | | | grammatically correct and makes sense. |
| survey every year or two. Hold leaders | | | | 25. Avoid questions that provide 'nice to have' |
| accountable for increasing their own leadership | | | | information - Do not include questions that will not |
| effectiveness and performance and that of their | | | | provide useful information and insight for taking |
| direct reports. | | | | action if needed and for making better decisions. |
| 4. Customer satisfaction surveys and customer | | | | If you do, you are wasting the time of |
| opinion surveys - Business to business customers | | | | respondents and your own time reading and |
| and consumers have many companies that they | | | | analyzing responses. |
| can give their business to. Customers know what | | | | 26. Create and implement action plans - Use |
| they want and expect when buying products and | | | | survey results as a basis for making changes that |
| services. A customer satisfaction survey or a | | | | will enable your company to perform and |
| customer opinion survey gathers important | | | | compete more effectively. Create action plans |
| information, opinions and insight from customers | | | | and get managers and employees involved in |
| that can be acted on to make your company | | | | making appropriate changes. |
| more competitive, increasing your ability to attract | | | | 27. Communicate survey findings - Share results |
| and keep customers. Depending on the types of | | | | with your managers and employees and |
| products and services you sell, you should | | | | communicate next steps. Share pertinent survey |
| consider conducting a customer survey annually at | | | | results based on managers' and employees' |
| a minimum and more often if you have large | | | | positions, and their individual need to know and act |
| numbers of customers and a relatively high level | | | | on results. |
| of customer turnover. You need to find out why | | | | 28. Keep employees informed about progress |
| customers are dissatisfied, why they are going to | | | | making changes - Communicate ongoing progress |
| your competitors and what you need to do to | | | | with action plans, linking actions and progress back |
| attract and keep more customers. | | | | to survey results. |
| 5. IT customer satisfaction surveys and IT User | | | | 29. Consider using a survey company to conduct |
| Surveys - Most in-house and outsourced IT | | | | cost-effective surveys - Survey companies have |
| service functions underperform from the | | | | experience and expertise well beyond that |
| perspective of IT customer satisfaction. Poor or | | | | available in most organizations, and they provide |
| inconsistent performance on the part of IT help | | | | credibility. As mentioned previously, most |
| desks, desk-side support, application support, | | | | employees and customers prefer to have their |
| network support and data centers impacts IT | | | | survey responses handled on an anonymous |
| customer satisfaction and IT customer | | | | basis, and using a survey company rather than |
| performance. Organizations should conduct an IT | | | | rather than using self-service survey services |
| customer satisfaction survey at least annually. | | | | provides people with greater confidence that their |
| They can also consider conducting ongoing IT | | | | responses will be handled on an anonymous basis. |
| incident follow-up surveys, asking a sample of IT | | | | 30. Make sure to get comprehensive reports - |
| customers to complete a brief survey after an IT | | | | Survey companies typically have reporting |
| incident has been resolved. IT surveys often | | | | capabilities that are much more powerful and |
| identify hidden and recurring problems that will | | | | flexible than the survey reports available from |
| save considerable money when they are properly | | | | using self-service software and self-service web |
| identified and resolved. | | | | surveys. This can save days of costly and error |
| 6. Risk surveys - Most organizations that have a | | | | prone hands-on time preparing graphs, data tables |
| risk management process in place focus on a | | | | and comments reports sorted by demographics. |
| limited number of known, high profile types of | | | | 31. Commit to taking action on survey findings - |
| risks. Risk surveys typically include an extensive | | | | Do not conduct surveys if you are not prepared |
| list of risks that organizations face. An effectively | | | | to take action based on survey results. When you |
| designed risk survey is customized to include all | | | | ask people to complete a survey you are creating |
| types of risks that the organization is facing. | | | | an expectation in their minds that you care about |
| Managers from across the company participate in | | | | their opinions and that you will take appropriate |
| a risk survey, identifying and assessing the | | | | action based on their answers. Failure to take |
| importance and likelihood of each type of risk, and | | | | action sends a signal to employees and customers |
| providing suggestions for reducing risks and | | | | that you cared enough to ask their opinions, but |
| managing them more effectively. Organizations | | | | not enough to really listen to them and make |
| should conduct a risk survey annually and be | | | | changes based on their feedback. |
| prepared to take action based on the survey | | | | 32. Make sure benchmarked survey data provide |
| findings. | | | | valid comparative data - Some survey companies |
| 7. Conduct online or Internet surveys where | | | | can provide comparative benchmarking data from |
| possible - Surveys conducted using the Internet | | | | their other customers. Be cautious about using |
| are the quickest and most cost-effective way to | | | | external normative comparisons for benchmarking |
| conduct surveys. More often than not, | | | | your survey results. There is a very high |
| employees, customers and other recipients of | | | | probability that comparison of your survey results |
| business surveys have access to e-mail and the | | | | with survey benchmarking data from other |
| Internet at work and at home. For employees | | | | companies will result in invalid comparisons due to |
| that normally do not have access to computers | | | | many possible reasons including different industry, |
| and the Internet, companies can easily provide | | | | different products and services, different |
| access to designated computers. | | | | customers and employees, different customer |
| 8. Have a clear purpose for the survey - The | | | | employee demographics, different business |
| design and questions should stay focused on its | | | | strategies and plans, surveys done at different |
| purpose. By clearly wording the questions and | | | | points in time, reflecting different economic |
| structuring the answers, surveys can be used in | | | | conditions, and survey questions worded |
| many ways and for a variety of reasons. | | | | differently and/or in different order. |
| 9. Give the survey an appropriate title - The | | | | 33. Conduct follow-up surveys - Conducting annual, |
| survey title provides an opportunity to summarize | | | | semi-annual or quarterly surveys is an effective |
| a survey's objective and encourage respondents | | | | way to monitor progress on actions taken as a |
| to participate. A good title will encourage | | | | result of previous surveys and to identify |
| respondents that their time investment will be | | | | pertinent changes since the last survey. |
| worthwhile. | | | | 34. Include survey measurements as part of your |
| 10. When you are designing your survey, consider | | | | company's ongoing metrics - Survey results can |
| how you will analyze the results - The more | | | | be an important part of a balanced scorecard or |
| complicated the questions and survey structure | | | | other companywide measurement process, |
| are, the harder it will be to display the data in | | | | providing critical employee and customer data. |
| useful formats and to analyze the data. | | | | Surveys measure how well your organization is |
| 11. Give respondents an idea of how much time | | | | learning, performing and executing. |