Important Questions to Begin an Effective Survey

Conducting a survey requires thorough planning to come up with effective results which are useful and functional to the company. To make the planning more successful, there are important questions to frame in order to the whole survey properly. Below are questions to ask before conducting a survey:

1. What is the objective of the survey? Define a purpose that is clear, specific, and attainable. Stick to what your company desires so that you will be guided to the right direction. Once you have set the goals, it becomes easier to work on the survey because there is a guide to focus with.

2. Are the participants reachable? Samples as to whom the survey should be conducted must be properly selected. Important information such as the location and specific characteristics of the participants should be well-defined. You could not just give out the questionnaire to anybody who couldn’t even supply the information you need. If you want to reach the desired population, you can have large samples to produce statistically reliable data.

3. Is the information to be gathered useful? One reason why surveys are conducted is the fact that the data to be collected should have a significance to the population. Results of the survey will be made available to the public therefore; proper decision should be made from the analysis of the results. If the information gathered doesn’t even have an impact to the public, then the whole process is considered a failure.

4. What should be the questionnaire’s design? It’s important to properly frame and lay-out the questions because analysts will find it more convenient and fast to extract the results. If possible, give multiple choice questions rather than open-ended because choices are easier to interpret. Furthermore, most respondents prefer to just check or choose an answer rather than writing the answers themselves.

5. Is the survey realistic? Make sure that there is enough budget, manpower, and time in conducting the survey. If one of these is lacking, then there is a possibility that the survey will not be implemented at all.