|
There are three primary reasons why survey companies put out questionnaires:
- To get input on a product or service in order to improve that product,
or in order to target the marketing correctly.
- To prove the efficacy of a product or service. In this instance a focus
group or a product testing panel may be assembled to critique the product.
Hospitals or research institutions may hold double-blind studies to determine
if a particular medicine or therapy works before it goes out to the general
public.
- To get your contact information. Lead generation is perhaps the most
common reason for a survey or poll.
When you answer a survey of any sort you are divulging a lot of personal
information about yourself and your family. Almost always the surveyor
will get your name and email address. Often they ask address and phone
contact information as well. Questionnaires often ask for your income information,
the credit cards you use, the magazines you read, and the kind of coffee
you drink in the morning, and on and on. Face it, when you fill out surveys
you are opening up your private world to all sorts of uses and abuses.
Theoretically, when the information is used for research purposes only,
your name and other identifying information is stripped from the results.
After all, it is the demographic data combined with product opinions of
people taking the surveys that contributes to an understanding of how well
a product will do in the marketplace.
Unless the survey company at the time you signed up warrants that no personal
information is sold or reused, there’s a very good chance that your personal
data, your likes and interests will be sold to companies that create consumer
email and telephone lists for marketers to use. You will probably see an
increase in the number of spam emails, cold calls and junk mail that you
receive as a result of your survey work.
To minimize abuse, look for warranty assurances from the survey company
on the uses that will be made of your information. Look for Online Better
Business Bureau or other memberships that assure that site is legitimate.
Check out any credit bureau or other accrediting agency to see if there
are complaints about the company before you sign up.
Another essential is to start a new email address specifically for your
survey work. This way all of your survey assignments will
be together, and if you happen to get spammed as a result of one of these
companies your regular email box will not be affected.
Important Questions You Must Ask and Answer Before You Do Surveys
|
