Usually, when it comes to online surveys, most of the Administrators take it as a mere waste of time. Are you also among those? If yes, then you really need to consider some important aspects of these surveys with which you are still not familiar. Online surveys have always been providing a lot of assistance to the organizations and as compared to other surveys, these have a higher response rate. People just require filling in a form and send it through mail and no extra efforts are involved. The entire process is a matter of a few minutes and the results can be monitored at anytime of the day, as the survey is online. It has been observed that quality of data in these surveys is higher and this is due to the reason that people get enough time to read the questions and then answer them. Taking online surveys into consideration, some organizations have also made these surveys paid, that is, whenever a person will fill in the form, he will be paid for the same by the organization itself. People can choose any time to take part in these surveys and can also select the best option to work with, as per their own convenience. Numerous large scale companies are opting for online surveys so as to have a clear idea about their weak and strong points. Once the reports of the surveys are generated, one can easily go through the weaknesses. After that a team of professionals can make up a powerful strategy in order to overcome the weak points and to emerge as a strong competitor in the market. If you are bothered about protection and security, then there is nothing to worry about, as internet security and encryption protects all the data. So, opt for these surveys and get facilitated with excellent results.

Words are often used in different ways by different people; your goal is to write questions that each person will interpret in the same way. A good question should be short and straightforward. A questionnaire should not be too long, use plain English and the question shouldn't be difficult to answer. Only through careful writing, editing, review, and rewriting can you make a good questionnaire. The following provides you with guidelines for conducting your surveys: 

1.  Write a short questionnaire Above all, your questionnaire should be as short as possible. When drafting your questionnaire, make a mental distinction between what is essential to know, what would be useful to know and what would be unnecessary. Retain the former, keep the useful to a minimum and discard the rest. If the question is not important enough to include in your report, it probably should be eliminated. 
2. Use simple words Survey recipients may have a variety of backgrounds so use simple language. For example,  "What is the frequency of your automotive travel to your parents' residents in the last 30 days?" is better understood as, "About how many times in the last 30 days have you driven to your parent's home?" 
3. Relax your grammar Relax your grammatical standards if the questions sound too formal. For example, the word "who" is appropriate in many instances when "whom" is technical correct.
4. Assure a common understanding Write questions that everyone will understand in the same way. Don't assume that everyone has the same understanding of the facts or a common basis of knowledge. Identify even commonly used  abbreviations to be certain that everyone understands. 
5. Start with interesting questions Start the survey with questions that are likely to sound interesting and attract the respondents' attention. Save the questions that might be difficult or threatening for later. Voicing questions in the third person can be less threatening than questions voiced in the second question. For example, ask: "How do your colleagues feel about management?" rather than "How do you feel about management?" 
6. Don't write leading questions Leading questions demand a specific response. For example: the question "Which day of the month is best for the newly established company-wide monthly meeting?" leads respondents to pick a date without first determining if they even want another meeting. 
7. Avoid double negatives Respondents can easily be confused deciphering the meaning of a question that uses two negative words.  
8. Balance rating scales When the question requires respondents to use a rating scale, mediate the scale so that there is room for both extremes.  
9. Don't make the list of choices too long If the list of answer categories is long and unfamiliar, it is difficult for respondents to evaluate all of them. Keep the list of choices short.   
10. Avoid difficult concepts Some questions involve concepts that are difficult for many people to understand.
11. Avoid difficult recall questions People's memories are increasingly unreliable as you ask them to recall events farther and farther back in time. You will get far more accurate information from people if you ask, "About how many times in the last month  have you gone out and seen a movie in a movie theater or drive-in?" rather than, "About how many times last year did you go out and see a movie in a movie theater or drive-in?"   
12. Use Closed-ended questions rather than Open-ended ones Most questionnaires rely on questions with a fixed number of response categories from which respondents select their answers. These are useful because the respondents know clearly the purpose of the question and are limited to a set of choices where one answer is right for them.  An open-ended question is a written response. For example: "If you do not want a company picnic, please explain why". If there are an excessive number of written response questions, it reduces the quality and attention the respondents give to the answers.  However, InfoPoll allows you to use a wide variety of other types of questions. 
13. Put your questions in a logic order The issues raised in one question can influence how people think about subsequent questions. It is good to ask a general question and then ask more specific questions. For example, you should avoid asking a series of questions about a free banking service and then question about the most important factors in selecting a bank.  
14. Pre-test your survey It is better to identify a problem during the pretest than after you have published the survey. Before sending a survey to a target audience, send it out as a test to a small number of people. After they have completed the survey, brainstorm with them to see if they had problems answering any questions. It would help if they explained what the question meant to them and whether it was valid to the questionnaire or not. 
15. Naming your survey Some people discard an electronic message based entirely on its subject or sender. You should consider other titles that will pique the interest of the recipients. Here are examples of survey names that might be successful in getting attention: > Memo From the Chief Executive Officer  > Evaluation of Services of the Benefits Office  > Your Opinion About Financial Services  > Free T-shirt  > Win a Trip to Paris  > Please Respond By Friday > Free Subscription > Win a notebook computer
16. Cover memo or introduction Once a recipient opens your survey, you may still need to motivate him or her to complete it. The cover memo or introduction offers an excellent place to provide the motivation. A good cover memo or introduction should be short and includes:  > Purpose of the survey   > Why it is important to hear from the correspondent  > What may be done with the results and what possible impacts may occur with the results.  > Address identification  > Person to contact for questions about the survey.  > Due date for response

• Words are often used in different ways by different people; your goal is to write questions that each person will interpret in the same way.
• A good question should be short and straightforward.
• A questionnaire should not be too long, use plain English and the question shouldn't be difficult to answer.
• Only through careful writing, editing, review, and rewriting can you make a good questionnaire.
• Survey items have two separate parts: the question and the answer. The distinction is important. A good question not only asks for information clearly, but elicits useful responses.

The following provides you with guidelines for conducting your surveys: Remember your survey's purpose All other rules and guidelines are based on this one. There was a reason you decided to spend your time and money to do your survey, and you should ensure that every question you ask supports that reason. If you start to get lost while writing your questions, refer back to this rule. Write a short questionnaire... Above all, your questionnaire should be as short as possible. When drafting your questionnaire, make a mental distinction between what is essential to know, what would be useful to know and what would be unnecessary. Retain the former, keep the useful to a minimum and discard the rest. If the question is not important enough to include in your report, it probably should be eliminated. If in doubt, throw it out This is another way of stating the first rule, but it is important enough to repeat. A question should never be included in a survey because you can't think of a good reason to discard it. If you cannot come up with a concrete research benefit that will result from the question, don't use it. Use simple words... Survey recipients may have a variety of backgrounds so use simple language. For example, "What is the frequency of your automotive travel to your parents' residents in the last 30 days?" is better understood as, "About how many times in the last 30 days have you driven to your parent's home?" Stay focused - avoid vague issues If you ask "When did you last see a movie?" you might get answers that refer to the last time your respondent rented a video, when you are really interested in the last time the respondent went out to a movie theater. Consider too, "Please rate your satisfaction with the service you have received from this company." This is a fine general question, but will not likely lead to any specific action steps. Particular elements of service must be probed if responses are to result in specific recommendations. If a question can be misinterpreted, it will be "What time do you normally eat dinner?" will be answered differently by people living in different regions; "dinner" can refer to either the midday or the evening meal. Be clear, concise, always beware of imprecise language and avoid double negatives. Identify even commonly used abbreviations to be certain that everyone understands. Start with interesting questions... Start the survey with questions that are likely to sound interesting and attract the respondents' attention. Save the questions that might be difficult or threatening for later. Voicing questions in the third person can be less threatening than questions voiced in the second question. For example, ask: "How do your colleagues feel about management?" rather than "How do you feel about management?" Include only one topic per question (avoid "double-barreled" questions) How would you interpret the responses to "Please rate your satisfaction with the amount and kind of care you received while in the hospital." or, a question asking about speed and accuracy? If you want to be able to come up with specific recommended actions, you need specific questions. Make sure the respondent has enough information Asking respondents "How effective has this company's new distribution program been?" may not be as effective as "Recently, we implemented a new, centralized distribution system. Did you know this?" Followed by "Have you seen any positive benefits resulting from this change?" It can be beneficial to break down questions that require background information into two parts: a screening item describing the situation which asks if the respondent knows about it, and a follow-up question addressing attitudes the respondent has about the topic. Avoid leading questions It is easy, and incorrect, to write a question that the respondent believes has a "right" answer. "Most doctors believe that exercise is good for you. Do you agree?" is an example of a leading question. Even the most well-meaning researcher can slant results by including extraneous information in a question. Leading questions can be used to prejudice results. Leading questions demand a specific response. For example: the question "Which day of the month is best for the newly established company-wide monthly meeting?" leads respondents to pick a date without first determining if they even want another meeting.

Measuring customer service is an important way to make sure you get repeat business. Unless customers are happy with your services or goods, chances are they will go somewhere else the next time they need something. If you make a point to measure customer service on a regular, ongoing basis, you can always change or cancel something that is not working and find better ways to help those who call your company with a complaint. Step 1:  Conduct a quick online search to see if there are customer service complaints against your company. Customers who can't get a satisfactory answer through your company will likely go online to complain in forums or websites such as the Better Business Bureau. One or two complaints can indicate a fluke in the system. If you find many complaints by different individuals, it may be a sign that there is a serious problem with the system. Step 2:  Create a survey for your customers to complete. Ask them to rate past experiences with the company and include questions about particular areas, such as over-the-phone and online service, speed of response, attitude of the employees and satisfaction with the solutions offered. This will help you decide what to do in the future when a customer complains. Step 3:  Use call monitoring to measure the type of customer service your company is already providing. Call monitoring refers to a third person (usually somebody in management or personnel) listening in during a conversation between a customer service representative and a customer calling with a complaint. Consultants are sometimes used to monitor these calls and then provide training. Step 4:  Check back with customers who had complaints in the past. Get feedback on how much they believe the company has improved and what else can be done to make it even better. Offer an incentive for people to respond, such as a small discount on future purchases or a token gift. Step 5:  Set out an anonymous box in which customers can place messages. Let the customers know they are welcome to offer both suggestions and post anonymous complaints into the box. This will help you measure the level of trouble people have with the company and see if there are complaints that are repeated by several people. Consider using survey software services of an outside firm to help you monitor customer service. This will guarantee anonymity and ensure fairness to everybody involved.

What good is an online survey if no one takes it? Or similarly, how useful are survey results if questions go unanswered? As you might expect, it can be an almost completely wasted effort. Some researchers are willing to accept a large percentage of non-responses. This is usually the case with surveys being distributed to large populations. However, regardless of any survey size, there’s no need to settle for less-than-optimum response. By following just five simple guidelines when creating online surveys, response rates can be maximized to their fullest potential. Step 1:  State Your Purpose In today’s world of spam-sensitive email users, it is important to let recipients know why they’ve made it to your list of survey participants. If it is to evaluate a recent purchase, give as many details about the purchase as you can. Things like purchase date and items purchased can help jog participants’ memory as to the nature of their relationship with your organization. Like any other email, surveys from a trusted source have more chances of getting opened. Step 2: Give Clear, Concise Directions It was Mark Twain who said, “If you make something idiot-proof, the world will build a better idiot.” While his words are a bit harsh, there is a bit of truth in them. What seems obvious to some is completely confusing to others. If it is important that respondents complete the survey within a certain period of time; say so. If questions have multiple choice answers and participants can select more than one answer; be sure to let them know. There’s nothing to be lost from survey recipients that already understand the intended directions, and everything to be gained from those that needed a little extra help. Step 3: Watch Your Language Even if you want your organization to be viewed as an incredibly intelligent or experienced authority, try to avoid industry terms or difficult vocabulary words. All they serve to do is confuse your audience – and confused audiences don’t take or finish surveys. If you keep in mind that most of America reads at about an 8th grade reading level, a fairly easy self-test to run on any survey is to see if the words in your survey are typically used by the average junior high or middle school student. Of course, if you’re speaking to an educated or highly professional audience like physicians, lawyers, scientists, architects and the like, feel free to use any industry-specific terms that will encourage greater understanding among your participants. Step 4: Go With a Flow There’s a logical order to the way the human mind thinks. Surveys that follow this order help respondents spend more time focusing on answering questions and less time trying to understand them. Begin with simple answers, those that require the least amount of consideration from the audience. Personal data such as age, education level, profession, and household income are easy warm-ups for virtually any online survey recipient. Once participants are comfortable, the more complex questions become easier to answer. Step 5: Size Matters Be respectful of your online survey participants and their time. No one wants to invest the time to complete an 80-question survey. Even if they’re your most loyal customers, it is unreasonable to expect that any respondent is as interested in your survey as your organization is. Be as brief as possible while still collecting all the information that you need. Remember also that this is not your only chance to gather survey information, so stick to a single topic for each survey and save other topics for future surveys. It’s surprising how large of an impact these small changes can have on the success of your online survey efforts. As your organization gets more experienced and skilled at applying these five strategies, they’ll become like second nature for your organization and you can concentrate on other survey strategies.