Streamline Operations by Using Surveys Online

Every office has a few things that are always a pain. For some firms, it’s keeping track of stationery and other office supplies that need to be ordered on a relatively regular basis. For others, it’s keeping track of the holidays, sick leave and vacation time. Some companies need an ongoing assessment of training needs and requirements, others are always on the look out for a more effective way of tracking requests for office parties and so on. And when the one person who was keeping track of the sticky notes with the key information on goes away for lunch at the wrong moment, all systems can grind to a halt.

This is where online survey software can lend a helping hand. There are a number of ways one can deploy online surveys within the workplace to improve productivity and smooth some of the more common kinks in the proverbial corporate hose.

Surveys for One-off Projects
When it comes to organizing the annual Christmas party or a summertime picnic, there are a number of things people like to have the opportunity to voice their opinion on. From the nibbles to the venue, you can organize an online survey that allows employees to vote – anonymously, of course. By including mostly multiple-choice questions listing your short-listed venue options, cuisine types and entertainment possibilities, you can design an effective survey in very little time.

What’s more, the online survey can be made available through a specific link on your intranet, and participation can be restricted based on your own criteria – you can ‘close’ the survey as of a specific time, for example. The survey results are easy to interpret, appearing in a graphical or downloadable format as your employees or co-workers complete the questionnaire.

Using Online Surveys for Ongoing Projects
When it comes to rolling requirements, like stationery, having a simple link on the intranet your colleagues can click to enter their requirements can make organising office supply orders a lot simpler. Using a combination of open-ended questions and multiple-choice matrix questions, your survey will enable office staff to select the pens, paper or other supplies they require with a few simple clicks – then, at the end of the week or whenever the need for supplies reaches a particular level, you can simply print out the survey results page provided by your online survey software and complete the order in a matter of minutes.

Another innovative way to apply the power of online survey software to your normal office chores is by using an online survey to establish and maintain your firm’s skills and training matrix. Human resources departments can be busy places – so anything that lends an air of simplicity to maintenance of the records is usually welcome with open arms. You can design an online survey for new or existing employees that polls what software skills or special training they have had, as well as any they would like or need to receive in the future. When designing your online skills and training survey, aim to include the ‘right’ questions – semantic differential scale questions, for example, can allow employees to rate their skills from ‘none’ or ‘basic’ to ‘expert’, while multiple-choice questions will make it easy for them to identify areas where they’d like to receive further training.