Customer experience (CX) and feedback collection play pivotal roles in shaping business strategies. Gathering insights directly from customers, especially in real-world scenarios, provides invaluable data that influences company direction. Offline surveys particularly shine in situations where direct, face-to-face interaction is necessary or more practical. In this blog, we will share information on the meaning of offline surveys for business, its benefits and use cases.
What are Offline Surveys?
Offline surveys are questionnaires that can be administered without the need for an internet connection. These survey forms are pre-loaded onto various devices such as tablets, smartphones, or even handed out in paper format. Once responses are collected, they can be synced with online systems when an internet connection becomes available.
The primary distinction between offline and online surveys lies in their operational environment. While online surveys require constant internet connectivity, offline surveys can function entirely without it. This independence from the internet enhances their applicability in scenarios where digital access is limited or non-existent.
Offline surveys allow businesses to capture real-time feedback in physical locations like retail stores, events, or rural areas. It is widely used to collect critical demographic data like census or other market research. This real-time, location-specific data is crucial for making timely improvements in specific contexts.
Benefits of Offline Surveys
Offline surveys have been a critical method of market research for a long time (pen and paper method, mailers and CATI method). This method has gathered considerable consumer feedback over the years before technological takeover. Today, offline surveys are still relevant in certain industries and scenarios. Here are the benefits.
No internet dependence
Offline surveys can function without technological requirements. This is important to note that the internet or technology is not always reliable, especially in far flung places. In such regions or situations, offline surveys ensure continuous data collection. This is particularly beneficial in remote areas, outdoor events, or during field research.
Greater participation rates
Offline surveys often yield higher response rates due to the prompt in-person feedback between the researcher and the respondent. This is noteworthy since online surveys can face a lag depending on how long it takes for the respondent to answer surveys. The personal element of face-to-face interaction encourages people to participate. For example, at a retail store, a staff member asking customers to fill out a quick survey on a tablet often results in higher completion rates than sending an email survey later.
Caters to certain demographics
For in-depth market research, there are sensitive topics that need offline intervention. This can be collected in a face-to-face interview. Scenarios include census research, product feedback in confidential terms, religious or political views and research on behavioural studies. Offline surveys can also effectively collect data in places where people rely less on technology or may not be too technologically forward.
Flexibility in data collection
Offline surveys provide unparalleled flexibility in data collection. They can be customized for various devices and environments, allowing businesses to gather insights in multiple contexts. For instance, healthcare providers can use offline surveys to capture patient feedback during their visit, even if the clinic is in a remote location.
Examples from Professional Scenarios
- Retail Stores: Collecting on-site customer feedback using tablets, resulting in immediate insights into customer satisfaction and shopping experience.
- Events and Conferences: Using offline surveys to gather attendee feedback on the spot, ensuring higher response rates and timely data collection.
- Field Research: Conducting surveys in rural areas without relying on internet connectivity, ensuring comprehensive data collection even in challenging environments.
How to Conduct Offline Surveys?
Step 1: Selecting the right tools
Choosing the appropriate tools is crucial for effective offline surveys. These tools allow users to design surveys that can be administered without an internet connection and later synchronized for analysis.
Step 2: Designing the survey
The next step involves crafting the survey. It’s important to design questions that are clear, concise, and relevant to the objectives. Tools like Merren provide pre-designed templates and design options that help in creating user-friendly surveys. Test the survey layout on mobile devices or tablets (compatible on both android and iOS).
Step 3: Distributing the survey
A pre-tested survey needs to be distributed. Depending on the context, this could involve loading the survey onto tablets or smartphones for field agents, printing paper versions for physical distribution, or setting up kiosks in strategic locations like store entrances.
Step 4: Collecting responses
As responses are collected, it’s essential to ensure data integrity. For digital data collection, tools like Merren automatically save responses on the device, syncing them with online databases once an internet connection is established. For paper surveys, manual entry may be required. This can be minimized by using digital tools wherever possible.
Technical aspects and tools required
To conduct offline surveys, consider the following technical aspects:
- Devices: Tablets, smartphones, or laptops that can operate without internet connectivity.
- Software: Applications like Merren CX, Zonka Feedback or SmartSurvey that support offline survey creation and data storage.
- Data storage: Ensure devices have sufficient storage to accommodate collected data until it can be synced.
- Synchronization: Efficient methods to sync collected data with central databases once connectivity is restored.
Use Cases for Offline Surveys
Offline surveys provide versatile applications across various industries. Their ability to function without internet connectivity makes them ideal for several use cases.
1. On-site customer feedback
Retail stores, hospitality businesses, and service providers benefit significantly from on-site customer feedback. For instance, a retail store can use tablets to gather customer opinions on their shopping experience. People can answer immediately and choose the apt rating as per their experience.
2. Field research in remote zones
Offline surveys are indispensable for field research in remote or rural areas. Researchers can collect data using mobile devices in locations where technical connections are not prevalent. This approach is common in studies related to public health, agriculture, and environmental research or to gather data on user behaviours.
3. Employee feedback in organizations
Offline surveys to collect employee feedback in environments that do not allow external access to devices due to the confidential nature of work or other risk factors. This includes manufacturing units, journalistic research, medical environments or remote offices. This ensures that all employees have a voice during professional assessments, leading to better workplace improvements.
4. Patient satisfaction in healthcare
Healthcare providers can employ offline surveys to gauge patient satisfaction. People are not always comfortable sharing personal details online (it can also stem due to lack of human touch or trust). Here, hospitals and clinics can use paper surveys or mobile devices to collect feedback during patient visits. This method ensures timely and accurate data collection for quality improvement initiatives.
5. Surveying testers for product development
Companies can set up kiosks and booths to share their products. The advantage of this is that people can test the products and offer impromptu responses based on their immediate experiences. This is common during exhibitions, expos and such kiosks are also found frequently in the malls. This approach is often taken by FMCG and beauty and cosmetic industries. For example, new beauty brands launch kiosks in stores to attract women customers. They can test the product and offer instant offline feedback regarding the product quality.
How to Ensure Accurate Data Collection with Offline Surveys?
- Design questions that are clear for the researcher and the respondent. Simple language will suffice.
- Test your offline survey on a sample population before going for a final campaign. This will give you time to understand your target audience in person and correct potential errors. This will also save the researcher a lot of logistical effort and time.
- Ensure that individuals administering the surveys are well-trained in data collection techniques. Knowing to offer further explanation on a question is also necessary.
- Monitor offline data and regularly review collected data for inconsistencies or errors.
- Ensure that the questions follow a neutral tone. This can help both the parties steer clear of favourable nudges and biases.
- Ensure proper handling of offline surveys and data- this includes chronological aspects of questions, data storage, and working with online mediums.
Conclusion
Offline surveys offer numerous benefits, including independence from internet connectivity, high response rates, and flexibility in data collection. Their applications span various industries, from retail and healthcare to field research and employee feedback. Curate pre-designed and effective surveys with Merren CX. Sign up for a 14 day free trial here. Discover how Merren can augment your data collection campaign without any technical knowledge.