| Determine Your Data | | | | survey company. Potential problems for |
| | | | conducting a Mail Survey: lost-in-the-mail |
| The first thing you must determine is what | | | | surveys, undeliverable mail, and potential |
| kind of data you are trying to collect and to | | | | for incorrect subject providing data (a |
| what purpose the data will serve. Typically, | | | | teenager jokingly fills out and returns a |
| surveys are conducted to address a specific | | | | survey intended to collect data from a senior |
| problem: lack of school attendance, drunk | | | | citizen). |
| drivers, fixing the town clock, constructing | | | | |
| a nearby highway, safety concerns at the | | | | Online surveys are the latest form of survey |
| local park, etc. After you have determined | | | | methods. Internet surveys can accomplish in a |
| the general theme of your survey, you must | | | | matter of days what would normally require |
| speculate as to what type of results you may | | | | weeks or even months for a traditional survey |
| acquire, and what exactly you will do with | | | | method to accomplish. There are many online |
| the information. Without knowing these two | | | | survey companies who can readily provide an |
| parameters, it would be impossible to move | | | | audience for practically any type of survey |
| forward with survey creation. | | | | you wish to conduct. Potential problems with |
| | | | online surveys: potential error for incorrect |
| Determine What Type of Survey System You Will | | | | subject providing data, survey fraud, and |
| Use | | | | lack of interest in the survey itself - |
| | | | subjects may be completing surveys strictly |
| Now that you know exactly what type of | | | | for monetary gain and have no real interest |
| information you are attempting to acquire, | | | | in the survey's general theme. |
| you must decide on a survey method: | | | | |
| | | | Formulate the Questions |
| Face-to-Face interviews are no longer the | | | | |
| primary choice of survey companies and for | | | | Now that you know what type of data you are |
| good reason: they are expensive. If you | | | | seeking and what method of surveying you are |
| choose this method of survey delivery, you | | | | going to use, its time to write the survey |
| must solve these potential problems: finding | | | | questions. |
| good interviewers, educating your | | | | |
| interviewers in all aspects of the survey and | | | | Questions should be asked in a clear, |
| the community being surveyed, hiring a | | | | unbiased manner. They should not formulate an |
| supervisor, establishing the geographic area | | | | opinion within the question itself, and they |
| to be surveyed, creating a game plan or | | | | should have a distinct choice for an answer |
| 'survey route', be prepared for follow-up | | | | that clearly allows the subject to choose |
| interviews in case the subject is | | | | between beliefs, ideas, or opinions; the |
| unavailable, and troubleshooting potential | | | | interviewee must know exactly which choice |
| questions that interviewees might have during | | | | they are making when they answer a question. |
| the face-to-face interview. The above list of | | | | |
| potential problems is by no means complete. | | | | Put the Survey In Motion |
| You must carefully design and construct a | | | | |
| face-to-face interview because it is such a | | | | At this stage, you will have a complete |
| costly mechanism for collecting data; you | | | | survey in hand. Now it's time to create a |
| must do your best to perform the survey right | | | | game plan. You will need to develop a |
| the first time. | | | | realistic schedule for: |
| | | | |
| Telephone surveys are a much cheaper method | | | | Interviewing Subjects (or delivering the |
| of survey. You can choose to purchase a list | | | | survey) |
| of phone numbers for a general area or you | | | | |
| can work within a specific area code and use | | | | Performing Callbacks (or rescheduling an |
| RDD (random digit dialing). RDD solves the | | | | interview) |
| problem of unlisted numbers because it | | | | |
| targets all phone numbers within a specific | | | | Collecting the Data |
| area code and prefix range. To properly | | | | |
| conduct telephone surveys, interviewers will | | | | Organizing the Data |
| need to be well-versed with the survey | | | | |
| material and the community being surveyed. | | | | Preparing an in-depth report on the data |
| Potential problems with telephone surveys: | | | | collected |
| interviewers rephrasing or failing to | | | | |
| properly convey the survey question, unlisted | | | | Each stage represents its own problems, and |
| phone numbers, call backs or having to | | | | must be thoroughly thought-out before you |
| reschedule. | | | | actually begin the survey process. |
| | | | |
| Performing a Mail Survey is perhaps the least | | | | By following the above guideline, you should |
| costly of the survey methods. Generally, a | | | | be able to formulate and deliver your own |
| list of residents is first established for | | | | survey. If the survey to be conducted is |
| the area to be surveyed - this can be | | | | extensive, it is recommended that you hire a |
| purchased or built. A good Mail Survey will | | | | company to assist you in developing and |
| then use a series of mailings to contact, | | | | implementing your survey. |
| survey, and return the necessary data to the | | | | |