Survey Software HQ

This survey of over 700 tech savvy readers of Network Computing goes into some depth on networking infrastructure, but should make an interesting flip through for most technology professionals.

 Includes:

- More hated buzzwords
- Customer thoughts on resellers
- Thoughts on open source
- Much more from the IT boss
- Despised “marketing blather”

I must say… many of these survey questions were primarily written by someone who sounds fed up with their own industry and therefore the tone of the questions are very incendiary. “Which Network Computing blather do you most despise?”

FULL ARTICLE
SLIDESHOW VIEW

So our local Boston, following in the footsteps of a growing national movement against partially hydrogenated oil which contain “trans fats”, has received a precedent to follow. New York recently voted to pass a ban on the unnatural chemically produced fats… Restaurants must comply by July 2008. A survey was conducted to some readers of local Boston Business Journal:

Should Massachusetts remove unhealthy items from menus? Yes 39% No 60%
I think this falls in line with some of the people I’ve spoken to.. “don’t tell me what types of foods to eat and not to eat.” Personally, I felt the same way until I dug into it. I thought… what the heck could be so bad against the occasional french fry binge… Check out these studies.

So I guess in this case, the survey results up above reflect a fierce stubbornness, an unhealthy ignorance, or maybe a bit of both… it would be similar to saying - let me choose whether I can feed my kids lead paint or not… it’s my household. In this case, I believe the government does have the responsibility to put out an educational campaign on what these substances are… and to ban them.

Source: Boston Business Journal

Loyal Survey Software HQ readers… since we’ve started turning this into a more informal, transparent blog aimed at providing some insight into our industry, we’ve seen a steady response from you. Traffic has doubled in the past week!

 Thanks!

We have to push our agenda every now and then (because after all, this is written by an employee of Prezza Technologies, a survey software company who lives in a large office building right next to Harvard University.

A Completely New Product Line

We have some very new products we are going to be officially releasing to the market although we have been testing them with some of our “bleeding edge” customers in order to understand which directions we should take in refining the end product.

I’m really excited about the possibilities for these products and I hope you will come back to this site or www.prezzatech.com soon for more information.

- Brian

Here is an example of perhaps the wrong incentives to get me to use Orbitz.

I got this in my email today:

***************************************************

EXCLUSIVE EMAIL OFFER
SAVE $10

Tell us what you think & get $10 off your next air purchase on Orbitz!

Simply complete our quick survey within the next 3 days to qualify. Travel is good for the entire year! ***************************************************

Can you tell how excited I am? Err no.

First: This incentive is not very tangible or transferable to where-ever my travels may go.

Second: It limits me to purchasing from Orbitz and doesn’t just give me something for my time. How about something that is redeemable at my local airport (LOGAN)? I’m sure they have a database of where people live, they could provide a unique offer that is customized for them and usable even if someone wasn’t flying or purchasing through Orbitz.

Third: It’s only $10, which doesn’t quite do much in terms of the cost of a ticket these days.

Fourth: It’s not even guaranteed. I like this qualifier: “…within the next 3 days to qualify”.

Thanks Orbitz, I’ll spend my time writing this instead

While Americans are continually optimistic towards the year ahead (2007 being no exception), a recent survey shows Canadians are pessimistic about the year head.

It guess it shows what happens when a country so reliant upon the US and the US economy is currently a little unstable.

The share of Canadians who believe the economy is expanding fell to 61 percent in December 2006 from 77 percent in the same month the previous year, a Pollara Inc. poll released today showed. The Bank of Canada already cut its forecast for 2007 twice last year, finally lowering it to 2.5 percent in October.

Chief economists for Canada’s largest banks say the central bank’s 2007 growth forecast is too high because of a slowdown in the U.S., which buys about 80 percent of Canadian exports. Some predict a further lowering of growth targets and a third-quarter interest rate cut by the central bank.

“What is driving this economic pessimism? Events south of our border,” Pollara Chairman Michael Marzolini said today in a presentation at the Economic Club of Toronto, where five major bank economists also were speaking on the outlook for growth. He said Canadians expect the U.S. economy to slowdown in 2007 and the survey is the first to show a “clear sense of foreboding.”

This survey I found while reading MSNBC.com

Looks like it’s sponsored by Elle Magazine.

What do you think of your boss? How do you think your boss achieved his or her position? How do people get ahead at your company?
Whether you love everything about your manager or loathe every day you share the same area code, now is the time to make your voice heard. The Elle/MSNBC.com Work and Power Survey aims to get the lowdown on how you feel about your boss, colleagues and life in the office.

We’ll report complete results from the survey in March.

Feel free to take it.

Some good information on how survey research started…

from the Council of American Survey Research Organizations

When did marketing and public opinion research start . . . and why?

The first known survey done in the United States was the U.S. Census of 1790. While some organized survey research was done between then and the early 1900’s, the real growth of the industry came after World War II.

In the first part of this century there weren’t enough consumer goods available for everyone. Most of what manufacturers made could be sold easily. Manufacturers didn’t have to be concerned about “marketing.” For example, soap was made a batch at a time in kettles and sold in chunks from door to door. There was no variety in color, fragrance, or performance. Soap was. . . just soap. And the soap makers didn’t make big enough batches to go around.

The great Depression of the 1930’s, and then World War II, changed all that. Changes in our economy and technological advances during and after the war greatly increased manufacturing capacity. Consumers had more and better products to choose from and manufacturers had to pay attention to their customers. Soap makers, holding unsold chunks of “just soap,” began to respond to demands for better cleaning soap and more fragrant soap.

It was at this time that the industry known as marketing research came into its own as the consumer’s spokesman to the manufacturer. Today, the gathering and analysis of public opinion for business, political, and social issues is sponsored by government agencies, academic institutions, and business organizations. The growth of survey research has enabled these sponsors to develop specific programs and strategies to satisfy what Americans really want and need. Your opinions do count. Surveys are how your opinions are collected. >

Nice. Thanks CASRO.

Look how the networks are going to amateurs for the king of advertising… Super Bowl Ads.

Everyone is reaching out beyond their inside employees simply to get more ideas.

Uses a good survey software tool (trying… to … avoid… Prezza Technologies plug here) and this process will become simple.

Although my company sells software and a SaaS (hosted online survey option), I would recommend the software.

1. It’s more secure.
2. You own it, and you aren’t stuck paying monthly forever just to access that survey you wanted to do.
3. Find a company who doesn’t charge extra for additional users, etc

One thing that survey software can be used for, is to conduct research projects into your customer base. Businesses looking for feedback can turn to their audience and recruit their assistance. Ask them to come up with ideas. Reward them if they come up with something good. This will make getting feedback easier.

The Cost of Incentives

Usually, if you customer base is large enough, the hard cost of the reward is worth the feedback you will get if they are comfortable with providing feedback or lured with a large enough incentive. Look out, though, as the wrong incentive will lure the wrong kind of people. A cash reward is useful to anyone, so you might stay away from that. Think of something specific to your industry which would weed out people who sign up in a second for a cash reward.

 Effectiveness of Incentives

The effectiveness of incentives varies from survey to survey and from industry to industry. Think of what would benefit you, and what the ideal provider of feedback to you would want. Come up with a win-win (sorry, over-used buzzword) situation. Send me your stories.

Although it’s a well known perception, this study validates that consumers believe that Japanese automakers such as Toyota and Honda make better cars than American companies such as GM, Ford, and the Chrysler. What I liked about this study is that they made their poll results public and available for anyone to scrutinize.

Excerpts from the AP Press Release

Americans have a bias against cars made by U.S. automakers, but an AP-AOL Autos poll found flickers of loyalty that could offer hope for an industry struggling to survive.
What is the American auto industry doing to reclaim its evaporating support?The industry is returning to the types of autos that gave it a sense of “swagger and attitude in the 1960s,” said John Wolkonowicz, an auto industry analyst.
In the poll, 44 percent said Japan makes the best autos, 29 percent said the United States and 15 percent said Germany.
Asked what car manufacturer makes the best autos, 25 percent said Toyota, 21 percent said General Motors and 17 percent said Honda.
Full Survey Results ( Web | PDF )

Poll of 1,004 adults conducted Dec. 19-21. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.