Survey Forms
The survey could be administered immediately after the user’s interaction with the Data Help Desk (as an exit survey), or as a follow-up after the event. For virtual help desks, a web-based form is a suitable method. Consider keeping the survey concise to maximize participation.
It might also be beneficial to have a brief, optional survey available before the interaction to understand users’ initial questions and expectations, which could help volunteers prepare and tailor their assistance. It’s very easy to create a survey using Google Forms and collect responses in Google Sheets. See How to Create Survey in Google Forms (8 Easy Steps).
The Importance of a User Survey
User satisfaction surveys are a powerful tool for data help desks, providing valuable insights that help improve services, foster loyalty, and maintain a competitive edge. They allow data help desks to understand user opinions, identify areas for improvement, and enhance their reputation.
Key Points:
- User Insights: Surveys provide data help desks with a clear understanding of user thoughts and feelings, highlighting strengths and areas needing improvement.
- User Loyalty: Giving users a platform to share feedback makes them feel valued, potentially increasing their loyalty to the brand.
- Improvement Roadmap: Survey feedback acts as a guide for data help desks to identify areas for continuous improvement of services and demonstrations enhancements.
- Problem Prevention: Early detection of issues through surveys allows data help desks to address problems before the next event.
- Reputation Boost: Satisfied users are more likely to recommend the data help desk, improving its reputation.
Best Practices:
To gather useful and actionable feedback, it’s essential to follow best practices when creating user satisfaction surveys. These tips ensure the survey is effective, engaging, and respectful of users’ time, ultimately leading to valuable insights.
Key Points:
- Keep it Short: Aim for surveys that take no more than 5-10 minutes to complete.
- Be Clear and Specific: Use straightforward, jargon-free questions to avoid confusion.
- Mix Question Types: Use a variety of question formats (multiple-choice, rating scales, open-ended) to gather diverse feedback.
- Prioritize Important Questions: Place critical questions at the beginning to avoid respondent fatigue.
- Ensure Anonymity: Assure respondents their answers are anonymous to encourage honest feedback.
- Use Skip Logic: Personalize the survey experience by directing respondents to relevant questions based on their answers.
- Test the Survey: Test the survey with a small group to identify and fix potential issues before sending it to everyone.
- Offer Incentives: Provide a small reward, like a discount or prize entry, to encourage participation.
- Follow Up on Feedback: Inform users that their input is valued and outline any changes based on their suggestions.
- Analyze and Act: Review the collected data, identify areas for improvement, and create an action plan to address them.
Questions to Put on a Survey Form
A survey form for users of a data help desk should aim to gather feedback on their experience, understand their needs, and identify areas for improvement. Here are some questions and categories to consider regarding their:
Question and the help received
- What was your primary question or topic you brought to the Data Help Desk? [Open-ended]
- Were you able to get your question answered or your issue addressed to your satisfaction? [Multiple choice: Yes, No, Partially]
- How helpful did you find the assistance you received? [Likert scale: Very helpful, Somewhat helpful, Neutral, Not very helpful, Not at all helpful]
- What aspects of the interaction did you find most helpful? (e.g., clarity of explanation, resources provided, follow-up information) [Open-ended/Checkboxes]
- If you were not completely satisfied, please tell us why. [Open-ended]
Topics and answers
- Were you provided with resources (e.g., links, handouts) relevant to your question? [Yes/No]
- If yes, how useful did you find these resources? [Likert scale]
- What other data-related topics are you interested in learning more about? (e.g., data management plans, data citation, finding repositories, FAIR principles, specific software) [Checkboxes/Open-ended]
- What types of answers or information would you find most beneficial in the future? (e.g., step-by-step guides, links to tutorials, contact information for experts) [Checkboxes/Open-ended]
Finding resources
- Before visiting the Data Help Desk, where would you typically go to find answers to your data-related questions? (e.g., Google, colleagues, online forums, institutional support) [Checkboxes/Open-ended]
- Did the Data Help Desk provide you with information about where to find resources for future data-related questions? [Yes/No]
- How easy or difficult do you find it to locate reliable data resources in general? [Likert scale]
Their background (optional but helpful for understanding user needs)
- What is your highest level of education? [Multiple choice: PhD, Master’s, Bachelor’s, Other]
- What is your current job title or role? [Open-ended]
- In your job, what are your top three research data management needs? [Open-ended]
- Have you received any formal training in research data management prior to visiting the Data Help Desk? [Yes/No]
- If yes, what types of training did you receive? [Open-ended/Checkboxes]
- If no, what types of data research management training would you be most interested in? [Open-ended/Checkboxes]
- What delivery formats for training do you prefer? (e.g., half-day workshop, webinar, online course) [Multiple choice]
- What is your career stage? (e.g., Student, Early Career Researcher, Established Researcher) [Multiple choice/Optional]
About the data help desk
- How did you hear about the Data Help Desk? [Multiple choice/Open-ended]
- What were your expectations of the Data Help Desk before you visited? [Open-ended]
- Do you have any suggestions for how we can better promote the Data Help Desk to researchers? [Open-ended]
- Would you use the Data Help Desk again in the future? [Yes/No/Maybe]
Overall feedback
- Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the Data Help Desk? [Open-ended]
Limit the Number of Questions in the Survey
Provide a form with about 5 questions on it for users to respond to.
Consider forms to submit questions in a more anonymous way (or at least not as publicly as Twitter). This also works well if they do not have Twitter. The questions on the form are:
An example survey
Please share your question related to any aspect of Earth science data (e.g., finding, sharing, analyzing, publishing, and citing data). Please be as specific as possible.
○ Name (optional)
○ Email (required)
○ Career Stage (optional)
○ Data Question
References on Creating Survey Forms
100 Customer Satisfaction Survey Questions to ask in 2025