Surveys are an intervention in the life of the organisation and as such they can have either a negative effect - raising expectations that aren't met, fostering cynicism and disappointment - or a positive one. Pulse Check's survey solutions are designed to become part of the fabric of organisations that listen to their people. The keys to making this happen are an effective communication strategy and and an effective feedback strategy.

Communication

Survey context ...

• why you are asking the questions you are asking
• how the survey fits into a wider strategy
• why you are doing it now
• what you intend to do with the data
• how and when you are going to communicate the data back to the organisation

... must be communicated effectively in order for the process to work. As such, a key part of any Pulse Check project is designing a communication strategy - the right channels, a consistent message, alignment with key organisational themes - which supports the work.

Of course, part of this communication piece is the look and feel of the tool itself. A survey tool – although primarily designed to gather information – is also conveying a message to those who use it. As such it is important that the tool has a look and feel which conveys the right message to those people . At the top level, the design process will focus on usability, alignment with existing branding and interactivity. However, beyond these factors we consider the character of the experience you want users to have.

Feedback

Feeding back data (and the interpretation of data) to those who take part in the surveying process is vital. Without a strategy for doing this the surveying process becomes a source of cynicism rather than a living part of an engaged organisation. This is a separate issue to the presentation of metrics and analysis to the executive board or various management groups. It is about people feeling that their views count and Pulse Check work closely with clients' communication teams to make this happen.