Demystifying Feedback and Surveys

Are we in the phase of exploration or are we focusing on measuring and monitoring?

Uncovering this myth requires us to first understand the fundamental objectives of exploration and measurement. This understanding will guide the methodology, tools, and processes we employ throughout our research efforts.

“Before initiating your research, it is essential to determine whether the objective is to explore new insights or to measure and monitor specific existing variables.”

In today’s fast-paced world, understanding the needs and preferences of our audience is crucial. Whether we’re an organisation aiming to enhance employee experiences or, a business looking to improve customer satisfaction, feedback and surveys are indispensable tools. This blog post will delve into the following topics to provide a beneficial appreciation of feedback and survey:

• Introduction to Feedback and Surveys

• Qualitative vs. Quantitative Natures

• Exploratory vs. Measuring and Monitoring Natures

• Pros and Cons

• Usage of Feedback and Surveys

• Benefits of Feedback and Surveys

• Best Way to Utilize Feedback and Surveys Together

Introduction to Feedback and Surveys

Feedback refers to the information provided by stakeholders—such as customers, employees, or students—about their experiences with a product, service, or process. It is always user-focused and experience-driven.  It can be both positive and negative.

Surveys, on the other hand, are structured tools designed to collect specific information from a targeted group of people. They usually consist of a series of questions aimed at gathering data on particular topics. It is often if not always company-focused and business-driven.

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Natures

Feedback is generally qualitative in nature. It provides rich, detailed insights that help understand the underlying reasons behind people’s opinions or behaviours. For example, a customer might leave a comment explaining why they found a product unsatisfactory.

Surveys can be both qualitative and quantitative. While they are essentially closed-ended questions that yield numerical data (quantitative), they can also feature an open-ended question for gathering descriptive insights (qualitative). However, the open-ended question is often if not always neglected by the respondents. This is because the primary objective of a survey is to capture quantitative responses, it is not the right tool to gather qualitative feedback.

Exploratory vs. Measuring and Monitoring Natures

Feedback is typically more exploratory. It helps identify new issues or opportunities that may not have been previously considered. For instance, feedback from customers can reveal emerging trends or problems that need attention.

Surveys are more suited for measuring and monitoring specific variables over time. They allow organizations to track changes in customer satisfaction levels, employee engagement scores, or other key performance indicators (KPIs).

Pros and Cons

Feedback

• Pros:

  • Always user-focused and experience-driven; what truly matters to the respondents.

  • Provides deep insights into user experiences.

  • Effectively captures emotional responses from respondents regarding products or services. Understanding emotional responses helps businesses improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Can uncover unexpected issues or opportunities.

  • Alignment with Respondent Priorities

  • Enhanced Engagement and Participation

  • Strengthened Relationships

  • Comprehensive Understanding

  • Insights provide Better Decision-Making

  • Early Detection of Potential Problem

  • Insights provide Accurate Problem Solving

  • Can Be Developed in Less Time

  • Cost-Effective

  • Remote Administration

• Cons:

  • Harder to analyse systematically; however this can be overcome with the principles and methodology of thematic analysis.

  • May require significant time to sift through qualitative data; however this can be overcome with the power of Augmented Intelligence.

  • Ineffective at quantifying a variable.

  • Ineffective at measuring goals.

  • Ineffective at monitoring performance over time

Surveys

• Pros:

  • Effective for tracking trends over time.

  • Effective for monitoring performance over time.

  • Effective for measuring impact and goals.

  • Effective tools for validating particular variables identified from insights obtained through feedback.

  • Always company-focused.

  • Relatively Easy to Administer

  • Can Be Developed in Less Time

  • Cost-Effective

  • Remote Administration

  • Large Sample Sizes

• Cons:

  • Designing effective surveys requires trained expertise, preferably with a research background.

  • Survey Fatigue

  • Perceived Lack of Action

  • Impersonal Approach

  • Misalignment with Respondent Priorities

  • Lack of Personalization

  • May not capture nuanced opinions.

  • Ineffective for gathering qualitative feedback.

  • Ineffective at capturing emotional feedback from respondents regarding products or services.

  • Ineffective at capturing experiences from respondents regarding products or services.

Usage of Feedback and Surveys

Feedback is best used when you need in-depth understanding of individual experiences or when exploring new areas for improvement or opportunities. For example:

• Customer point-of-view sharing on digital empathy tools

• Employee experience studies

Surveys are ideal for collecting standardized data from a broad audience. They are commonly used for:

• Customer satisfaction assessments

• Market research studies

• Employee engagement surveys

Benefits of Feedback and Surveys

Both feedback and surveys offer numerous benefits:

Feedback:

• Enhances customer loyalty by showing that you value their opinions.

• Provides actionable insights for immediate improvements.

• Helps build stronger relationships with stakeholders.

Surveys:

• Offers quantifiable data that can inform strategic decisions.

• Enables benchmarking against industry standards.

• Facilitates long-term planning through trend analysis.

Best Way to Utilize Feedback and Surveys Together

To maximize the benefits of both feedback and surveys, consider integrating them into a cohesive strategy:

1.   Initial Exploration: Start with exploratory point-of-view feedback mechanisms such as digital empathy study tools that can be administered remotely, or face-to face interviews with the target segment of respondents to gather exploratory insights and perform thematic analysis to derive the specific variables.

[At this juncture, task force teams may be setup to co-create initiatives and /or solutions to address each of the variables identified]

2.   Survey Design: Use the thematic analysis gained from point-of-view feedback to design targeted surveys that measure specific variables. You may also design targeted surveys to measure the outcomes of the co-created initiatives that were implemented.

3.   Continuous Monitoring: Implement regular surveys to monitor key performance metrics of the implemented initiatives over time for continuous refinement.

4.   Data Triangulation: Combine qualitative feedback with quantitative survey results for a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder sentiments. Using qualitative point-of-view feedback mechanisms to deep dive and uncover the “WHYs” behind the scores of quantitative survey results.

By leveraging both tools effectively, you can gain a holistic view of your audience’s needs and preferences, enabling you to make informed decisions that drive success.