Survey and questionnaire: how to get honest answers and accurate data online
A survey — is one of the most common methods of collecting information from people by asking them pre-prepared questions. Its goal — is to gather data that helps better understand the behavior, attitude, or opinion of a particular group. Such methods are widely used in business, marketing, HR, education, and even government research.
The main advantage of a survey — is its flexibility. It can be oral, written, or conducted online. Online surveys are especially popular: they allow you to reach a large audience in a short time and reduce organizational costs. For companies, this means quick feedback from customers or employees, and for researchers — broader access to data.
Questionnaire surveys — are a more formalized method of collecting information, in which each respondent is offered the same questionnaire with a fixed set of questions. This approach ensures objectivity and data comparability.
Questionnaires may include different types of questions: from simple multiple choice («yes/no») to rating scales and open-ended responses. Thanks to the uniform format, the results of questionnaires are easy to analyze, turning large sets of responses into clear tables, charts, and reports.
This method is especially valuable where it is important to compare large amounts of information — for example, when studying customer satisfaction levels or in educational research.
Differences between a survey and a questionnaire
Although both methods aim for the same goal — obtaining information — their approaches differ.
- A survey is often used as a flexible tool. Questions can change depending on the situation, be formulated freely, or clarified during the process. This method helps to better understand a person’s individual opinion and capture more nuances.
- A questionnaire, on the other hand, is based on a strict structure: each participant answers the same questions in a set order. This makes the data comparable and especially valuable for statistics and analysis.
Thus, a survey is convenient for a more detailed study of respondents’ views, while a questionnaire — is better suited for obtaining standardized information. Today, both approaches are often combined in online tools.
Digital solutions are particularly useful here. For example, the QForm platform provides a convenient form and quiz builder that allows you to create both free-form online surveys and structured questionnaires. This combination helps obtain high-quality data while saving time on processing.
Where surveys and questionnaires are used
In marketing and business
Surveys and questionnaires play a key role in marketing research. They help companies learn how satisfied customers are with products and services, which product features are most valuable, and what requires improvement. This helps adjust sales strategies, test new hypotheses, and launch products that meet market demand. Questionnaires make it possible to understand which factors influence product choice — price, quality, or recommendations — while surveys clarify the details: why customers return to this company or what prevents them from completing a purchase. For businesses, such methods are not just about collecting data, but also tools for increasing loyalty and competitiveness. Using online forms, companies shorten the time needed for data processing and can respond to customer requests almost in real time.
In HR and corporate environments
Internal surveys and questionnaires help organizations better understand their employees. They allow measuring engagement levels, identifying team issues, and evaluating the effectiveness of corporate initiatives. HR specialists conduct questionnaires to analyze satisfaction with working conditions or to collect feedback on training programs, and this data helps make decisions that directly influence company culture and employee retention. Online tools like QForm simplify this process: a manager can quickly launch a survey within the company, and results are automatically collected into a unified system for further analysis.
In education and science
Surveys and questionnaires are widely used in educational institutions. They help administrators and teachers receive feedback from students and parents, assess teaching quality, and identify issues not always visible at first glance. Questionnaires are used to evaluate teaching quality, school safety levels, or student satisfaction with the learning process, while in universities such studies help adjust academic programs and increase their relevance. In science, questionnaires and surveys are an integral part of sociological and psychological research, allowing the collection of reliable data for analyzing large samples.
How to prepare an effective survey or questionnaire
Formulating questions
For a survey or questionnaire to yield useful results, questions must be well-designed. They should be clear, understandable, and unambiguous. Different formats are used: open-ended questions allow respondents to express their opinions in their own words, closed questions help quickly gather statistics, scale-based questions measure satisfaction or agreement levels, and multiple-choice questions reveal participant priorities. A balanced mix of these types makes the questionnaire or survey more informative and easier to analyze.
Questionnaire structure
Even the best questions won’t work if the questionnaire is poorly structured. It’s important to organize it logically: from simple to complex. Typically, a questionnaire includes an introductory section explaining the purpose of the research, followed by main topic questions, and ends with demographic questions. This order makes completion easier and increases the likelihood that the respondent will reach the end. In questionnaires, it’s critical to avoid overly long forms: practice shows that the shorter the questionnaire, the higher the completion rate.
Using online services
Modern online services make preparing surveys and questionnaires much easier and more convenient. Such tools allow you to quickly assemble different question types, set up conditional logic, and design the layout in your corporate style. For example, the QForm platform allows you to create surveys and questionnaires in the form of online forms and quizzes without programming skills. The built-in drag-and-drop builder helps assemble a full survey in just a few minutes, while integrated analytics automatically processes results and converts them into clear reports. For companies, this means saving time and resources, and for respondents — a simple and intuitive filling process.
Tools for conducting surveys and questionnaires
Manual methods
Traditionally, surveys and questionnaires can be conducted using text documents, spreadsheets, or even paper forms. Using Word or Excel allows you to quickly prepare a questionnaire and distribute it to respondents in print or electronic form. However, such methods require significant effort to collect and process responses. When the sample size is large, data must be manually compiled into tables, which increases the risk of errors and slows down analysis. Therefore, such solutions are suitable only for small groups or cases where the research is conducted offline and automation is not a priority.
Specialized services
For businesses and researchers, the most in-demand today are online services that simplify the organization and data processing process. They allow creating questionnaires of any complexity, automatically collecting responses, and instantly generating reports. Among them, the QForm platform stands out by combining form and quiz builder functionality with built-in analytics. Unlike simpler tools, QForm allows not only launching surveys and questionnaires in a convenient online format but also integrating them with CRM and other systems. This means that the collected data immediately flows into business processes, eliminating manual processing and saving company resources. An additional advantage is responsive design and the ability to brand questionnaires, which increases respondent trust and makes the survey process an organic part of the company’s digital environment.
Processing and analyzing results
Methods of analysis
Once a survey or questionnaire is completed, the main task becomes proper data processing. Simple response counting doesn’t always give a full picture, so various analytical methods are used. The most common include building charts and graphs, segmenting data by socio-demographic characteristics or interest groups, identifying patterns, and comparing results with previous studies. This approach helps not only record raw numbers but also identify trends that influence management decisions. The better structured the questions in the questionnaire, the more accurate and visual the conclusions will be, which is especially important when working with large respondent samples.
Automated analysis in QForm
When the number of participants is large, manual processing becomes practically impossible. Here, online services come to the rescue by automatically collecting and systematizing responses. The QForm platform allows real-time tracking of survey and questionnaire results, generating summary tables, exporting data to Excel, CSV, or PDF, and creating charts directly in the dashboard. An additional advantage is the ability to filter responses by date, channel, segment, and even integrate results with CRM systems for further client interaction. This means that businesses receive not just raw data, but a ready-to-use decision-making tool, making surveys and questionnaires as efficient and user-friendly as possible.
Confidentiality and data security
The importance of protecting personal information
Any questionnaire or survey involves processing personal data. Participants may leave contact details, indicate age, occupation, or even more sensitive information. For companies, it is important not only to collect responses correctly but also to ensure the security of this data; otherwise, respondent trust will be lost. Violating data protection rules can lead not only to reputational damage but also to serious legal consequences. Therefore, organizations must comply with data protection laws and use reliable digital tools that prevent unauthorized access.
How QForm ensures security
Modern survey platforms take on the responsibility of legal compliance. The QForm platform is listed in the Russian software registry and fully complies with Federal Law No. 152 «On Personal Data». All data is processed and stored on Russian servers, using modern encryption methods and protection against unauthorized access. In addition, QForm offers various scenarios for handling personal data: from limited contact collection to full data operator status. This allows companies to flexibly choose the level of processing depending on research specifics and business goals. Thus, conducting surveys and questionnaires with QForm is not only convenient but also secure for all participants in the process.
Advantages of QForm for surveys and questionnaires
Ease of form creation
One of the key success factors of any survey or questionnaire — is the speed and simplicity of preparation. The QForm platform allows creating questionnaires and surveys without programming skills: its intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes the process as straightforward as possible. Even a beginner can assemble a form in minutes, add different question types, set up branching logic, and customize the design to match the company’s branding. This reduces dependence on developers and speeds up research launches, which is especially important for businesses operating in a dynamic environment.
Automation and analytics
The second major advantage of QForm — is its built-in data analysis tools. The platform automatically collects responses, generates tables and charts, and allows exporting data in common formats. For companies, this means that survey and questionnaire results can immediately be used for management decisions without lengthy manual processing. Thanks to integrations with CRM and other systems, data isn’t lost but directly incorporated into business processes, helping build sales funnels and track feedback in real time.
Adaptability and trust
Modern surveys must be convenient for participants, and QForm achieves this through adaptive design: questionnaires display correctly on computers, tablets, and smartphones. Additionally, the service supports branding, which increases respondent trust, and fully complies with personal data protection requirements. For companies, this ensures that surveys are conducted legally, and for respondents — comfort and security. All of this makes QForm the optimal solution for those who want not just to collect data, but to turn it into a real development tool.
Conclusion
Surveys and questionnaires remain a universal tool for data collection that helps companies and organizations better understand their audiences, improve service quality, and make fact-based decisions. They are equally relevant in business, education, HR, and research, as they allow quick and structured feedback collection. Modern digital services make this process even more accessible and efficient. Using the QForm platform simplifies form creation, automates result processing, and ensures personal data protection, making surveys and questionnaires easier, faster, and safer to conduct.
