The right survey tool for the customer survey
When carrying out a comprehensive planning process, the creation of a customer survey should be quick and easy. So much for the theory. In practice, the creation of the survey depends at least as much from the selected software for surveying customers as the prior planning.
Tip: Integrate the search for the right tool, that is, the right software for your survey, into an early stage of your planning process. If you start off with planning your questionnaire and publishing the survey date, only to realize one day in advance that your tool doesn´t support essential functions, you get into massive trouble!
a. The right survey tool for the customer survey
Questions which should be clarified in advance:
- Can the survey tool implement the questions I intend to ask?
- Can the survey tool handle the planned number of participants?
- Does the survey tool comply with existing regulations regarding data protection? If you, in your cover letter state that the collected data are to be treated anonymously, safely and 100% compliant with data privacy but later chose to save them on a US server, you lose credibility and even make yourself liable to prosecution!
- Which pricing model meets my expectations and budget and includes all the necessary functions?
- Where does the survey tool store data and who owns them? Who owns the data?
- Support questions - Are they available in German? Even by phone? Accessibility and office hours?
- Is the safety of the survey tool and particularly of their respective results guaranteed? Number and type of server (self-owned, dedicated or shared with others?), SSL encryption?
Tip: Invest a few more minutes in the selection of the right survey tool for your customer survey. By the end, you will have saved time, trouble and nerves!
