How to Choose the Right Survey Platform for Your Business Needs

In today’s data-driven world, businesses constantly seek ways to gather insights into their customers’ preferences and behaviors. One of the most popular methods for collecting this information is through surveys. However, with so many survey platforms available in the market, choosing the right one for your business needs can take time and effort. In this blog, we will explore how to choose the right survey platform for your business needs by discussing various factors to consider and providing examples of popular survey platforms:

1. Factors to consider when choosing a survey platform.
2. Survey Platforms to consider.
3. Popular surveys to use.

So, without further delay, let’s jump into why choosing the right survey platform for your business needs is critical.

Why Use a Survey Platform?

Before we dive into the factors to consider when choosing a survey platform, let’s first discuss why you should use one.

Surveys allow businesses to gather feedback from their customers, employees, or stakeholders quickly and efficiently. This feedback can be used to improve products or services, identify areas for growth or change, and make data-driven decisions. Surveys can also help businesses to track customer satisfaction and engagement over time, allowing them to identify trends and make informed decisions.

The key takeaway is that you need a survey platform to manage—and make sense of—your feedback data to gain actionable insights.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Survey Platform

1. Purpose of the Survey: The first factor to consider when choosing a survey platform is the purpose of the survey. What type of data are you looking to gather? Is the survey for market research, customer feedback, employee engagement, or something else? Different survey platforms offer various features and functionalities; some are better suited for specific purposes than others. For example, if you’re conducting market research, you may want a platform that provides advanced analytics and data visualization tools. Suppose you’re running an employee engagement survey. In that case, you may want a platform that offers anonymity and privacy for respondents—even better if you have a single platform that can do both!
2. Audience: Your audience is the second factor when choosing a survey platform. Who will be taking the survey? Is your audience tech-savvy, or are they less familiar with technology? Some survey platforms offer more user-friendly interfaces and mobile-responsive designs, while others may require more technical knowledge. If your audience is not tech-savvy, choose a platform that is easy to use and offers clear instructions.
3. Survey Design: Survey design is the third factor when choosing a survey platform. How do you want your survey to look? Do you want to use pre-made templates, or do you want to design the survey from scratch? Some survey platforms offer more customization options than others. You may choose a platform offering more design flexibility if you have a specific design.
4. Features and Functionality: The fourth factor to consider when choosing a survey platform is features and functionality. What features do you need for your survey? Some platforms offer advanced features such as skip logic, branching, piping, and randomization, while others may only offer basic features. If you need advanced features, choose a platform that provides more robust functionality.
5. Price: The fifth and final factor to consider when choosing a survey platform is the price. How much are you willing to spend on a survey platform? Some platforms offer free plans with limited features, while others may charge a monthly or annual fee for more advanced features. It’s essential to consider your budget when choosing a survey platform, as some platforms can be quite expensive. In a time of economic difficulty coloring the horizon, options to do more with less can be highly attractive.

Popular Survey Platforms

Now that we’ve discussed the factors to consider when choosing a survey platform, let’s look at some popular survey platforms and what they offer.

1. Sogolytics: Sogolytics is a survey platform that offers advanced features and functionality for collecting feedback and analyzing data. It is well-suited for enterprise-level organizations and provides various solutions for customer experience, market research, and employee experience. Sogolytics also offers features such as sentiment analysis, text analysis, and machine learning algorithms to provide valuable insights into customer feedback. Integration with other tools, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, is simple, making it easy to collect and analyze data across different platforms.
2. SurveyMonkey: SurveyMonkey is a popular survey platform with many features and functionality. It provides a user-friendly interface, pre-made survey templates, and advanced skip logic and branching features. SurveyMonkey also offers a mobile app for survey administration and response collection. Pricing starts at $25/month for the standard plan, with additional features available at higher price points.
3. Typeform: Typeform is a survey platform that offers a unique and engaging survey design. It uses conversational forms to gather feedback, which makes the survey-taking experience more interactive and enjoyable. Typeform offers features such as logic jumps, customization options, and integration with tools such as Zapier and Google Sheets. Pricing for Typeform starts at $35/month for the Essential plan, with additional features available at higher price points.
4. Google Forms: Google Forms is a simple and user-friendly survey platform that is free to use. It offers basic features such as multiple-choice questions, text boxes, and image uploads. Google Forms integrates with other Google tools, such as Google Sheets and Google Drive, making it easy to collect and analyze data. While it may have fewer advanced features than other survey platforms, Google Forms is an excellent option for simple surveys and those on a tight budget.

Trending Topics in Feedback Management and Survey Design

Now that we’ve explored some popular survey platforms let’s discuss some trending topics in feedback management and survey design.

1. Mobile-Responsive Design: As mobile devices continue to dominate internet usage, it’s essential to have a mobile-responsive survey platform. Mobile-responsive design ensures that surveys are optimized for mobile devices and provide a seamless user experience. Survey platforms such as Sogolytics and Typeform offer mobile-responsive design, making collecting feedback from mobile users easy.
2. NPS Surveys: Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys are becoming increasingly popular among businesses looking to gauge customer loyalty and satisfaction. NPS surveys ask customers to rate their likelihood of recommending a product or service to others on a scale of 0-10. The results are then used to calculate a score and determine customer loyalty. Survey platforms such as SurveyMonkey and Sogolytics offer NPS survey functionality.
3. Gamification: Gamification is a technique used to increase survey engagement and participation. It involves adding game-like elements to surveys, such as point systems and rewards, to incentivize respondents to complete the survey. Survey platforms like Typeform offer gamification features, making surveys more engaging and enjoyable for respondents.
4. Sentiment Analysis: Sentiment analysis uses natural language processing and machine learning algorithms to analyze customer feedback and determine its sentiment. Survey platforms such as Sogolytics offer sentiment analysis features, making gaining insights into customer feedback and sentiment easy.

Conclusion

Choosing the right online survey platform for your business needs can be challenging. Still, you can make an informed decision by considering factors such as purpose, audience, design, features, and price.

It’s also important to remember that survey design plays a crucial role in the success of your feedback collection efforts. By following best practices such as keeping surveys short, using clear and concise language, and avoiding leading questions, businesses can ensure that their surveys are effective and provide valuable insights.

Ultimately, collecting feedback through surveys aims to gain insights into customer preferences, opinions, and behaviors. Businesses can use this feedback to improve their products, services, and customer experiences by choosing the right survey platform and designing effective surveys. With the right tools and strategies, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and build stronger customer relationships.