Survey Delivery Options

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SURVEY DELIVERY - WEB BASED, TELEPHONIC/IVR OR PAPER
THE BENEFITS OF EACH

Background

answers@work offers a variety of approaches for our customers to bring our surveys to their employees including web-based/on line, telephonic, interactive voice response, and paper survey completion. Our customers oftentimes have the knowledge of their workforce and the experience to select the optimal employee survey delivery solution(s).  But, for some the best option is a topic for discussion and maybe even a little research.  Here are some considerations we offer as HR leaders approach the decision as to what approach to use. 


Web-based Survey Completion

As discussed above, answers@work offers our customers the option of survey completion on line, anytime, from anywhere internet access exists.  Having employees complete their surveys on line is always the least expensive and quickest way to gather employee input.  Unfortunately, many survey administrators dismiss this solution because they believe too many members of their workforce do not have access to computers or the internet.  This issue can be overcome or addressed in a variety of ways: 

 

  • Consider using internet survey completion for staff that typically use a computer as part of their daily work; this will help keep costs down and does not have to be the solution for all your employees.  answers@work will then partner with you to find alternative solutions for the balance of your workforce such as those below.
 
  • Another option is to set up a kiosk or isolated computer in one or more central areas of your organization for employees to access when survey completion opportunities surface.  If this does not appear practical due to resource limitations, we have more ideas.
 
  • Frequently, employees work in an environment where the manager or other staff have computers, and they are not always in use due to employee absences, rest and/or meal breaks.  answers@work surveys typically can be completed in about 10 minutes and as long as an opportunity for confidential survey completion exists, consider having survey takers borrow a fellow employee or manager’s space for a few minutes.


Telephonic Survey Completion

Not all employees will have access to, or are not skilled in, using a computer.  We understand additional options are needed.  These days, it seems a telephone is everywhere, including in our pockets, purses, on our hips, or sitting on a nearby work station.  This offers two more options: 


 

  • answers@work offers interactive voicemail response (IVR) – many of us have used this type of technology, but may not have known what it is called.  This approach is when you call an 800 phone number and respond to an electronic system to answer questions.  Survey takers are given brief instructions as to how to use the system (e.g. “Press 5 if you strongly agree with the question/statement” down to “Press 1 if you strongly disagree with the question/statement,” and of course all the options in between), then they spend about 10 minutes providing answers.  If your wondering about how “fill-in-the-blank” responses are provided, a couple IVR solutions are common; 1) the survey taker is transferred to a live person who asks the questions and types the responses right into the employee’s survey available on screen, or 2) the survey taker’s response is recorded and typed at a later time and associated to the employee’s confidential personal identification number (PIN) sent along with the “Welcome” letter to the survey taker.
 
  • Another option is use of a telephone by the survey taker to call a answers@work survey completion representative who will read the questions and record the responses into our host survey database, including fill-in-the-blank answers.

It should be noted that telephonic survey completion services do cost a little more than on line services, but as you know, the value of the information from your employees will far outweigh the additional expense.

 


Paper Survey Completion

 

Some organizations find paper surveys to be their best solution.  If this choice fits your organization’s needs, here is how we assist you in this approach: 

 

  • We will provide you with pre-printed answers@work envelopes for your employees to use to send back to our survey completion representatives who will enter responses into your exclusive organization survey center.  Knowing their surveys are being received by an outside “third party” provides the sense of confidentiality your employees appreciate and gets you the honesty you need for knowledgeable decision making.
 
  • While answers@work is pleased to print and provide hard copy surveys, we want to remain your cost reduction partner.  For these reasons, we will provide you with electronic copies of our proprietary surveys for your local printer to create and make available to you without the unnecessary expense of administrative fees and shipping costs from our offices.