How to Choose the Best Survey Methods | Easy Steps

Are you tired of drowning in a sea of numbers, desperately trying to make sense of your data?

Worry no more.

We’ve got the ultimate solution for you – survey methods.

You’re a data-driven pro, constantly seeking innovative ways to present your data stories using charts and graphs.

Sometimes, you rely on surveys to gather the critical insights you need.

But here’s the catch.

Your data is only as good as your survey methods.

Yes, you read that right.

In the fast-paced business world, you can’t afford to waste time and resources on incomplete surveys.

You’ll skyrocket your data collection and analysis prowess with the right survey methods.

So, if you’re ready to unlock the full potential of your data and chart your way to success, keep reading.

In this blog, you’ll learn the following:

1. What are the Survey Methods?
2. Why Do Survey Methods Matter?
3. Top 5 Types of Survey Methods in 2023
4. Designing Effective Surveys
5. Survey Challenges and Solutions
6. Create an Online Survey
7. Analyzing Your Survey Data
8. Wrap Up

What are the Survey Methods?

A survey is a structured way of gathering information or opinions from your target audience.

Surveys come in various shapes and sizes, from simple questionnaires to in-depth interviews, and they are a staple for anyone seeking insights.

Survey methods refer to the techniques and strategies you employ to effectively design, conduct, and analyze your surveys.

Imagine you’re a business owner aiming to understand your customers’ preferences.

Simply crafting a bunch of questions won’t cut it.

You need the right survey methods to ensure your questions are clear, unbiased, and capable of extracting the necessary information.

Why Do Survey Methods Matter?

They matter because they are the secret sauce behind reliable data collection.

Whether you’re in marketing, research, or any field that relies on data-driven decisions, using the right methods can mean the difference between valuable insights and useless noise.

By implementing effective survey methods, you can ensure your surveys are structured, your data is accurate, and your analysis leads to actionable results.

Top 5 Types of Surveys in 2023

1. Questionnaire Surveys

Picture this.

You want to gather insights from your target audience quickly and efficiently.

That’s where questionnaire surveys come into play.

With a predetermined set of questions, often distributed electronically, you can tap into your audience’s valuable opinions and preferences.

Crafting the right questions is crucial to ensuring your data collection hits the mark.

2. Interview Surveys

Sometimes, a personal touch is needed to unlock deeper insights.

Interview surveys, where you directly interact with your target respondents, offer that connection.

This method allows for in-depth exploration, whether face-to-face, over the phone, or via video calls.

3. Online Surveys

In the digital age, online surveys have become a game-changer. You can easily reach a vast and diverse audience via various internet platforms. This type has revolutionized data collection, offering speed and accessibility.

4. Mail Surveys

Old-school charm meets data collection in mail surveys.

Questionnaires are sent via traditional mail, granting your respondents the luxury of responding at their convenience.

The trick with mail surveys lies in designing compelling questionnaires that motivate your target recipients to participate.

5. Telephone Surveys

You can connect with your target respondents over the phone, making this method suitable for reaching diverse populations.

In this survey type, the art lies in establishing rapport, ensuring clarity in questions, and maintaining a standardized approach for consistent data collection.

Choosing the right survey type and mastering survey methods is your ticket to unlocking the treasure trove of insights hidden within your audience.

How to Designing Effective Surveys?

Designing effective surveys is like crafting a masterpiece. It requires careful planning, attention to detail, and the right tools.

Step 1: Define Clear Objectives

The first brushstroke on your survey canvas is defining clear objectives.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve with this survey?” Articulate your goals, understand the information you need to gather, and how you’ll use it.

Step 2: Identify the Target Audience

Every masterpiece has its audience, and surveys are no different. Determine the specific group of people whose opinions or experiences you want to capture. This step isn’t just about demographics; it’s about understanding their characteristics and preferences.

Step 3: Choose the Right Type of Survey

Think of survey types as different strokes on your canvas. Choose the one that aligns with your objectives, available resources, and target audience. Consider the needed interaction, the desired sample size, and your budget.

Step 4: Develop Well-Structured Questions

The heart of any survey lies in its questions. Craft your survey questions precisely, keeping clear, concise, and unbiased. Use simple language that everyone can understand.

Step 5: Avoid Leading Questions

In surveys, leading questions are like smudges on a masterpiece. Ensure your questions don’t nudge respondents toward a particular answer. Maintain neutrality to get honest and accurate responses.

What are the Common Survey Challenges and Solutions?

Conducting surveys can be like sailing uncharted waters – you will encounter challenges.

That’s where various survey methods come into play.

Let’s set sail and explore some common survey challenges and their practical solutions.

Challenge 1: Low Response Rates

Have you ever sent out a survey only to hear crickets in response?

Low response rates can be a major morale killer.

The solution?

Harness the power of survey methods by sending personalized invitations, clearly explaining the survey’s importance, and sweetening the deal with incentives.

Also, keep it short and relevant to encourage participation.

Challenge 2: Non-Response Bias

Imagine this.

The ones who respond to your survey might not be an accurate reflection of your target audience.

Non-response bias is the culprit here.

The remedy?

Dive deep into survey methods and employ techniques like weighting or imputation to correct potential biases. Compare the demographics of your respondents to the target population to spot differences.

Challenge 3: Question Wording and Bias

Asking the wrong questions or using biased language can lead to a rocky survey voyage. Pilot-test your survey with a small sample. This can help iron out any wrinkles in question-wording and ensures your questions are neutral and crystal clear.

Challenge 4: Survey Fatigue

A never-ending survey feels like an endless journey. Survey fatigue is real and can hamper response quality. The remedy lies in Keeping it snappy and focused.

Employ survey methods like prioritizing questions, trimming the excess, etc.

Challenge 5: Sampling Issues

Obtaining a representative sample can be like searching for buried treasure, especially in a diverse target population. Embrace random sampling techniques whenever possible.

If your population is elusive, consider a mixed-methods approach.

How to Create an Online Survey?

Creating survey questions using Google Forms is a straightforward process.

Follow these steps to create your survey:

• Access Google Forms

Go to Google Drive (drive.google.com) and log in with your Google account.

Click the + New button on the left-hand side and select Google Forms from the drop-down menu.

• Create a New Form

You’ll be taken to a new page where you can start creating your form.

• Add Questions

Click the Untitled form button to give your form a title and a description (optional).

Click the + button on the right-hand side to add a new question.

• Choose Question Type

Google Forms offers various question types, including multiple-choice, short answer, paragraph, checkbox, and more.

Select the appropriate question type for each question you want to ask.

• Enter the Question and Options:

Type your question in the Question field and provide answer options for multiple-choice and checkbox questions.

You can add more options for multiple-choice questions by clicking the Add Option button.

For checkbox questions, you can also click the Make this a required question button if you want respondents to select at least one option.

• Add More Questions

Continue adding questions by clicking the + Add button and repeating the process for each new question.

• Reorder Questions

To change the order of questions, click and drag a question to the desired position.

• Section Breaks

To group questions into sections, click the three vertical dots, select Section Break, and then the Continue button.

• Theme and Settings

You can change your form’s theme by clicking on the paint palette icon in the top-right corner.

To adjust the settings, click the gear icon in the top-right corner. Here, you can control various aspects like editing responses, collecting email addresses, and limiting responses.

• Preview the Form

Before sharing the form, preview it to ensure everything looks as intended.

• Share the Form

Click the Send button in the top-right corner to share your form with respondents.

You can share the form via email or link or embed it on a website.

• View Responses

Once respondents start filling out the form, you can view the responses in real time by clicking the Responses tab at the top of the form.

How to Analyzing Your Survey Data?

Congrats on mastering the tried-and-true survey methods and techniques.

Now, it’s time to take your data to the next level – by diving into its true potential through analysis.

While tools like Excel are fantastic for organizing data, they lack survey-oriented visualizations, such as the Likert Scale Chart.

Enter an exciting solution that’s about to transform your analysis: ChartExpo.

ChartExpo isn’t just another tool – it’s a game-changer. This powerful Excel add-in is your ticket to revolutionizing how you analyze data.

Its user-friendly interface and various survey-focused charts translate your survey data into actionable insights.

How to Install ChartExpo in Excel?

Let’s imagine you run an online business. You want to know whether your customers are satisfied with your products.

Let’s assume you’ve used the questions below in your questionnaire.

• How satisfied are you with our product quality?
• How satisfied are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?
• Do you think our prices are better than others?

Let’s assume the data you gathered during the survey exercise below.

How satisfied are you with our product quality?	How satisfied are you to recommend our product to a friend or colleague?	Do you think our prices are better than others?
Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very dissatisfied	Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied
Very dissatisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied
Very satisfied	Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied
Very dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very satisfied
Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied	Very satisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied
Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Very dissatisfied
Very satisfied	Very dissatisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied
Somewhat dissatisfied	Somewhat dissatisfied	Very satisfied
Very satisfied	Somewhat satisfied	Somewhat satisfied
Very satisfied	Neither dissatisfied or satisfied	Very satisfied
Somewhat satisfied	Very satisfied	Very dissatisfied

To get started with ChartExpo in Excel, follow the steps below:

• Open your Microsoft Excel.
• Open the worksheet and click the Insert button to access the My Apps option.

• Click the Insert button to initiate the ChartExpo engine.

• Click the Search box and type “Likert Scale Chart.”

• Highlight your data and click the Create Chart From Selection button, as shown below.

• Use the multiple-choice responses you deployed in your survey to gather responses to map your Likert Scale Chart.
• In our case we’ll use the following multiple-choice responses:
  • Very dissatisfied=1
  • Somewhat dissatisfied=2
  • Neither dissatisfied or satisfied=3
  • Somewhat satisfied=4
  • Very satisfied=5

• Click the Create Chart button, as shown above.

• To add the chart header, click the Edit Chart button.
• Once the Chart Header Properties window shows, fill in your header in Line 1, as shown.

• Toggle the small button below Line 2 to the right side to activate the header.
• Click the Apply button, as shown above.

• To edit the legend properties, click the pencil-like icon on the X-axis.
• Once the Legend Properties window shows, fill in your legend below the Text
• Click the Apply All button, as shown above.
• Click the Save Changes button to preserve all the changes.

• Check out the final Likert Scale chart below.

Insights

Here are the insights from the survey:

1. Pricing Satisfaction:
   • 50% of customers are satisfied with the price of the product.
   • 35% of customers are dissatisfied with the price.
   • 15% of customers remained neutral on this matter.
2. Recommendation Intent:
   • 50% of customers are willing to recommend the product to others.
   • 35% of customers are not inclined to recommend it.
   • 15% of customers chose not to answer this question.
3. Product Quality Satisfaction:
   • 45% of customers are satisfied with the quality of the product.
   • 35% of customers are dissatisfied with the quality.
   • 20% of customers chose not to answer this question.
4. Overall Survey Responses:
   • 48% of customers provided positive responses to the survey questions.
   • 35% of visitors expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences.
   • 17% of respondents remained neutral throughout the survey.

FAQs

What are the 4 types of survey methods?

The four primary types of survey methods are:

1. Questionnaire Surveys: Respondents answer predetermined questions.
2. Interview Surveys: you interact directly with your respondents.
3. Online Surveys: Conducted over the Internet.
4. Mail Surveys: Questionnaires are sent via traditional mail.

What is a 4-point survey?

A 4-point survey is a type of survey where you present your target respondents with four response options to rate or answer a question.

These options typically range from, for example, “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree” or “Not at All Satisfied” to “Very Satisfied.”

Wrap Up

In wrapping up our journey, it’s clear that survey methods are the unsung heroes behind valuable data collection and analysis.

Remember, whether you’re conducting surveys for customer satisfaction, employee feedback, or market research, the right survey methods make all the difference.

From crafting effective questions to choosing the right survey type, it’s the key to unlocking meaningful data.

But that’s not all!

If you’re ready to take your survey game to the next level, don’t forget to explore ChartExpo. It’s a game-changer with its 50+ visually stunning charts, including specialized survey-based ones like the Likert Scale Chart.

Plus, the 7-day free trial allows you to dive risk-free; after that, it’s just $10 monthly.

So why wait?

Embrace the power of survey methods, leverage the benefits of ChartExpo, and start charting your path to data-driven success today.