Carlson put Snap software in the driver’s seat
October 2005
Data collection in the field has never been easier using Snap’s PDA Interviewer module. It has recently been improved and developed in Snap 8 so that Rotation and Randomisation can now be applied to Multi Choice and Grid Questions, a Save and Resume function has also been added.
There are significant advantages of using PDA surveys over other mediums for data collection, one of the main ones being the monetary savings. Man hour costs are cut dramatically as manual data input is eliminated meaning there is no need for skilled staff to fill in forms and re-key data. Another saving is time; data is captured instantaneously so you can analyse your results as soon as the data is transferred from your handheld PDA. As there is no need for data to be re-keyed by office staff you are assured of accurate results every time.
Carlson Marketing Group specialises in Relationship Marketing; this business strategy allows them to build brands, drive sales and boost profits for a portfolio of Fortune 1000 companies. They believe they are leaders in this area because they offer their clients the most comprehensive range of capabilities of any marketing services agency in the industry. Their UK Headquarters have chosen Snap survey software to carry out research on behalf of their prestigious clients. In particular Snap’s PDA module was utilised recently to carry out research at the Motor Show in Birmingham on behalf of one of their automotive clients.
Tania Mag, one of Carlson’s UK data consultants used Snap survey software to create a questionnaire to survey people that visited the stand. It was loaded onto 10 HP PDAs with the specific aim of generating leads and researching the views and purchasing patterns of the visitors. People stopping at the stand were asked a number of questions, which included personal details such as age, current car – make, model and date of purchase, plans for a replacement car – date of planned purchase and models of interest for future purchase. Visitors were also asked if they would like to book a test-drive or receive further information.
The survey constructed in Snap consisted of 66 variables and contained a number of drop down boxes to minimise data capture and time. The main objective was to find out models of interest, which were then analysed against the age of the visitor to ascertain what type of person would own a certain model of car. Tania explains that ‘PDAs were chosen to research visitors because of their ease of use and instantaneous data capture. They offer considerable savings, as there is no need to input the data manually.’
The research conducted at the Motor show with the help of Snap software was deemed a huge success, with 4,355 responses collected over the course of 2 weeks. In addition Carlson was commissioned to create and host several web surveys for their clients and again Snap was the preferred software solution. Carlson has in fact had a phenomenal response rate covering all their research projects conducted on behalf of their clients with the lowest response rate being 27%. Tania explains ‘Snap is easy to install, understand and use, has numerous graphical representations for the results, incorporates useful statistics and allows extended use of creativity and personalisation; all these reasons make it a valuable software package for market research and prospect/customer insight.’
For further information on Carlson’s services visit www.carlsonmarketing.com
Other satisfied PDA users
‘The PDA module is invaluable for reducing inputting time and costs. It is also a much more convenient way of carrying out fieldwork, and staff have commented that they "feel more professional" when they're using Snap on the PDA - I think this is because they don't have to control hundreds of bits of paper at once.’
Scott Butterfield, Hyndburn Borough Council
“We have been using Snap’s PDA Interviewer Module for 2 years now at Hadrian’s Wall Tourism Partnership (Sustainable Transport Project hosted by Northumberland National Park Authority). We have found it easy to set up and use for our on-bus monitoring surveys as well as customer satisfaction surveys at outdoor events. Using Snap has improved the way we conduct our surveys and increased the speed with which we can get the results.”
Deborah Hall, Hadrian's Wall Tourism Partnership, Northumberland National Park Authority