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Author Message David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1554 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Monday, May 01, 2017 - 03:41 pm:    Do you participate in surveys either phone or on-line? Occasionally I will have someone call or email me to do a "quick" website for a survey. I don't mind if the survey is a few questions but sometimes the survey will drag on and on. I hate the surveys that expand do to your answers; the more you answer, the more questions arise. I find myself lying just to end the survey, which corrupts the survey result. Just recently I hung up on a surveyor when the survey kept expanding and they kept saying, "we are almost done." That said, I will talk with someone if you pay me for my time, especially if the questions are essay and not "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate.........." I believe face to face surveys are the best. That way there can be a dialog and the surveyor can learn more about the participate's answer than they would with a simple "yes or no" question. On-line surveys are probably second best, especially if there is a bar graph telling the participant the level of competition. Online surveys are good because they leave the participant time to really think about the question and go back to change a previous answer. I don't hate all surveys. There is a power tool manufacturer that sends me online surveys. I look forward to their surveys because I always learn something, usually about what new tool they are going to introduce. Their last survey was about trade dress. They showed pictures and asked what style I would prefer in their new cordless tool line up. I think in the future I will ask the surveyor that I will only answer 10 questions or less. What are your opinions and experiences about surveys? David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS Senior Member Username: michael_chusid Post Number: 268 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 01:17 am:    Quick online or phone surveys are useful IF they are to-the-point, well designed, and directed to the right audience. Frequently, however, they are useless to a company trying to understand real market behavior. This is especially true when trying to understand complex decision-making behavior of professionals. When my clients need market research, I have had better (more valid) results with in-depth executive level surveys and focus groups. For example: - When trying to understand the features that should be incorporated into a new type of light fixture, I had face to face meetings with architects, electrical engineers, contractors, and lighting designers in several cities. It was easy to recruit participants because they were interested in and wanted to contribute to the direction in which the industry was going and, because I am an industry insider, they knew they could have a high level conversation. - It is o'k to ask to be paid. To evaluate a new wall system, I had industry experts study materials I sent, write answers to questions, then meet with me to discuss their feedback. In exchange, we offered their hourly rate directly to them or to pay it towards the charity of their choice. Most chose the charity! - A focus group brings together a small group of industry professionals to discuss a topic or questions. In the peer-to-peer dialog between panelists you can get insight that would be missed in a one on one interview. Expect to be compensated for your time. Michael Chusid, RA FCSI CCS www.chusid.com www.buildingproduct.guru 818-219-4937 J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 957 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 09:47 am:    The primary problem that I have with surveys (aside from the time it takes and the interruption of the task at hand) is that the questions may indicate that the person who wrote the question has little or no understanding of what designers do, how construction works, or even the general nature of the construction industry. I have told surveyors midway through the process that their questions were nonsense and hung up. If the people putting the survey together don't have the sense to learn something about what they want to know before they ask the questions, I am not sure that anything I have to say will be of any help. I no longer respond to surveys unless I don't have anything else to do. J. Peter Jordan, FCSI, AIA, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP Anon (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 11:17 am:    I hope this isn't news, but most of the time the person calling to administer the survey is not the person who wrote the questions, nor would they have any method of reporting back that some old specifiers are upset about the survey. They are just someone in a call center getting paid very little to interrupt people's days. You can politely tell them you no longer wish to participate in the survey. You don't need to be rude and hang up. Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP, LEED AP BD+C Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 373 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 11:28 am:    David, I probably got the same survey you are talking about, and it has put me into the same camp as Peter now, "I no longer respond to surveys unless I don't have anything else to do." I tried to help them see that some of the questions were framed in such a way that it presumed things which are not even true. Not sure why I even completed the survey when it took twice the time that they said. Perhaps if I take such calls again, I will start a timer, and then say thanks the agreed time has elapsed goodbye. LOL Chris Grimm, CSI, CCS, SCIP, LEED AP BD+C Senior Member Username: chris_grimm_ccs_scip Post Number: 374 Registered: 02-2014 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 11:30 am:    Perhaps if I'd have said 1, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, bye, instead of trying to help them see their fallacies, it would have gone faster ;) David G. Axt, CCS, CSI ,SCIP Senior Member Username: david_axt Post Number: 1555 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 11:47 am:    Anon, With my situation, I asked the surveyor, "Are we almost finished?" to which they replied, "Just a few more questions." After many questions later I asked, "Are we close to being done?" The surveyor, "Just about." After more questions, I just said, "Sorry but I cannot continue." and hung up. I had already wasted enough time with them. Surveyors need to be respectful of the participants time and ask only a few questions. Michael, Yes! Focus groups are the way to get great feedback from many participants! David G. Axt, CCS, CSI, SCIP Specifications Consultant Axt Consulting LLC Paul Sweet (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted on Tuesday, May 02, 2017 - 12:27 pm:    I don't do phone surveys. Too many of them are from groups with a specific agenda and either phrase the question so you have to give them the answer they want, or use the survey as an opening to try to get a donation. Too many on-line surveys get too complicated and want dozens of things I seldom think about rated on a scale of 1 to 10, rather than like it, hate it, or don't care. John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1714 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Thursday, May 04, 2017 - 12:27 pm:    It's true that the people on the phone are not the people who write the questions. It may not be the case that they don't have a way to advise the creator about problems administering the survey. Almost always, at a minimum, the number of people who don't complete a survey is tracked. That indicates problems with the survey. Even highly regarded research firms sometimes don't get it right. It's not that easy. (I'm a pseudo-expert because my wife's career was to write properly worded survey questions and analyze the results.) I always ask how long the survey will take. If I decide to go ahead, I will sometimes stop them when we reached the time they said it would take. Phil Babinec Senior Member Username: pbabinec Post Number: 17 Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2017 - 02:05 pm:    Wait, Is this a survey about surveys? ;) Phil Babinec Senior Member Username: pbabinec Post Number: 18 Registered: 09-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2017 - 02:09 pm:    I guess I am always gullible enough to start surveys thinking it might be a thought provoking conversation. It rarely is. Probably as previously mentioned, the survey is from a call-in center and they really don't know what they are surveying about other than what they are reading. And again as previously mentioned, the urge to hang up halfway through becomes unbearable at times.