What is a professional survey?

A professional survey is a systematic questionnaire that the target audience fills out online, usually by filling out google forms. Professional surveys can vary in length and format. The data is stored on a website and the testing tool usually provides a certain level of data analysis in addition to a professional expert review. Several professional online survey softwares are present worldwide like, SoGoSurvey, SurveyGizmo, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, and so on.

Online survey tools

Online test tools are software solutions that provide the ability to create, use, and translate various types of testing on user websites, emails, or hosted web pages. Most of the online testing tools work on a SaaS model (software as a service) which is very convenient for many users. Some offer their services either for free or paid programs others have a mix between free and paid programs. Paid programs usually have a value based on the number of respondents or people watching the survey.

Key features of online survey tools

Features of an online test tool may have different levels of value depending on the type of test required. However, other features are important to have in any research software. Here are some examples:
Surveillance options are important, as they allow users to choose where to present their survey on their website, within the email, or on the page hosted by the research company.
Branching logic (skip logic) is the ability to answer different questions according to the answer chosen by the respondent.
User segregation is another important aspect of online survey tools that they should have because it allows a business to include only the parts of its audience in a particular survey. For instance, a survey can only be shown to new website visitors, to returning visitors, to visitors from a specific location, and so on. This feature helps to obtain information from a specific group.

Different types of responses are needed to get the least information from any survey. Other common types of answers include text boxes, unique option answers, multiple choice answers, and grid/matrix answers.

Types of online surveys

A cart abundant survey is a key for e-commerce businesses who want to find out why their users exit the exit process without completing the order. Finding reasons for users to leave checkout can lead to lowering one of the most important negative e-commerce business models: cart abandonment rate.

Product response surveys are a common way for companies to measure their product/market suitability. The ideal time to use them is after creating a prototype to test whether the product direction meets customer expectations. But response surveys can be applied to fully finished products, especially retailers to test whether they are selling the right solutions to their customers.

Market research surveys are an important tool for marketing departments, as they can impact a company's long-term plan. They are useful in determining what products or features for the future the company should develop to meet the needs of their clients in the best possible way.

Customer service response surveys are used to measure the effectiveness of a customer business team. As they play an important role in interacting with users, customer service teams must maintain a high level of professionalism at all times. After all, they are a corporate image and any failure can lead to long-term negative consequences.

Steps to conduct an online survey

Decide on a research objective

Before you start any research, you should build a clear picture in your mind of your objectives and the expected outcome. Need feedback on your product or service? Is the information you are looking for is common or very accurate? Do you have a specific audience in mind, or will you post online surveys to the general public? The answers to these questions will help you determine how to conduct your survey.

Create a list of questions

The different types of questions for research are open-ended questions, closed-ended questions, matrix table questions, and multiple-choice questions. Most people who take part in surveys choose short questions with many options. When writing a question, keep the language simple and avoid misunderstandings or double-bans. One of the benefits of designing an online survey is that participants do not have to complete non-specific questions. Based on their answers, the following questions can be skipped using mind and pipeline, to improve the response rate.

Invite participants

There are many ways to invite people to participate in your online survey. Who you want to participate in your survey will help you decide on the best way to distribute it. You can send an email to your subscriber list, post your survey on Facebook, send surveys via SMS, or design an ad that can be displayed on other websites if you wish to spread the net more widely.

Collect answers

It is important to monitor the response rate, as the final sample size will depend on how many participants completed your survey. In many cases, one can increase the rate of response by encouraging the participant or promising to share the results with the participants.

Analyze the results

Visualize your data by presenting results in charts and graphs, as this will help you quickly target your results in reports. You can also use text analysis and word clouds in open questions, to select common answer trends. You can also print data in a spreadsheet for further analysis. With online testing, the collected data is automatically saved, so you can start analyzing results immediately. In most cases, you can see the first results while the survey is open.

Write a report

The final step in conducting an online survey is to produce a report that describes your findings and whether they have met your research objectives. A successful survey will provide reliable answers to questions you have about the product or service, allowing you to perform data-driven action. Properly conducted online surveys can effectively get customer feedback on products or services, measure customer satisfaction, and identify important influences in your research area.

Context and Applications

This topic is important for professional exams in both undergraduate and postgraduate studies like:

• Bachelors of Technology in Civil Engineering
• Masters of Technology in Civil Engineering

Practice Problems

1.Which of the following is not online surveying software?

Answer- d

Explanation- SoGoSurvey, Qualaroo, Proprofs are online survey software.

2. Which instrument is used to calculate the vertical and horizontal angles between points in the land survey?

Answer- a

Explanation- Theodolite is used to calculate the vertical and horizontal angles between points in the land survey.

3. What is a list of questions that do not provide a broader perspective for the respondent called as?

Answer- c

Explanation- A survey that does not provide any scope for the respondent's view has a close-ended questionnaire.

4. What is a way of measuring structures and finding existing features of a property?

Answer- b

Explanation- A land survey done by the land surveyors is a way of measuring structures and finding existing features of a property.

5. A surveyor wants to study the future of a construction firm. Which of the following tools is more appropriate for the study?

Answer- a 

Explanation- A questionnaire is a tool in professional surveying that can take data for large surveys.