We use cookies and other tracking technology to improve your browsing experience on our website, to show you personalized content, to analyze our website traffic, and to understand where our visitors are coming from. By browsing our website or clicking Accept Cookies, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Read our Privacy Policy
Guides
5 min

What is a B2B survey programming company and why do you need one

An introduction to a B2B survey programming company and reasons why you need to hire one

GrapeData
Nov 14, 2022
B2B market research

An introduction to a B2B survey programming company 

A B2B survey programming company is a business that offers B2B SaaS (Software-as-a-Service). You might have heard the term ‘Saas’ thrown around in the corporate world. In fact, B2B SaaS has become increasingly prevalent today due to the sheer ease and efficiency of using these types of products and services. Essentially, a B2B SaaS company sells cloud-based software services to other businesses. Think Salesforce, Trello, and Confluence. Salesforce offers digital-based CRM and marketing solutions on a membership basis. Trello is a project management tool providing visualisation and collaboration tools through an annual or monthly fee. Similarly, Confluence (also under Atlassian like Trello is) offers secure and reliable collaboration methods for teams working on critical projects. In fact, MADX digital reports that 86% of organisations are planning to shift all of their activities to SaaS after 2022. 

A B2B survey programming company also falls under this category of business. Although this term can be applied to a lot of different situations, a B2B programming company offers survey programming services. A B2B survey is a reliable and efficient means of gathering information from knowledgeable individuals working in different industries. A B2B survey programming company then is one that facilitates the process of running a B2B survey. This type of company, also sometimes referred to as a survey research company, can provide end-to-end solutions for running a research project. The type of services offered can include but are not limited to:

  1. Survey hosting
  2. Survey programming and scripting
  3. Recruiting and vetting survey respondents
  4. Data visualisation services 

For instance, imagine that a healthcare company wants to run a B2B survey in order to know which processes can be improved in hospitals to cut patient waiting times. The company needs to gather data from healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, and lab technicians and that too those who are working in select hospitals across the EMEA region. In such a case, the company can partner with a B2B survey programming company. The programming company will find and vet these healthcare professionals, script and program the survey and deliver results to the healthcare institution.

Now that we have an idea of what a B2B programming company is, in the next section we will explore the concept of programming a B2B survey.

What does programming a B2B survey entail 

Programming a B2B survey can be a difficult task due to several reasons. Before the survey can be programmed, not only should the questionnaire be developed but it should follow a logical sequence. For the questionnaire to be developed in a logical sequence, a lot of thought has to go into the kind of questions that a company wants to ask. Additionally, it’s important to think about the language and tone used while scripting the survey. Scripting the survey alone doesn’t guarantee high-quality data. It has to be ensured that scripting reflects conciseness and coherence. 

Therefore, due to the various steps that need to be completed before a survey can be programmed, a B2B programming company should ensure that they have enough time to complete everything. The concept of B2B programming is simple, it refers to converting the survey requirements through the use of software so that actionable insights can be derived from it. 

There are a number of different ways that a B2B survey can be programmed and naturally, this depends on the nature of the B2B survey. Some instances of how a B2B survey programming company can make use of survey programming are listed below:

1. Control the number of responses

Survey programming allows you to set a limit on the maximum number of responses that they wish to receive. Programming allows you to set a limit, after which no further responses will be accepted. Suppose the healthcare company wants to fix the maximum number of responses for a certain question at 150, then this can be done by programming the survey. 

2. Enable comment responses

Comment or text options in a survey allow the respondents to answer questions in a text format (giving opinions etc.). You can configure comment or text options using survey programming for those questions that you want to be answered in a qualitative way. 

3. Hide survey questions

Through survey programming, you can even hide questions based on the answer options selected. For instance, the healthcare company can program the survey in such a way that respondents from Europe are presented with one set of questions, and those from the middle east are shown a different set. 

4. Get scores on certain responses 

A total score for a question can be calculated through survey programming. Going back to our example of the healthcare company, let’s say that the company wants to ask the question ‘ Which of the following processes hinder your day-to-day workflow? (Score these answer options on a scale of 1 to 5). The answer options could be something like

  1. Faulty equipment (1-5) 
  2. Absenteeism of staff (1-5) 
  3. Sourcing medical supplies (1-5) 

Based on the scores that respondents select for each answer option, a total score for the question can be displayed using survey programming. 

Best practices for a B2B survey programming company 

Having learned about some examples of programming a B2B survey, let’s now get into some best practices for programming. 

1. Structure the questions in a logical order 

It’s important to create the questions in a logical order so that you get unbiased answers. Otherwise, questions can potentially result in bad data. If the focus of the survey is more on qualitative research, it’s a good idea to go from specific to generic. On the other hand, qualitative research often benefits from generic to specific questions. 

2. Put yourself in the shoes of a survey respondent

When programming a survey, it’s smart to take on the perspective of the survey respondent because ultimately they are the target of the research. From the kind of questions to the flow, thinking from the respondents’ point of view ensures that the survey is set up effectively. 

3. End the survey with a redirect

Programming also allows you to redirect respondents to any website or page that you would like. You can redirect them to leave a review, their contact details, or simply to a website home page. Depending on the nature of the survey project, you can also end the survey by thanking respondents. 

4. Test the survey in real-time 

Testing the survey before it’s launched ensures that everything is running smoothly. This is also an opportunity to rectify programming errors (if any). A pilot test allows you to test the survey in real time with a small sample size of your target audience. 

Final Thoughts 

In today’s world, where disruptive innovation is the new normal, a B2B survey allows companies to gain real-time insights from B2B customers and SMEs in niche markets. They help businesses to gain a competitive edge, navigate the future and make data-informed decisions. Survey programming is one of the crucial steps that enables businesses to reach these places. 

Thus, survey programming offers a number of advantages to a company. First, it is time-saving, allowing companies to create hundreds of questions just through codes. Second, it is efficient, enabling businesses to collect a lot more information about their target audience as compared to traditional market research methods. Third, it’s simple, allowing companies to create concise surveys and launch them based on the target audience’s background, and language. We hope that this post has been useful if you are on the hunt for a B2B programming company. You can also learn more about B2B programming in ‘How to use a B2B survey programming company for healthcare surveys?’. 

Seamlessly submit surveys on the go.

Bring your experience to your mobile via our app.