How do I answer a survey?

A key aim of the AskYourTeam system is to create a simple survey experience. Here we'll answer some general queries about answering an AskYourTeam survey.

Your first source of information is any invitations sent to you via email or text message. Your survey will also have a Welcome screen that will explain the survey to you.

Feel comfortable providing feedback

All organisations care about getting honest feedback from their employees and external stakeholder groups whether it's good or bad, so they can use the data to help improve the performance of their organisation. With that said, we know some people may feel nervous about providing honest feedback. However, the AskYourTeam system is designed to protect your identity and we encourage you to answer every question. The reasons for providing answers are outlined here; why is my opinion important? 

Can you see my individual responses?

This depends on the type of survey and feedback being collected. For some surveys, it makes sense to see individual responses (e.g. onboarding or exit surveys). For other surveys, it's more important to understand how people feel the organisation is performing generally, so aggregated results provide more meaningful and representative feedback. Most AskYourTeam surveys are designed to prevent visibility of an individual’s data. This cannot be overridden.

To understand how your survey is set up, the specific rules for the survey are included in the survey Welcome screen, including the minimum reporting threshold for the survey. We make this as clear as possible, so you can easily recognise the specific reporting rules for your survey.

As an example, an organisation runs a survey with a reporting group minimum of 5. In this case, because we only provide aggregate results, people with access to the results can only see results in groups of 5 or more. So, if 5 people in your location/department complete the survey, people will be able to see the aggregate (combined) total for your area. If they try to filter this group of 5 to a smaller group or a single individual, the reporting tool will show no results.

Part of our aim as an external survey provider is to give confidence to all participants about the confidentiality of the results. If you have any other concerns or queries, read about how we protect your identity and individual responses.

Answering rating questions

AskYourTeam offer several question ratings;

• The 'Agree' question format
• 0 - 10 question format
• Yes - No questions
• Categorised questions

Clicking on your response will select that answer and automatically scroll you to the next question. 

Answer each question on it's own merits. If you feel that the question requires further explanation, use the ‘more info’ icon  if displayed.

The 'Agree' question format

For these questions, we show you a statement and you tell us how much you agree or disagree with that statement. AskYourTeam provide a 6-point ‘smiley face’ scale to enter your answers. Simply select the most appropriate option from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. 

Why no neutral option?

The inclusion of a neutral midpoint means participants are not forced to make a choice in a specific direction. Some researchers argue that forcing a directional choice means responses might not reflect true attitudinal position.

In contrast other research finds that including a neutral point increases acquiescence, impacts data quality and lowers the propensity towards extreme responding. The AskYourTeam scale does not include a neutral midpoint as the purpose of the system is to encourage feedback, positive or negative.

Scale Order

Research has shown that scales ordered positive to negative (agree to disagree) tend to result in faster responses rates which increases the chance that participants do not process all options consciously. The AskYourTeam scale is ordered negative (Strongly Disagree) to positive (Strongly Agree) to mitigate acquiescence and flat-lining biases.

If you are unsure of the answer, a ‘Don’t know’ option can be selected.

Why are the questions framed positively?

It's sometimes believed that the positivity is to try to bias the survey. In fact it's quite the opposite. We frame each question as an ideal state that we'd generally like to be true. This is best-practice survey question design. It makes the survey consistent, easier to understand, with less confusion and is quicker to complete.

The '0 - 10' question format

The question will state the scale of the response, 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. On a desktop or tablet, the scale is a row of independent numbers. On a mobile device, the scale is a sliding scale.

The 'Yes - No' question format

A simple, binary Yes or No response is required.

The 'Categorised' question format

You will be asked to select the most appropriate category that you wish to provide feedback on, before proceeding with a comment. A comment is mandatory if a category is selected.

Can I add comments?

Comments are not enabled on all AskYourTeam questions. If comments are enabled for your survey, these will usually be at the end of the survey. You will see the comment panel for each question where comments are available.

The comments questions may be free-text only, or as part of a ratings response. 

Will comments identify me?

Confidential surveys do not identify comments. However, it's naturally possible to identify yourself by the content of your comment. If you would like to remain confidential, do not include identifying information such as people's names or departments.

Can I complete the survey on a smartphone or tablet?

Yes you can. We support most modern desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices. We support most browsers.

Can I save my survey and complete it later?

Yes. AskYourTeam allows you to save your changes every time you use it. Simply close the browser or use the 'Save for later' option on the survey page.

You can use the original link that was provided to return to where you left off. However, be aware that this link will not function after the survey is closed or after you have completed your survey.

Usually you will be sent one or two reminders to complete the survey if you have not done so before the survey's closing date. You can even switch between devices while completing your survey.

Do I need to answer every question?

Yes. Our survey is designed so that you must provide a response before moving to the next question. 

NOTE: If you do not complete the survey in full, the responses you did provide are not recorded in the results.

Can I change my answers?

Yes. You can change your answers any time before finishing the survey. If you would like to change your answers after you have completed your survey, the survey link can be reset. Contact your survey administrator (if you know who they are) or support@askyourteam.com and they can reset your survey.

Be aware that resetting a survey removes all your previous answers. You will need to complete the entire survey again.