Top Five steps in Survey Data Processing

Here are the top 5 steps followed by a Survey processing company to ensure successful completion of the process:

Surveys involve meticulous processes that ensure data quality and meet the purpose of carrying out the survey. Surveys are sometimes done for collecting specific information or for general data collection to be used for various analytical requirements. Depending upon the purpose of the survey, every survey will have a set of procedures to be followed to make it efficient and successful. 

Survey Design

The purpose of the survey must be clear before the work starts. Based on the purpose, the survey design has to be done which includes identifying the target audience, identifying the medium of survey and the accordingly the questions and format. If the survey is done online, the questionnaire should be crisp so that people can easily understand what is being asked. Online surveys can be designed with minimal input that too possibly with default answers to make sure people participate and choose their options. Direct or phone surveys can be designed differently since it involves interactions and hence the person conducting the survey can ensure better data that will make sense to the company. When you Outsource survey processing, the outsourcing company will make sure that the right design is considered to serve the purpose of the survey.

Data Collection

Once the design is finalized and approved by the concerned people, the data collection has to start. Data can be collected online or offline. Online surveys are considered more efficient and economical than offline surveys. Data is collected via email, social media networks or special campaigns that attract customers to the website. Offline surveys are taken by engaging resources to interact directly with the target audience who collect the required information by asking questions or using pre-printed material. Telephone surveys are also taken wherein the resource will call up the target audience and ask them questions to collect information.

Data Entry & Cleansing

The information collected via offline methods have to be input into the system for processing the raw data. Online survey processing data is easier to manage since the data is already in the digital format. All data is input or converted into a feasible format and then cleansed to remove obsolete, repeating, or wrong information. Incomplete data is either discarded or completed by the experts. The cleansed data is more valuable and handed over for processing.

Data Processing

Digitized survey data is cleansed and handed over for processing. Survey data processing requires the data experts looking into digitally compiled information to make sure that they are categorized accurately. Manual or computerized processing is performed on the cleansed data to come up with valuable information. Various business intelligence or MIS tools are used to process bulk information.

Survey Reporting

The processed information has to be represented tactfully to the management so that it makes sense to them and they can use the information for various vital decision-making processes. The Online survey research company uses advanced reporting tools to represent the information in tables and graphs which will be easier for the management to understand. Only then, the survey is deemed completed successfully.