SURVEY REPORT

What is a survey report?

A survey report is a document with important metrics gathered from customer feedback.
The goal of a survey report is to present the data fully and objectively. The report presents all the results that were
collected.

A complete survey report includes:

1. Completion rates
2. Number of responses
3. Date of last response
4. Survey views
5. Breakdown of answers per survey respondent
6. Breakdown of closed-ended questions

All of these are calculated or broken down for you within the Survicate dashboard.

Completion rate
The completion rate is the number of questions answered divided by the total number of questions in your survey.
If you have a survey of 12 questions but most respondents only answered 6 of those, you have a completion rate of
50%.
Depending on the survey tool you use, the completion rate can indicate many things.
For instance, if most respondents were only asked 6 questions out of 12 because half of the questions were not relevant
and were skipped, that’s likely a completion rate you’ll be happy with.
But what if your 50% survey response rate results from people skipping questions willfully? It might suggest that you
may need to improve your survey.
With Survicate, you will see responses from partially completed surveys so you don’t miss out on valuable data.

Number of responses
You need to know exactly how many people responded to your survey to have enough data to properly analyze
your survey results. Beware – some forms of survey tools may not count individual respondents, instead just their
responses to individual questions.
Hence, it’s important that your survey platform allows you to count how many different people responded, so you can
determine whether you have a significant sample size.
How do you determine the survey sample size you need?
This depends on what data you want to analyze – from your entire audience or just those from a chosen segment.
For example, if you are a beauty brand that sells face creams specifically for women over thirty-five, you may find out
in your survey that you also have younger women who use your products.
You may decide to segment these responses into separate age groups to obtain the data you want.
So, if you were surveying them on the effectiveness of a new age-defying cream, you may find that the women under
thirty had very different responses to those in their sixties.
This is the kind of data that you could have overlooked but can help you with your marketing efforts (and will result in
a survey report that's pure gold!).
If you are using Survicate, make sure to integrate with a distribution tool that gathers demographic data.

If you’re running a survey for a short and specific time period this may not seem important.
Still, if you ask customers to fill out a customer service feedback survey after every ticket is closed, you may get years
of data. This can help you figure out whether your customer service team is properly trained.
On the other hand, if you introduce a redesign on your website, develop a new feature, or make some other significant
change, a long-term NPS or CSAT survey can show you the impact.
When you are able to determine the response time, you can split your data and analyze responses relevant to each new
implementation.

Survey views
You need to know the total number of survey views and the total of unique survey views (the number of total views
versus the number of different people who viewed the survey, as some people may have viewed it more than once).
If there is a large disparity between these two totals, this can point to several things.
First, your survey may be targeted at a large audience and the questions aren’t relevant enough for all your respondents
to answer.
Respondents may also view the survey and then decide not to take it because:

 They don’t have the time

 They don’t have the right device (things like open-ended questions can be difficult and tedious to answer on a
small phone screen)
 They see the first questions and decide that taking the survey isn’t for them
Such insights can let you know whether you need to work on your survey design or customer segmentation.

Breakdown of answers per survey respondent

You want to see the breakdown per respondent so you can see how individuals answered all the questions in the survey.
This can be helpful for seeing trends in certain respondents’ answers.
For example, you may notice a pattern that each person who dealt with a particular customer service agent gave a
negative response to your Customer Effort Score (CES) survey.

Then you know you need to train that agent and improve their performance.
Within the “analyze” tab, Survicate allows you to click on any response to view the other answers.
And if you integrate with particular tools like Google Analytics or Intercom, you may even be able to capture
demographic data and contact the respondents individually.

Breakdown of closed-ended questions

When you think of a survey report, you likely picture graphs and pie charts displaying the data attained from closed-
ended questions.

This is important for a good survey report because it allows you to take in a large quantity of data at a glance, and can
be easily distributed to those who may find the data valuable.
Graphic representation makes survey analysis user-friendly and doesn’t require a lot of time or prior skills to analyze.
In the example below, we can see the NPS (Net Promoter Score) response breakdown – we know that over 75% of
respondents are promoting our brand, 3.2% are detractors, and we had 800 overall responses. All of this data is plain to
see and easy to interpret.

Survey report example

If you’re not sure how to present your questionnaire results, choose a survey tool that will prepare a mockup for you.
Make sure the software you use doesn’t just spit out rows of data in a spreadsheet.
Your survey report should present the most important information in a neat and easy-to-understand way so you can
draw conclusions quickly.
With Survicate, you don’t have to create a survey report manually. You get a results summary within the dashboard,
with all the most important metrics ready to screengrab.

Depending on the type of survey you run and the questions you ask, you might see the results presented differently.

NPS survey report example

With Survicate’s NPS survey report, you can see at a glance all the most important stats you need to be aware of.
From the total response number to the completion rate, you can sort the stats by date and compare how they fluctuated
over time.

When you run a survey report with Survicate, you will see a breakdown of all the responses in the form of a graph.
What’s more, you’ll be able to review how the NPS score changed over time, which can be helpful in trying to identify
any issues with your product or service from the users’ perspective.
We recommend you integrate Survicate with Google Sheets to get live updates in spreadsheets. If you never want to
miss out on feedback, you can also integrate your Slack or Microsoft Teams with Survicate for convenient
notifications. With the click of a single button, you can jump to survey results and even follow up with the respondent.

Steps in Writing a Survey Report

1. Break the report into separate sections with heading. Survey reports usually use headings for each section.
2. Write 1–2-page executive summary paraphrasing the report.
3. State the objectives of the summary in the background section.
4. Provide background information by explaining research and studies.

Tips in conducting a successful Survey

1. Make sure that every question is necessary.

2. Keep it short and simple.
3. Ask direct questions.
4. Ask one question at a time.
5. Avoid leading and biased questions.
6. Speak your respondent’s language.
6. Use response scales whenever possible
7. Avoid guiding grids or matrices for responses.

Guidelines for Writing the Survey Report

1. Value Communicated Objective, accurate and honest presentation of facts and results

2. Basic Content
a. May consist of eyewitness accounts of first – hand information.
b. May contain facts, data, figures or statistics on or from people, events, phenomena, structures, experiments,
questionnaires, interviews, and library research.
c. May include materials and procedures or methods.

3. Modes of Ordering
a. Chronological or time order.
b. Geographical or space / spatial order
c. Logical – Inductive and Deductive
d. Problem – Solution
e. Cause and Effect f. Formal
g. Abstract – Introduction – Background – Statement of the problem
h. Materials – Method or Procedure – Results – Discussion – Summary
i. Conclusion and Recommendation

4. Basic Qualities of a Good Report

a. Objective, not subjective point of view.
b. Accurate, not sloppy presentation of facts, numbers, statistics and data
c. Honest, nor false or incomplete details and results
d. Brief and direct
 ASSESSMENT REPORT

An assessment evaluates a person or an organization using a series of questions. The answers are used to calculate a score,
categorization or another type of outcome that provides value for the respondent.

I’ll give you real-life examples to help you get the most out of your assessment report. I will rate every report example in
terms of several criteria. Use this checklist to determine for yourself which report suits your purposes best.

Assessment report criteria checklist:

 Design: Is there a front page, a standard header, visuals, …? Are all of these components designed in a coherent
structure? Is the report constructed within a clearly defined (branding) style? What about the quality of the
visuals? Is the resolution satisfying?
 Introduction: Is the report clear about the objectives? Does it state what the reader can expect to read in the
report? What will he/she learn? What method is used? How is the report structured?

 Readability: Is the report easy to read? Is there an optimal balance between text, graphs and visuals? Does the
report make use of columns?

 Personalization: To what extent is the feedback personalized? Is the reader addressed by name? Do the results
reflect his/her answers? Are personal recommendations included? How are they presented?

 Model/methodology: What methodology is used in the report? Is the methodology applied consequently
throughout the report?

 External resources: Does the report link to external sources or benchmarks? Are the respondent’s results
compared to industry benchmarks or other reference numbers?

A step-by-step guide to create an assessment report yourself

The ideal structure of an assessment report depends on different factors. Let’s take a look at this example:

1. Use a cover page

 Start your assessment report with a cover page that clearly represents your brand and addresses the respondent.
 Make sure the cover page looks professional and attractive, suitable for your industry.
 Represent your brand by incorporating your branding color(s), font, logo, and style.

2. Explain what the respondent will encounter in the report

  Talk to the respondent as if you are having a real-life conversation.
 Explain the objective.
 Elaborate on the structure of the report.
 Use symbols to indicate the different sections of the report.
 Be transparent about the method you used to come up with the results and insights.

3. Provide a summary of the findings

 Show the overall results of the respondent before you go more into detail in each separate section.
 Represent the results in a clear chart. A column chart is useful to show several results in one view.
 Let respondents take a look at their results overview, followed by personalized recommendations based on their
scores. This will help the reader in preparing for the detailed discussion of the separate themes later in the report.


4. Discuss each theme separately

Show the respondents per theme how they scored, and what this means for them:
 Use a symbol or visual to clearly identify the different themes.
 Include custom scoring and visualize the personal score of the respondent with a gauge. You can use other charts
as well, especially if you like to show how the respondent compares to peers, an industry average, etc. For the
latter, you can use a bar chart.
 Make personalized recommendations based on the scoring of the respondent.
You can end the report with a short conclusion, a call to action, or general information about your company.

Conclusion: How to stand out from other assessment reports

Many factors determine the quality of an assessment report. If I did have to highlight what many agencies or organizations
tend to look over, I’d mention these two:

1. Personalize your assessment report: Use the name of your respondent throughout the report. You can do that in
the header, footer, in text-based blocks, or in chart titles. Include personalized feedback per aspect you’re
discussing.

Make your assessment report visual: Balance out text and visuals. Why explain results in text-form when you can
present them in easy-to-digest charts or tables? Don’t forget your design: take your corporate identity into account, use
your house font and colors.
 INFORMATIONAL REPORT

An informational report is a report that strictly contains factual information regarding a topic or event, without
providing further analysis. The people who read such reports are usually those who need them to make highly
complex business decisions, like a company's board of directors or major stockholders. The main purpose of an
informational report is to provide relevant individuals with enough information for them to be able to draw
relevant conclusions regarding a certain topic. They usually fall under three main categories:

 Scientific reports: These typically focus on providing a factual description of the report subject's
appearance and behavior.
 Technological reports: These typically focus on describing the components and uses of a tech-related
product or feature.
 Social studies reports: These typically focus on describing aspects that directly relate to people, like
individuals, places, culture, economic issues and society as a whole.

10 informational reports examples

1. Research report
A research report is a document that describes the processes, data and conclusions of a scientific investigation.
It's a factual summary of all aspects that directly relate to a research project. Its purpose is usually to present the
research project's findings to relevant stakeholders who can then use it to make informed decisions.

2. Financial report
A financial report, also called a financial statement, is a formal record regarding the business activity of a
person or organization. It typically contains financial information in a structured and easy-to-read manner.
Besides business stakeholders using them to make informed financial decisions, financial reports are also
important to potential investors who may invest in an organization or financial institutions that have to decide
whether to credit an organization.

3. Laboratory report
A laboratory report is a formal description of a laboratory experiment. It mentions its objectives, procedures and
conclusion and provides enough information to allow a third party to replicate the experiment and get similar
results. Although they can take different forms, most laboratory reports consist of an abstract, introduction, used
methods and results.

4. Feasibility study
A feasibility study is an analysis of all factors that can contribute to a project's success. Some of the most
common factors are economic, legal, technical and scheduling considerations, but projects may also have
specific factors to consider. Its purpose is to help decision-makers assess a project's chances of being a success.

5. Case study
A case study is an in-depth study of a specific subject, which is usually a person, group of people, event, place,
phenomenon or organization. It typically uses quantitative and qualitative methods and it's common in multiple
research fields. Its main purpose is usually to help relevant parties understand all different aspects of a complex
research issue.

6. Technical report
A technical report, also called a scientific report, is a document that outlines either the processes and results of
technical or scientific research or the state of a technical or scientific issue at a specific point in time. They can
be an important source of scientific and technical information for all relevant parties. A technical informational
report only provides the details regarding the respective research, without providing conclusions and
recommendations.
7. Benchmark report
A benchmark report is a kind of business report that aims to show how a product or an organization compares to
similar products or organizations. It consists of relevant data about both the product or organization in question
and its most relevant competitors. Stakeholders can use the benchmark report to assess how their organization
or their products compare to the competition.

8. Instruction manual
An instruction manual is a document that assists users when attempting to use a particular product or service.
The people who write it are usually those who were directly involved in making the respective product or
service and are technically proficient enough to provide relevant guidance. Most products and services require
instruction manuals.

9. Compliance report
A compliance report is a document that shows how a business or product manages to adhere to all relevant
standards and requirements. It typically consists of organization-specific data and industry standards, with the
people writing it typically having expertise in both. The people using compliance reports are usually senior
company executives and industry regulators.

10. Progress report

A progress report is a report that describes the state of a project at a particular moment. They're typically
required when working on projects that have multiple steps from beginning to completion. They help
stakeholders and clients continuously assess the project's evolution and adjust expectations, schedules,
assignments and budgets.
 PROPOSAL REPORT

A proposal report is a written document that wants to convince the reader to take a specific action. In a
basic form, a proposal is a document that aims to convince the reader to implement a proposed plan or
authorize a proposed project.

Types of Proposals reports

Solicited Proposals

When a company identifies a problem or situation that it seeks to better or solve, it issues an RFP
(Request for Proposals) asking for proposals about addressing it. The requesting organization will review
proposals and select the most persuasive one, often using a detailed scoring rubric or a graded objectives
chart to evaluate which proposal best reaction to the request.

Unsolicited Proposals

When a writer sees a problem or a possibility, he or she takes the initiative to propose a solution or take
advantage of the opportunity (without being requested to do so). This is frequently the most difficult type
of request to get approved.

Internal Proposals

Internal proposals are written by and for individuals within the same organisation. Because both the
writer and the reader work in the same workplace, these proposals are usually shorter than external
proposals. Usually, they identify some way of improving a work-related situation (productivity,
efficiency, profit, etc.). They are frequently sent as memos or internal documents or introduce with a
document if the proposal is lengthy.

External Proposals

These are sent to a distinct entity outside the writer's organization (usually to solicit business). Because
these are external documents, they are usually sent as a formal report (if lengthy), with a cover letter
attached (letter of transmittal). External proposals are frequently, but not always, sent in response to a
Request for Proposals.

Below is a proposal report structure to make your proposal report perfect.

Step 1: Make a great introduction. The introduction to your proposal is the part that is meant to grab
the reader's attention. Therefore, it's essential to write it last because it'll be more exciting and you'll
sound like you know what you're doing. This suggestion may appear strange at first, but it is perfectly
logical because you will have a good idea of what the final product will look like once everything has
been researched, written, and reviewed. With this in mind, it's best to finish your proposal introductory
section last.

Step 2: Identify the issue. Your research question should state. You might want to rephrase it as a
sentence so that your readers know it better.

Step 3: Give some context. Describe how the issue arose. To substantiate the need for problem
resolution, provide some background information on the issue you'll be researching.
Step 4: State your goal. The purpose of your dissertation must mention in the proposal.

Step 5: Explain why this is important. Mentioning the problem's importance will enhance the value of
your research project.

Step 6: Describe the methods. Your reader should be aware of the processes use in your research
project.

Step 7: Examine the literature. Without reviewing literature relevant to the research topic, a proposal is
unthinkable. During proposal report writing you should include a thorough analysis of the literature
sources, clearly explained. Remember to mention any opposing viewpoints on the subject; they may be
useful in answering your question.

Step 8: Make a specific hypothesis. The proposal goal is established in the hypothesis section. The
entire project will have become clear and easy to carry out if it is clear and understandable.

Step 9: Describe your research assumptions to your reader. The basic assumptions you make while
working on the essay should be included in the proposal.

Step 10: Define the scope and limitations of the project. Any research project has its scope and
limitations; you can't possibly cover everything in one study. Clearly state the study's limitations and
scope and future research possibilities.

Step 11: Describe the procedure in detail. Your reader must be aware of the procedure you will use
during the writing process. Within the context of your research, you will need to clarify what will be
done and how it will be done.