As customers and service users are becoming more familiar with interaction via the web and using touch-screen based devices it seems logical that consultation is now available using online survey software through touch screens.

Touchscreen devices such as mobile phones, EPOS and self-checkouts in supermarkets now seem the norm with the younger generation and are finding that they are being adopted by older people too due to their simplicity of use.

Traditionally, surveys were carried out using a mostly paper-based process with customers asked to fill in lengthy consultation documents which often led to errors and a time consuming system. The paper forms have then been entered into a computer for analysis of the data to take place. Online surveys and in particular touchscreen surveys provide many advantages over the paper-based approach.

Touchscreen surveys use a website where an administrator can create and edit their surveys, the survey data can appear in real-time from the touchscreen kiosks and other devices connected to the internet by broadband or 3G networks. The touchscreen surveys can easily be made available in multiple languages and rich media including images, video and audio can make the experience more enjoyable and help reach a greater audience.

Why would you want to use touchscreen surveys in your organisation? Read on to see how others are using touchscreen surveys for numerous applications.

Staff surveys: For many organisations, both commercial and public sector, the link between management and staff can sometimes become quite sensitive to changes. Previous history of projects not quite providing the win-win that was promised can damage your employee perceptions and make it even harder to drive through changes. Do you really know what your staff are thinking? Do you have a happy workforce? Can you make them work more efficiently by altering some processes or layout of the building? Does the staff canteen provide the right mix? These are just a few examples of how kiosk and touchscreen surveys can be implemented to quickly get feedback for the management team.

Customer satisfactions surveys What makes your customers want to buy your products? What do they like and why did they not make a purchase today? Lots of small businesses have some sort of simple questionnaire on their website or as part of their online shopping cart. For larger retailers, in-store touchscreen kiosks are a great way of capturing feedback from your customers whilst providing an interactive advertising platform and catalogue of your products. You could also use your survey software to investigate new product developments and get feedback from your customers before you commit to production.

Patient satisfaction surveys Healthcare represents a huge market for providing touchscreen based feedback for patients. Many patients find paper-based surveys to be too complex and laborious when compared with the quick and effective touchscreen based patient feedback surveys. Within a hospital, touchscreen kiosks are used to provide patients with healthcare information to enable them to improve their own health. Short video clips (e.g. stop smoking, how to wash your hands) can be shown at minimal extra cost compared with alternative solutions. The touchscreen kiosks are typically installed in waiting areas of the hospital. Small touchscreen survey terminals can be installed on wards and in corridors of the hospital to provide instant feedback of patient opinion as they enter or leave an area. The survey points use small touch screens, typically around 10inches to display short feedback surveys and simple messages (e.g. Welcome to radiology, please take part in our short survey...)

Surveys in Education: Touchscreen surveys can be used in education. In early years (Sure Start), primary and secondary schools, or for further education colleges and University, touch screens provide instant feedback from students, parents and staff. The capability of touchscreen survey systems to provide form-based feedback means that they can be put to great use as online enrolment forms.

Training feedback: If you run a business which provides training services the quite often you would provide a simple feedback form at the end of the training. The form may be used as a simple test to ensure that the students have understood the training and are now more competent in the subject. Alternatively you may also wish to get feedback about the lecturer as to how well they teach. Training feedback surveys can also be used for health and safety training (e.g. show a short video and then ask 5 questions to ensure the viewer has understood the information).

Conclusion Getting feedback from staff, customers and service users has never been easier with the introduction of touchscreen surveys. Touchscreen survey software will continue to develop into new fields of use and is really only limited by imagination.