{"id":2738,"date":"2016-03-01T02:47:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-01T07:47:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=2738"},"modified":"2020-06-29T09:16:22","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T13:16:22","slug":"how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys\/","title":{"rendered":"How Data Pre-Population Can Improve Your Surveys"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2740 size-large\" title=\"Pre Populate Survey Data\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769-1024x788.png\" alt=\"Pre-Populate Survey Data\" width=\"1024\" height=\"788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769-1024x788.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769-300x231.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769-768x591.png 768w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769-50x39.png 50w, https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Pre-Populate-Survey-Data-e1593436506769.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of the time, conducting a survey is a fairly standard process: You assemble a set of questions to ask respondents, cajole them into taking the time to answer, and then dive into the results to discover tiny flashbulbs of enlightenment that help you make better decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s great \u2013 but sometimes we can do more than the basics. Among the slightly-more-advanced features to add to a survey is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">data pre-population<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, sometimes called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pre-filled data population <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">or<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> auto data population<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>As the term implies, data pre-population lets you add known data to a respondent\u2019s survey results. The premise is that you already have information about that individual, so there is no reason to ask the respondent to re-enter it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s how it can help:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You start with data that\u2019s already associated with the survey participant. Commonly this includes name, age, job title, and other demographic data. For example, you may draw from student records (name, classes taken), sales data (items sold, invoice date), or information gathered at an event (registration at a trade show booth). <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you create the survey, you add the relevant data fields to the design. This data may be set to be visible or invisible; if visible, you can control whether the respondent can edit it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The survey invitation may include an identifying record that associates the respondent with the relevant data.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the respondent submits the survey, the pre-populated data is included with the rest of the survey results.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re creating a survey to <\/span><a title=\"Customer Satisfaction Survey\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/customer-satisfaction-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measure customer satisfaction<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which you plan to send two weeks after a product purchase. The basic way to design such a survey is to ask questions like, \u201cWhich model did you buy?\u201d and \u201cFrom which dealership did you make the purchase?\u201d Then you ask the customer how happy he is with your product and service. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with this process! It works great.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>But we can make it better. You\u2019re already consulting a sales database, which is how you know it\u2019s two weeks post-purchase. That database includes the dealership, item category, specific model, and perhaps serial number. Use that information!<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data pre-population<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0can streamline the process. Why ask the respondent to tell you things you already know? Besides, if the individual bought a washing machine two weeks ago, he might remember the brand name but not the model number (and why should he?). Staring at the question and thinking, \u201cBeats me!\u201d encourages the customer to abandon the survey. Or he might guess at the model number \u2013 incorrectly; the result is you make decisions on inaccurate data.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>There are several advantages to data pre-population. Among them:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>It makes the survey shorter<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. There\u2019s no need to ask questions when you already know the answer. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>It increases data accuracy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The respondent may not recall which model of espresso machine she bought from your company, but your sales records already stored that information. Why take the chance of her misremembering? Or dropping out of the product satisfaction survey when she realizes she doesn\u2019t know?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>It prevents you from having to ask \u201cprying questions.\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Respondents are more likely to confirm demographic data you provide to them (especially since it\u2019s most likely accurate) than to share it openly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8230;all of which improves response rates.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>There are three types of pre-population. The data may be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Pre-populated and hidden<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The participant never sees the data, but it\u2019s available when you run the reports. For instance, you might include the salesperson\u2019s ID as a hidden field; the respondent doesn\u2019t know or care, but tracking that information helps you correlate customer satisfaction by employee.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Pre-populated, visible, not-editable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: You present the information to the respondent, without permitting her to change it. The respondent cannot change the item. For example, you might include, \u201cThanks for buying the LG 4021! We have a few questions to ask you about how you\u2019re using it.\u201d Then, too, you have the model number in the survey data, which helps you dive deeper in the analysis phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Pre-populated, visible, editable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Here you supply the information you have on file, and permit the respondent to edit it. The prototypical example is a customer\u2019s address and phone number. Then you can display the data and ask, \u201cIf this changed, please update it.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>But wait, there\u2019s more\u2026!<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/help\/how-to-apply-data-population\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Data pre-population<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> works at two stages of survey design and deployment: at the invite level (think of it as a mail merge feature) and within the body of the survey. These can work in concert to improve relevancy and engagement. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>For instance, you can include branching that works on hidden data, without adding extra filter questions. Using the data you already \u201cknow,\u201d you can direct respondents to the right section \u2013 without asking for their input.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To continue our example of the two-week post-sale follow-up, let\u2019s say your customer relationship management system stored the product category, brand, and model number purchased. If you use data pre-population, you don\u2019t need to ask, \u201cWhat type of product did you buy?\u201d in order to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">properly branch to the relevant survey section<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A customer who bought a dishwasher can be presented with relevant questions (about, say, the difficulty of plumbing installation) that are not shown to someone who bought a microwave.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>That\u2019s really powerful. And yet, you can do even more.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>The Sogolytics Enterprise subscription adds another level of data pre-population by letting you pull data from previous surveys and compare it to current results. This is immensely useful for follow-ups, compliance surveys, and tracking trends.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, contemplate the possibilities from problem resolution. Here\u2019s a scenario: A utility company might do a customer satisfaction survey after a repair appointment, and learn that Joe was unhappy with the quality of service. The utility company might use <\/span><a title=\"Instant Email Alert\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/help\/how-to-set-up-survey-rules-and-alerts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">an automatic email alert<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to let management know about Joe\u2019s dissatisfaction and (we like to think) take action on it.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>But was that action successful? How do you know? Two weeks later, the utility company could send a follow-up survey asking Joe how he feels now, and learn if the issue was resolved appropriately. The survey can refer explicitly to the previous data. (\u201cYou reported a problem with [whatever the category was] on [that date]. Our records show you were contacted by [service rep]. Do you still hate us?\u201d)<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Or you might simply track a customer\u2019s opinions over time without direct contact with the individual. For instance: \u201cLast time, Jane rated service as 2 stars; now, after this service call, the satisfaction ranking is 4 stars. So we\u2019re doing better.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Another important way to use this advanced data pre-population feature is in compliance surveys, which are especially relevant to government agencies, healthcare organizations, and others who must respond to industry regulations. For instance, a survey might solicit input based on data collected earlier. \u201cLast time we asked you about this project, you said you didn&#8217;t have a security check on [these three items]. What progress have you made on [each of these three things]?\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>Again, this ensures data accuracy and it minimizes the number of questions you need to ask. But it also creates opportunity for tracking overall trends. If you regularly survey several government agencies, you might be able to report on overall progress by area of compliance. A series of surveys of healthcare organizations might gather useful information about how long it typically takes an organization to reach compliance with a new requirement. And so on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"div-minispacer\"><\/div>\n<p>I certainly hope this overview helped you learn something new. If you need help learning to take advantage of these features in Sogolytics, remember that we have live tech support, around-the-clock, with people who are happy to assist!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most of the time, conducting a survey is a fairly standard process: You assemble a set of questions to ask respondents, cajole them into taking the time to answer, and then dive into the results to discover tiny flashbulbs of enlightenment that help you make better decisions. That\u2019s great \u2013 but sometimes we can do more than the basics. Among the slightly-more-advanced features to add to a survey is data pre-population, sometimes called pre-filled data population or auto data population. As the term implies, data pre-population lets you add known data to a respondent\u2019s survey results. The premise is that you already have information about that individual, so there is no reason to ask the respondent to re-enter it. Here\u2019s how it can help: You start with data that\u2019s already associated with the survey participant. Commonly this includes name, age, job title, and other demographic data. For example, you may draw from student records (name, classes taken), sales data (items sold, invoice date), or information gathered at an event (registration at a trade show booth). When you create the survey, you add the relevant data fields to the design. This data may be set to be visible or invisible; if visible, you can control whether the respondent can edit it. The survey invitation may include an identifying record that associates the respondent with the relevant data. When the respondent submits the survey, the pre-populated data is included with the rest of the survey results. For example, let\u2019s say you\u2019re creating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":5055,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,205],"tags":[216,256,171,60],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Data Pre-Population Can Improve Your Surveys - Sogolytics Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Data pre-population lets you add known data to a respondent\u2019s survey results. The premise is that when you already have information about that individual, there is no reason to ask the respondent to re-enter it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Data Pre-Population Can Improve Your Surveys - Sogolytics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Data pre-population lets you add known data to a respondent\u2019s survey results. The premise is that when you already have information about that individual, there is no reason to ask the respondent to re-enter it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sogolytics Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-01T07:47:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-06-29T13:16:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/ff-4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"487\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"714\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hamid Farooqui\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-data-pre-population-can-improve-your-surveys\/\",\"name\":\"How Data Pre-Population Can Improve Your Surveys - Sogolytics Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-01T07:47:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-06-29T13:16:22+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e26ade6499330428fc16c418b4883d37\"},\"description\":\"Data pre-population lets you add known data to a respondent\u2019s survey results. 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