Better survey design is: (a) easy (b) difficult (c) don't know: stuck for an answer? Use this seven-element model to ensure that your customer questionnaires are complete and achieve intended objective.

• Author: Ambrose, David M.
• Position: Customer Surveys - Survey

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Nothing is more important to a bank's success than a rigorous understanding of its customers--that is, who they are and what they want. One of the most valuable tools that a financial institution can use to understand its customers is the questionnaire.

Composing a customer survey is no easy task, however. Banks that are unfamiliar with the art of survey design will frequently resort to questionnaire templates originally designed for use in other financial institutions. The problem with the use of "canned" surveys is that they may not address the unique information needs of your particular bank.

Financial institutions that attempt to develop their own questionnaires from scratch quickly discover that the process involves a lot of compromise, squabbling--and frustration. The resulting questionnaire usually ends up providing less than satisfactory information.

In this article, we will offer a model for creating simple, high-quality in-house surveys. We will outline the seven elements that cover all the components, in one form or another, in every effective customer questionnaire. By employing this model, banks will be able to create surveys that cover all the important bases--including questions for special needs.

What questions should a survey ask?

Anyone attempting to develop or compose a questionnaire first must become familiar with the precepts of survey methods, including how to develop the objectives and the questions; how to administer the questionnaire; how to determine sample sizes; and how to design the wording of the selected questions.

One issue that is rarely addressed is what questions to ask in the first place.

Some time ago, we undertook a study on this issue. We started by examining several hundred marketing and consumer surveys. We discovered common elements: All questions could be categorized in seven distinct categories.

Based on this research, we developed a model for the creation of questionnaires that incorporates all seven of these design categories. For several years, we have employed this design model in our own professional research and as consultants with other research endeavors. We have tested the model by requiring others developing a questionnaire to proceed without knowledge of the model and then review their results against the model. And, we have engaged one research group with the model and another group without the model and compared their results and their assessments of the difficulty of the task. We have concluded that the use of the design model greatly facilitates the creation of surveys and also improves the quality of the final product.

The survey model

This model (we call it The Ambrose/Anstey Questionnaire Design Model) consists of seven different elements. The listing of...