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Information is Power

As the great philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said,
“You can observe a lot just by watching.”  We’ve
found that you can learn a lot – just by asking. 

For example, you may have customers with concerns
about your organization’s service, responsiveness, or
commitment to quality.  Maybe your managers aren’t
fully in tune with your business mission – or perhaps
your employees are dissatisfied with their benefits.
Whatever the situation, we’ve found that, if you ask
people what they think – and the best ways to improve
things – they’ll actually tell you.

Unfortunately, too few organizations know the right
questions to ask, how to frame them the right way,
or what to do to organize the answers.

Why Most Surveys Don’t Work

Surveys are the most efficient, and cost-effective, way
to learn about your customers, both external and internal. 
But most organizations (and consultants), view surveys
as an end – simply a way to collect data.  That’s why
the typical survey report is voluminous, filling five- and
six-inch binders with an abundance of indices – as well
as comparisons to national and industry norms.  The result: 
Scores of statistics, a flood of facts, and a deluge of detail.

But there’s no real information.  There’s nothing readily
available in the report to help you create a strategic context,
build your business case, or generate an effective solution. 
Instead, you wind up buried in binders – a profusion of
pages, precipitating “sound and fury, signifying nothing”
(Shakespeare, not Berra).

What You Need to Know About Surveys

The fact is that surveys are never an end.  Your real
objective is to improve a business process, increase the
impact of a business resource, or solve a business problem.
Surveys are a key means to that end. 

When done well, surveys don’t dwell on data, but produce perspective – providing insight
into the various “constituencies” you must please to ensure your initiative’s success. 
Effective surveys have three things in common:

• They let you know who your stakeholders really are – what they value and why,
  where they are willing to make trade-offs, and, most important, what you must
  do to truly connect with them. 
• The best surveys don’t just collect data – they also get participants to think through
  the problems and identify specific, practical solutions.  They show you how to overcome resistance, build buy-in, and actually implement successful change.
• The ideal survey is designed to define meaningful measures for those factors that have the greatest influence and impact in your situation – leading you directly to approaches that will deliver the outcomes you need, for your organization and all of its stakeholders.

Helping You Get the Right Information – to Solve the Real Problem

With Strategic Planning Associates, LLC, you’ve truly got the “power” to succeed.  Our firm has a long, and successful, track record of using surveys to reduce costs, improve productivity, and enhance organizational effectiveness.  The box above shows areas in which our surveys can help you gain valuable insights – and make a change for the better.

Like X-rays, a well-designed survey is an invaluable tool in diagnosing problems and developing an effective treatment plan.  With Strategic Planning Associates, you can be sure that your survey will be “just what the doctor ordered” – for the good health of your organization.

 
To learn more about how we can help your organization with its survey needs, contact us at info@strategicplanningassociates.com