WLA Task Force on Technology Utilization
Topic Paper

Online Survey Software

Survey applications help you to design a questionnaire incorporating various mechanisms for feedback, such as multiple choice, rating scales and text fields. You identify the question type, key in the question text and specify the acceptable answers. When you are satisfied with the design, you make the survey available to respondents using one of several methods, such as via e-mail, or via a Web site. Responses are returned in any number of ways, including e-mail and data files. As you collect data, you can evaluate the results with built-in statistical tools, create graphs, or export the data to a spreadsheet or database. For example, each application lets you filter data to focus only on answers from specific respondents, or male or female respondents in a selected salary range. You can also design the survey to skip questions based on responses, so people who answer "No" in question #7, for example, are automatically sent to question #21.

Survey software usually has the following capabilities:

Desktop survey applications that create HTML-based surveys that are frequently cited in the literature are:

Costs vary. Some of the software sells for several hundred dollars for the base software that works with several hundred respondents, and up to several thousand dollars for software that works with thousands or unlimited respondents. The CMC and SPSS products are much more expensive. A customer may also contract out with these two companies for contract services.

Several years ago, there was more hesitancy about using online research as an alternative to offline research. Since then, there have been significant improvements in software. Today there is broader adoption of online research.

I borrowed heavily from the following sources.

"How Associations Are Taking to Technology: ASAE's latest Association Technology Trends survey takes a look at how associations are managing technology. Learn about the latest trends in online services, software programs, computer systems, staffing and more". Association Management, 49 no 11, 1997 pg. 43

"Making your customers love you (Web based customer care: 10 products and services evaluated)", Bonny L. Georgia. PC/Computing, v. 13 no. 1, Jan 2000 pg. 104-106.

"Online Survey Software - Ask Anything" Esther Schindler. http://www.zdnet.com/sp/isues/

"Survey software gets simpler, more effective" H. Lee Murphy, Marketing News, 35, no. 3, Jan. 29, 2001 pg. 4-6.


Ed Van Gemert