Survey Question Library

Transcription

1 Survey Question Library Use these questions to build or inspire your own surveys to better understand how your teams work, their views on technology, and the potential business value of solutions. Here are a few tips to make your survey successful:

2 Contents 3 Behavioral Habits 5 Attitude Questions 7 Technology Use, Value and Preferences 9 Grid Test 11 Best/Worst Tools for the Job 12 The Ponder Questions 15 Demographics 24 2

3 Use these questions to build or inspire your own surveys to better understand how your teams work, their views on technology, and the potential business value of solutions. Here are a few tips to make your survey successful: Keep it short Three minutes is the maximum time for a survey but your response rate will increase if it s even shorter. If you need more information, break it into multiple projects. To test for time, read the survey aloud, including all the answer choices, and don t mumble. Keep it anonymous If you want truth, protect your users. Don t ask for information other than that needed to compare outcomes by groups that are likely to have very different cultures or habits. Don t ask about a demographic group, like department or site, if there are less than 50 people in the group. Share your results no matter what they are. Make sure your responders know their input mattered and was appreciated. Share your comments on how you interpret the data. Be candid. Ask for responses more than once and at different times of day. First thing in the morning and the end of the day can be great times for surveys people sometimes like something lighter for a few minutes at these times. Use context/situation questions Our most revealing surveys ask more about what people do and how they do it than about what technologies they like. It s easy to end up with a Christmas list of technology people say they want. Asking questions about specific uses and contexts can give you clearer focus on why they want it and what it will need to do to create value. Make it Mobile Your mobile users can be your most passionate customers, and they ll often complete a survey waiting for a plane or a client. Make sure your surveys work on mobile devices (test them, no matter what the app says). Consider informal quick polls A single question on your intranet or internal social media site can connect you to power-users of technology and give you a snapshot of user sentiment, however unscientific it may be. Adding quirky questions or responses can also be fun for users and foster an open exchange of information. 3

4 Compare user groups A few demographic questions at the end of each survey can hugely impact your analysis. Simply comparing separate views of IT to end users, or HQ staff to mobile/remote staff, can swing the outcomes of your survey dramatically. If you re doing multiple surveys, consider a fixed set of demographic questions so you can easily consolidate the views of different cohorts across surveys. (Our top demographic questions are in the final section of this document.) We find that asking the demographic questions last allows users focus on candid responses, without concern for politics or appearances. Online Survey Resources There are many online survey apps available. Some are free for at least basic needs. Consider one that allows you to easily filter responses by demographic questions (last section) to get a clear and easy view of how different groups of users see things. Remember to think about mobile users. Here are just a few examples of online services. Survey Monkey. Fluid Surveys. (multi-lingual) Survey Anyplace. SurveyPocket. (multi-lingual) 4

5 Behavioral Habits Use questions like these to understand what matters most, as well as unarticulated pain points. These questions don t ask users to project outcomes from solutions, but rather help to define the environment solutions must work within. The case-driven approach will help you select solutions that address specific needs, rather than creating out-of-context wish lists. Be sure to consider adding demographic questions (last page) to differentiate views of HQ versus remote, as well as the need for mobile solutions. What portion of your team commonly works in a different location than you? None Less than 25% 25% to 50% 50% to 75% Over 75% What percent of your real collaboration takes place in scheduled meetings (versus ad hoc communications via phone, or face to face)? Less than 25% 25% to 50% 50 to 75% More than 75% How many people, on average, participate in the virtual meetings you re a part of? Less than 5 people 5 to 10 people 10 to 25 people More than 25 people How often do you engage in personal (non-business related) conversation with your virtual team members, either as part of a scheduled call or as an ad hoc engagement (virtual coffee break)? Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely/never How often do you find yourself in a virtual meeting where a significant part of the discussion is of no relevance to you? Rarely/Never Occasionally Often 5

6 In what percent of your virtual meetings is all or most of the talking one-way monolog, rather than a joint collaboration of ideas and knowledge? Less than 25% 25 to 50% 50 to 75% Over 75% Are you more or less likely to voice disagreement with someone in a virtual meeting, as compared to a face-to-face meeting? More likely About the same Less likely Are you more or less likely to share a spontaneous (half-baked) idea or comment in a virtual meeting, as compared to a face-to-face meeting? More likely About the same Less likely How often do you reach out to engage a team member or colleague at another site merely to keep in touch? Daily Weekly Monthly Rarely/Never When you disagree with someone on your virtual team, which are you most likely to do? the person with your concerns your concerns to the group or management Call the person (one-to-one) to discuss your concerns Voice your concerns on a team call Something else Nothing In your opinion, how successful are the virtual teams you work with in making a meaningful contribution to the business? Very successful Reasonably successful So-so Not very successful Not at all successful 6

7 Attitude Questions Attitudes toward technology and the broader work environment are everything in user adoption. Use these questions to get a feel for potential acceptance or resistance to new solutions. True or False Teams can only be truly productive with regular face time? True False Virtual communications technology improves employees sense of engagement? True False It s important to the business that employees have access to a range of communication technologies and tools that work seamlessly together? True False My ability to achieve my goals depends more on my relationships with an informal network of people inside and outside the company than it depends on my formal reporting structure? True False Constant connection to unfiltered sources of information (from to social media to calls) has created unwelcome distraction more than it has contributed to job satisfaction and productivity? True False 7

8 To what extend do you agree or disagree with these statements: Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree You have the technology you need to build trust and commitment with few or no face-to-face meetings. It s difficult to keep everyone on your team engaged and communicating freely. It s easier to collaborate with colleagues in other places when you can see them (video), versus just hear them. Team members are more likely to get distracted during remote meetings (conference calls, online meetings) than when you re all in a conference room. Communication and content sharing technologies can be overwhelming or frustrating to use. The nature of virtual/distributed teams often leads to some team members not doing their fair share of work. Virtual/distributed teams are as effective as co-located teams. You re well trained in the best practices of collaboration and remote meeting technologies. You have access to the technologies you need to stay connected, engaged and successful at work. You can do anything on the road or in a home office that you could do in the office. 8

9 Technology Use, Value and Preferences It s not enough to ask users if they want a technology. The results won t necessarily forecast acceptance and use of a solution. To define solutions that will make a difference for your organization, ask whether and how technologies are used, and use situational questions to understand what new/enhanced solutions need to solve. Be sure to include the demographic question on mobility for a clear look at these issues, and take care to differentiate the views of IT staff and general end users. Here are a few different approaches to understanding user views on technology: Have it/use Surveys The current range of communication and collaboration tools available to your users can be overwhelming. Many tools have eased into use over the last several years not always in a consolidated manner. Some tools are just not as intuitive as you might expect. Everywhere we look, we find users who don t know if they have access to key collaboration technologies; or they think it s there but they don t know how to use it; or they find it too cumbersome and go without or go their own way. Finding out what tools users think they have and actually use can help you assess and optimize the tools you have and ensure your ongoing investments are on target. Here are two approaches to this study set. General Questions: Do you have access to a complete unified communication solution? Yes No Somewhat What s unified communication? How well do you know how to use the unified communications solution? Not at all Just the basics Fairly well Very well How often do you access the unified communications client? Daily Weekly Rarely Never 9

10 Do you use a communications client to tell you which colleagues are available for phone calls, IM, , etc? Yes No Partially I wish I could? Does you use one number service, the application that lets you use one phone number and direct calls to the client of your choice (one number service), rather than publishing multiple phone numbers for multiple devices? Yes No I wish I could Do you use the communication application to set your own rules on how to route your calls based on the day, time, who s calling, etc? Yes No I wish I could Do you use a communication application that lets you click to add a video or web conference to a live voice conference call from a common client? Yes No I wish I could Do you have access to secure desktop/mobile video conferencing via the company s communications application? Yes No I wish I could 10

11 Grid Test This study is currently in process at Unify, but early data shows clear differences between the views of IT and general users, as well as differences between those who consider their teams to be more successful or struggling/less successful. Use demographic questions (last section) to get a clear view of different user groups. Which technologies do you have and use when your team just can t be together face-to-face? Have it and Use it Have it But Don't Use it I don't think we have this I use a solution not sanctioned by IT See who s on a conference call? Click to add someone to a conference call? Internal Enterprise IM/text messaging? Ability to add screen-share/web collaboration to an ongoing call? Ability to add desktop video to an ongoing call? A live Presence display that lets you see if your key contacts are available for phone, IM or ? One-number-service that lets you publish one phone number to all business contacts and tell an application where to send calls based on time, day, who s calling or your current Presence state? Request notice when a busy colleague becomes available for a phone call? Internal (enterprise-private) chat or social media site to share threaded discussions? Ability to perform any of these functions from your company approved mobile devices? Cloud storage site to share documents for limited access by selected colleagues, partners, etc.? 11

12 Best/Worst Tools for the Job The right technology in the right situation can be incredibly valuable. Yet in other contexts, the same technology can contribute to frustration, conflict or unnecessary drama. For each of the situations below, tell us which technologies are best and which are worst when you can t all be in the same place. Working with someone for the first time. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 12

13 Planning and setting up a new project. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 13

14 Briefing a large team or extended audience. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 14

15 Brainstorming and collaboration. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 15

16 Working thru disagreements or conflict. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 16

17 Staying connected with colleagues. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 17

18 Staying connected with customers. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 18

19 Staying connected with partners. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 19

20 Responding to urgent situations. Best 5 4 Neutral 3 2 Worst 1 Live phone call Voice conference call Web/screen-share conference call Video call IM/Text Internal social media/chat room. Comments: (open text) 20

21 The Ponder Questions These questions are designed to encourage users to think about their tools and the value or effect they have on work. Do you have the same opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions and activities with colleagues when working remotely as you would working full time in the office? Yes, it s the same Pretty close There s a bit less opportunity to engage No, much less opportunity to engage when remote Is the head of your department a good at leading a distributed team? Brilliant Mostly good So-So Could use improvement Not effective If you couldn t have for a week, what would you use? IM Phone Calls Voice Conference Calls Online Meeting Tool Video Internal Social Media Carrier Pigeon If you could set a limit on other people s use of any one communications method, what would you limit? Phone Calls Voice Mail Online Meeting Tool Video IM/Text Internal Social Media What s the first thing you check when you start your work day? Social media Voic Web news IM/Text Other 21

22 Does IT understand end user collaboration needs? Yes No Partially In your experience, does video conferencing overcome some of the hurdles of remote working and virtual teaming? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never In your experience, can collaboration and conferencing tools actually put more focus on the topic and task at hand by eliminating local physical distractions? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never In your experience, are you more inclined to speak up and contribute to a virtual team compared to a face-to-face gathering? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never Do you feel the rapid nature of engaging electronically via collaboration and conferencing tools makes for more efficient meeting setup compared to face-to-face gatherings? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never Do you enjoy the flexibility that virtual collaboration and conferencing tools provide while still being engaged and listening to a meeting in progress? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never Do you bring new people into a virtual meeting session while a meeting in progress as they are needed on the agenda or as the need arises? 22

23 Always Often Sometimes Seldom How often do you share content, slides, documents or other material electronically as part of a collaboration or conferencing session with a virtual team? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never Do you use web chat, text chat or instant messaging to communicate privately or discretely during online collaboration and conferencing sessions? Always Often Sometimes Seldom Never Do you use any of these technologies after hours, on weekends or on holiday for business purposes? Phone Calls Voice Mail Online Meeting Tool Video IM/Text Internal Social Media 23

24 Demographics Use these to compare the habits and preferences of different groups. If your study is like ours, you ll see significant differences in countries, IT versus users, HQ versus elsewhere, and even age groups. It also makes a dramatic difference if you compare the outcomes of those who feel their teams are more successful to those whose teams are struggling. If you are doing multiple surveys, use the same demographic questions for all surveys, so you can readily combine data cohorts. Again, be sure to protect the anonymity of end-users through careful sharing of cohort data with managers. Where do you work most of the time? Headquarters Branch Office Customer site Mobile office Home Other What percent of your time, in an average month, do you depend upon mobile devices to communicate and collaborate? None Less than 25% of my time 25% to 50% of my time 50% to 75% of my time More than 75% of my time Your country: (drop-down list from the survey app is easiest) Your Job function: IT Sales Service Marketing Product/Engineering, Finance/Admin HR Other Your Job Level: C-Level VP Director Manager Team Leader Team Member Other 24

25 Your Age Group: Under to to to 55 Over 55 In your opinion, how successful are the virtual teams you work with in making a meaningful contribution to the business? Very successful Reasonably successful So-so Not very successful Not at all successful 25

26 About Unify Unify formerly known as Siemens Enterprise Communications is one of the world s largest communications software and services firms. Our solutions unify multiple networks, devices and applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams to engage in rich and meaningful conversations. The result is a transformation of how the enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes the business, and dramatically improves business performance. Born out of the engineering DNA of Siemens, Unify builds on this heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and security to provide integrated communications solutions for 75% of the Global 500. Unify is a joint venture of The Gores Group and Siemens AG. unify.com Copyright Unify GmbH & Co. KG, 2013 Hofmannstr. 51, D Munich, Germany All rights reserved. Reference No.: A31002-P3010-D The information provided in this document contains merely general descriptions or characteristics of performance which in case of actual use do not always apply as described or which may change as a result of further development of the products. An obligation to provide the respective characteristics shall only exist if expressly agreed in the terms of contract. Availability and technical specifications are subject to change without notice. Unify, OpenScape, OpenStage and HiPath are registered trademarks of Unify GmbH & Co. KG. All other company, brand, product and service names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.