Category Archives: Survey
Federal Reserve Survey Indicates Some Concern Over Labor Costs
by Paula Lovell on May 21, 2013 | no comments
in Small Business, Survey
I appreciate the regular surveys conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. They are like quick sound bites that create an up-to-date picture about what business people
believe is going to happen in the next six months.
The latest survey is comforting as it relates to cost-of-goods inflation worries, but it looks 
like businesses are anticipating some labor cost pressures…and I’d have to agree.
What are you thinking about the next six months for your business? As it relates to sales, will you be better off? Worse? Or about the same?
What’s Distracting You?
by Dana Coleman on June 2, 2011 | 3 comments
in Productivity, Social Media, Survey
Survey Estimates Electronic Distractions Cost Thousands per Employee in Lost Productivity
Trends in communications and business practices continuously evolve; even bad ones. A survey conducted in March for harmon.ie, a provider of social email software, reveals modern trends in electronic distractions that diminish productivity.
One of the most interesting findings relates to an increasingly common addition that psychologists call “online compulsive disorder.” The survey found this addiction to web-based activity is pervasive in the workplace and is also impacting our personal lives. It found, for example, that two out of three people will tune out of a face-to-face meeting to communicate digitally with someone else. And 65 percent of those surveyed under age 40 said they stay digitally connected even in bed, at least sometimes.
Most workplace distractions today are electronic rather than traditional activities like phone calls or conversations with co-workers. While the survey found processing emails and email alerts constituted 23 percent of the electronic distractions, toggling between multiple applications, windows and tabs, and using multiple devices at the same time contribute to the problem.
Another significant drain on productivity is “document chaos,” with users surveyed wasting on average 30 minutes a day searching for documents. The two leading locations people go to find lost documents do not include file servers; email and computer desktops are the first places people look, at 76 percent and 69 percent respectively.
Sadly, the survey indicates that 45 percent of today’s workers can’t work more than 15 minutes without being interrupted. What’s the cost of all this distraction? The survey results estimate an hour of wasted productivity at an average salary of $30 per hour translates to a loss of $10,375 per person per year, not to mention the impact on work quality and both personal and professional relationships.
Strategies respondents said they’re using to try and limit distractions include reading emails in batches, working outside the office, or disconnecting from electronic and phone distractions for a few hours a day. To combat distraction, some employers block access to public social and media networks. Others use corporate policies or track online usage patterns. Unfortunately, only a quarter said they provide training to their employees to address productivity issues.
As communicators, we know today’s online resources and social media platforms have created a new universe of opportunities to engage and influence stakeholders – both our own and those of our clients. In this like anything else, however, to maximize those opportunities without diminishing productivity requires balance.
What’s distracting you? If you live in our home state of Tennessee, it might be the buzz of the cicada, but more likely, the source of your distraction is an electronic one.
Patients Connect with Peers, Find Support Online
by Dana Coleman on March 3, 2011 | no comments
in Healthcare, Marketing, Survey
More Reasons to Consider Digital Marketing in Healthcare
Patients increasingly use online connections to find healthcare information and to connect with peers who share a condition or disease, according to a new study “Peer-to-peer Healthcare” from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The implications for marketers are clear: online advertising is going to be more and more effective.
Online peers substantially expand one’s network beyond just friends and family, to whom people traditionally turn for support and advice, to a broader base of information from individuals living with various rare or chronic conditions. The study finds that health professionals remain the central source of information for most Americans, but “peer-to-peer healthcare” has become a significant supplement.
Pew finds 18% of Internet users report they have gone online to find others who share their health concerns. Among American Internet users living with chronic conditions that include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart or lung conditions, cancer and other chronic ailments, that number jumps to 23%. Caregivers are also connecting with peers who share similar situations online.
Health professionals remain the most frequently consulted source of information, care and support when Internet users experience a health issue at 70% of those surveyed, but those conversations still occur primarily offline. Only 5% of adults said they received information, care or support from a health professional online.
The survey found that professional sources like doctors and nurses are considered more helpful in terms of information regarding a health condition itself, including diagnosis, information about prescription drug and alternative treatments and recommendations to a specialist or medical facility. But non-professionals hold more sway when people seek emotional support or practical advice for day-to-day living.
Read the results of “Peer-to-peer Healthcare” and other Pew surveys that explore the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world online at www.pewinternet.org. The Pew Internet & American Life Project is nonpartisan and takes no position on policy issues. Support is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Census 2010: Portrait of America
by Dana Coleman on January 4, 2011 | no comments
in Marketing, Measurement, Survey
Census Data Helps Guide Marketing Decisions
On Dec. 21, 2010, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke delivered the 2010 U.S. Census resident population and apportionment counts to President Obama and unveiled the official results to the public. This marks the twenty-third time this once-a-decade ritual to count the nation’s population has been completed since 1790.
As of Apr. 1, 2010, the total U.S. resident population of the 50 states and the District of Columbia was 308,745,538, up 9.7 percent from 281,421,906 in 2000. Regionally, the areas of greatest growth were the South and the West. Nevada gained the most as a percentage of its 2000 count, up 35.1 percent, while Texas gained the most numerically up 4,293,741 residents. California remains the most populous state with 37,253,956 residents and the least populous state is Wyoming at 563,626.
The statistics assembled through the Census process provide the basis for decision-making regarding the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funds for programs like education and health care. The results are also used to determine the redistribution of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives proportionate to the population of the states. In the 2010 Census, 10 states lost congressional seats while eight gained. Today, each member of the U.S. House of Representatives represents about 710,767 people, up from 34,000 people per district when the first U.S. Census was conducted.
In addition to the decennial count of the resident population mandated by the U.S. Constitution, the Census Bureau conducts other surveys to collect data about the nation’s people and economy. Marketers and business owners can also use economic data gathered by the Census to target households, gauge competition, calculate market share and evaluate potential new markets.
One ongoing Census survey of particular interest to marketers is the American Community Survey. The ACS is sent to about three million households in the U.S. and Puerto Rico every year to measure the changing social and economic characteristics of the U.S. population. For example, using ACS data, a marketer or business owner could determine how many high-income households with children live near a specific retail location. The Census Bureau also provides downloadable user guides written specifically for different audiences, including businesses.
To learn more about the Census and the portrait it paints of our changing nation, visit www.census.gov.
Surveys: An Effective Way to Gauge What An Audience Thinks
by Robin Embry on May 18, 2010 | no comments
in Corporate Communications, Measurement, Survey
Before launching into a marketing or PR campaign it’s a good idea to “get your arms around” audience opinions and perceptions, and surveys can help you do this.
For instance, you may want to determine if customers like your product and are they pleased with your delivery method and customer service. Or, maybe it’s time for an internal employee campaign to help boost productivity. In this case, before you move forward with the campaign you might want to know if your employees have the appropriate tools to effectively do their job.
The goal of any survey is to capture valuable information, so putting careful thought into the survey questions is imperative. If a client asks us to develop a survey, we spend the majority of our time conducting research through focus groups and phone and onsite interviews to ensure we develop valuable questions that will produce meaningful results.
Online surveys are fast becoming the method of choice. They are easy to set up and easy to send…as long as you have an accurate email distribution list. We recently conducted an employee communications survey (which I must brag had a 95% response rate…compared to the average internal survey rates that range from 30-40%) and I spent several days researching numerous companies. Here’s what I found.
If you need a fairly basic survey and you don’t need to cross tab your results, then I suggest www.surveymonkey.com. For the employee communications survey we just implemented, we needed a more sophisticated reporting system that could cross tabulate the roughly 50 questions and decided to use www.keysurvey.com. Based on the employee feedback, we will be able to provide the client with recommendations that will influence communication efforts in the long-term future.
Surveys are an effective way to determine what your customers are thinking, but choosing good questions and a reliable survey tool will help ensure it is successful.
Economic Survey Results
by Paula Lovell on December 11, 2009 | 1 comment
in Economy, Survey
Last week Lovell Communications Inc. conducted an email blast survey on opinions about the economy. Approximately 88 percent of 194 respondents (mostly business people and professionals) indicated they think the economy will either remain the same or improve over the next six months.
Last May 2009, when we conducted a survey with the same question, 89 percent of the 174 respondents indicated they felt the economy would remain essentially the same or improve between mid-May 2009 and mid-November 2009. Not a significant difference there.
Likewise, in the recent survey about 12 percent think the economy will get worse in the next six months compared to 11 percent asked the same question back in May. Also, not significant.
However, last May, 55 percent thought the economy was going to improve over the following six months compared to 48 percent in this month’s survey.
Last May, 34 percent thought the economy would stay the same for the subsequent six months compared to 40 percent of this month’s respondents who think the economy will remain the same for the next six months.
Asking Twitters and Facebook Users
In a separate survey sent out through Twitter and Facebook to a broader audience (not necessarily business people and professionals), only 74 percent of the 168 respondents think the economy will remain the same or improve over the next six months. Notably, 25 percent felt the economy would get worse. (compared to only 11 percent in the business and professionals survey.)
29 percent of the Tweeters and Facebook respondents feel the economy will remain about the same over the next six months. That compares to 48 percent of the business person and professionals survey.
I am wondering if this indicates that the business community is slightly more optimistic than the “average guy on the street.” Makes sense. What do you think?
Lovell Communications Survey: Will the Economy Improve, Get Worse or Remain the Same During the Next Six Months?
by Paula Lovell on May 11, 2009 | 5 comments
in Economy, Lovell, Survey
*Update 5/13: Nashville Business Journal covered the survey results here: Area Business Leaders Bullish on Economy.*
Just last week, almost 90 percent (89.1%) of 174 survey respondents indicated they believe that the economy will either remain the same or improve over the next six months. Better yet, about 55 percent (54.5%) think the economy will improve, and slightly more than 10 percent (10.9%) think it will get worse.
Even before the recent good news about corporate earnings and better-than-feared bank stress test results, I was getting the feeling that we have begun to turn the corner. So, I wanted to ask a broad base of business associates (who are likely based more predominantly in southeast) if they thought things were improving or not.
I asked them to ignore what they read or see in the media and to respond based on their own personal experience and gut reactions. Specifically 19 people said they expect the economy to be worse in six months, 60 said it would be about the same and 95 felt it would improve.
I am liking these numbers! What do you think?
