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The importance of and when to conduct Survey Research Ask the Experts:

Should we do an in-house survey to measure the value of our products and services and to determine importance and satisfaction of them to our members? It is well and good to use in-house web-based tools to do simple, brief one dimensional surveys of different types of members to evaluate specific products that poll all members regardless of segment. However, if you are looking to do a full blown member needs assessment, some of these tools and staff expertise fall short unless you have a market research professional on staff that can construct a segmented survey that is fully cross-tabbed and analyzed using an SPSS stats package or similar tool, and staff that are trained in survey evaluation and analysis.

If you don't have these resources, it may be best to use a highly qualified market research firm, which works exclusively with trade associations and professional societies, to assist you in these types of "industrial" type survey projects. The chronic problem we find among association clients in the field is that some groups rely on "one dimensional" type instruments, but fail to cross tab questions with appropriate demographics and key segments, and run an appropriate stats package and analyze the data with objective discernment.

This can lead to poor decision making sometimes because it is in the "sub-segments" that the key kernels of marketing knowledge are contained. For example, if on your in-house survey 90% of members are well satisfied with current educational offerings, this might lead to one set of decisions, but if you did not segment and analyze members by type or age, you might not have noticed that one class of member or members in a particular age bracket did not like the educational offering at all. Armed with this information, your marketing and communications plan would then take into account these types of members when you create next years program mix. It is precisely this type of "discovery," in multiple question areas, that can make your survey experience that much more enlightening than doing one dimensional instruments.

For brief one-dimensional surveys of attendees, or to find out about how everybody feels about something, these in-house Zoomerang- type applications are ok, but unless you have a fully trained research analyst on board to conduct and analyze and write the report, you had best outsource this key function when tackling a member services value assessment survey.

Stephen C. Carey Ph.D., CAE, Lead Strategist Association Management + Marketing Resources 5807 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 100 Bethesda, MD 20814-1835 phone: 301.530.9066 fax: 301.530.9076 web: http://www.ammr.com

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