Inside This Issue

How Herbalife and PREPSSAT Save Time

How Compatible are Hostedware's Solutions?

HR Online Survey Trends

Are Hostedware Solutions Brandable?

Survey Says: Cartoons?

I. 1 V. 1  Sept/Oct 2003

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Editor's Letter

Greetings!

Welcome to the first issue of Hostedware's newsletter: Hostedwire. We'll be publishing on a bi-monthly basis to bring you information, ideas and insight into using web surveys and online testing solutions for your research, education and performance improvement needs.

In our inaugural issue, we've included a feature on how online surveys can not only save time and capital, but also provide more thorough results in the corporate world. We've also included news about our most recent partnership with animator Mike Browne--I think you'll enjoy the samples he's created for us.

If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or comments, please send me an email. I can't wait to hear what you think about the new newsletter and what you'd like to see in future issues. And, if you'd like to be featured in a future case study, let me know--we'll be covering a customer in every issue.

Sincerely,
Dennis Frayne
dennis.frayne@hostedware.com

Herbalife Saves Time on Employee Surveys

Customer:	Herbalife
Contact:	Maribel Gonzalez-Hines, Human Resources--Training Administrator
Project:	4 online surveys

Original Survey Causes Headaches

"Last year, we had an employee develop our survey and it was a nightmare," Maribel Gonzalez-Hines of Herbalife says. "It took the in-house team weeks to calculate the results. So, this year we decided to look for something that would be less time consuming."

Hostedware Reps Demonstrate Knowledge

After speaking with a Hostedware representative, Maribel was impressed. "He sounded like he knew what he was talking about and was able to answer all my questions on the spot. The other company I spoke with needed to get back to me with some of their answers."

Fast Results Convince Herbalife

Maribel says the best thing about Hostedware was the "timeliness in reporting features and their ability to meet all [our] requirements." She also appreciated the great customer service, saying, "I spoke with 3 or 4 different people during the course of our project and they were all really pleasant to work with. They made me trust the process."

Future human resources Herbalife surveys will be entrusted to Hostedware, and Maribel says she plans to spread the word to other departments as well. "We'll definitely work with Hostedware in the future," she says.

FAQ: System Requirements for Hostedware Solutions

	What are the system requirements for Hosted Survey™ and Hosted Test™? Will my users need to download any additional plug-ins or applications?
	Whether you're setting up a survey for your current clients, or creating a test for college students, you want the process to be as easy on participants as possible. To keep things simple for you and your participants, Hostedware® applications have been designed to support as many browsers and versions as possible. Creating Surveys and Tests When it comes to the actual creation of surveys and tests, you'll probably find it easiest to use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and above or Netscape 7 and above. It doesn't matter if you're on a PC or a Mac--they're both completely supported. Plus, to ensure you can create surveys and tests in as little time as possible, you won't need to download any plug-ins or software. Filling Out Surveys and Tests For your participants, you'll find a wide range of support--in fact, we support virtually every browser and operating system combination. All your users need is a computer that supports HTML and JavaScript (this isn't the same thing as Java applets--it won't require participants to download a thing). Estimated 99.8% Compatibility Both Hosted Survey™ and Hosted Test™ create surveys/tests that are accessible to an estimated 99.8% of all computer users with Internet access. As long as your audience has an Internet browser and access to the Internet, they should be ready and able to participate in your tests and surveys with no additional downloads or applications. How can I get started with Hostedware®? When you're ready to set up your first survey or test with Hostedware®, fax us your draft questionnaire at (949)585-0050 and we'll set up the first 10-15 questions at no charge.

Increase in HR Online Survey Use

No longer confined to paper-based surveys, HR departments and companies are using new technologies to conduct increasingly sophisticated surveys online. These surveys include employee satisfaction, upward or "360" evaluations, and performance reviews.

Open-ended questions, multiple formats, and complex branching tools mean HR professionals have the potential to gather more insight about employees than ever.

Indeed, because of technological improvements, and because costs continue to drop, companies are reaching out more than ever for employee feedback.

Says Charlie Watts, Global Practice Leader for Organization and Employee Research at HR consulting company Towers Perrin, "We see two trends emerging: One, companies want more employee measurement; and, two, they are using data gleaned from employee surveys to make a business case for investments."

Benefits of Online Surveys

Online surveys make sense, especially for larger companies with employees based across the U.S. or around the world, because administrating a paper-based survey would be cost-prohibitive. According to Watts, online surveys offer companies a number of advantages including:

• Lower Costs. Initial setup is more expensive, compared to paper surveys, but without printing, postage, and data entry costs, online surveys usually cost less.
• Faster response times. Online surveys eliminate the need to wait for responses via postal or interoffice mail.
• Higher response rates. Companies report response rates as high as 75–80%.
• Convenience. Online surveys reduce mistakes and save time because there's no need for data entry. Plus, employees frequently find them easier to respond to.

Online Surveys Protect Anonymity

Contrary to popular belief, online surveys can offer employees complete anonymity. Packer Thomas, CPA and Business Consultants (a Hostedware client) recently conducted an upward evaluation of all its employees.

Invitations to take the online survey were sent by email, with a two-week deadline to complete it. Reminders were sent to those who didn't respond after the first week. (Only the survey administrator knew who responded or didn't.)

Reports Kim Scheuermann, Director of HR, "Results were wonderful. We received a little more than half the responses by the end of the first week."

The key benefit of the survey, according to Scheuermann, was the anonymity. "Results were tallied in categories by staff level, for instance, 'Managers and Supervisors,' 'Seniors and Associates,' etc.

"To maintain anonymity, if one category had less than three staff respondents, results were reported in a category called 'All Other.' We also eliminated the traditional open-ended question at the end."

Employee trust in the company is paramount. Says Watts, "Companies need to manage concerns about confidentiality with the right advance communications stressing that no one will ever see an individual response." Scheuermann agrees: "I was the only person who had contact with our survey company. Once the reports were generated, individual employees saw only his or her own peer feedback."

Affordable Sophistication

According to the article, Should we go paper or electronic? in the Journal of Employee Communication Management, online surveys allow companies increasing flexibility to conduct sophisticated testing and analysis.

Survey tools and programs allow "multiple question-and-answer formats, real-time response error correction, and complex branching features that allow items to be targeted to specific employee groups."

Branching allows you to include questions based on previous answers and can be based on job title, gender, or specific corporate events. Branching can include "targeted supplements" where a respondent who selects sales can be presented with a "sales force supplement"--a set of questions about sales goals and objectives.

While possible with paper-based surveys, branching has been expensive and difficult to track and report. Online surveys have changed all that.

Tracking Employee Satisfaction

More importantly, companies can tie employee satisfaction (ESAT) to the bottom line. While accurate measurement of ESAT on the bottom line is hard to define, a high ESAT often translates into happy customers.

Online surveys allow companies to regularly track, measure, and analyze all areas of ESAT, including benefits packages, corporate culture and communications, and the willingness of employees to recommend the company to a friend.

Many companies tie internal measures--employee perceptions of customer satisfaction--with actual customer surveys, building a stronger link between the two.

Is Electronic for Everyone?

Electronic surveys may not be right in every situation according to Watts, who says, "paper surveys aren't dead yet," Watts says. "Companies still not fully wired, such as manufacturing, retail, or banking are still using paper surveys.

"And, the scale of the company also determines whether one should go paper or electronic. Obviously, a very small company will find paper surveys more cost-effective than an online survey."

Online surveys are becoming an important tool in the HR communications toolbox. Higher response rates and in-depth analysis mean the potential for companies to tie employee satisfaction to the bottom line is greater than ever.

With results that arrive faster and sophisticated analysis tools, online surveys are quickly gaining popularity with companies.

PREPSSAT™ Instructors Save Up To 60 Hours Per Month

Customer:	PREPSSAT™
Contact:	Joanna Severino and Vittoria Giovannetti, Co-Founders
Project:	SSAT Readiness Assessments using Hosted Test™ (COMPUSSAT™)

PREPSSAT™ prepares students for Ontario school admissions tests (like the SSAT). They use Hosted Test™ to diagnose students' needs before enrollment.

Original Diagnostic Test Time Consuming

Their original system of diagnostic testing required many hours to grade and analyze tests. "Before Hosted Test™," Joanna Severino, co-owner of PREPSSAT™, says, "our diagnostic test was highly time consuming and difficult to coordinate."

Knowing their time would be better spent customizing programs to student needs, Severino and her partner, Vittoria Giovannetti, contacted several companies to create an alternative to their manual system.

PREPSSAT™ Seeks Solution

After examining the proposals, PREPSSAT™ selected Hostedware because Severino was "confident that Hostedware would develop the infrastructure required to support our vision and work to our satisfaction."

Severino and Giovannetti found Hosted Test™ to be "the exact web-solution we were looking for!" Hosted Test™ has "eliminated the need to organize, supervise, and mark each student's test" for PREPSSAT™, leaving them with more time to custom-fit programs to students.

Hosted Test™ Programmers Provide Solution

Hosted Test™ programmers ensured that PREPSSAT's™ reports would provide the "comprehensive data, including scaled scoring and section-by-section analysis" that PREPSSAT™ needed. PREPSSAT™ teachers and parents alike agree the results are an important resource in helping students improve their abilities.

The Hosted Test™ solution is "a teacher's dream" according to PREPSSAT™. It save approximately 60 hours every month and they look forward to working with Hostedware again.

FAQ: Licensing Know-How

	As a consulting firm, we're looking for a way to conduct research, surveys, evaluations and assessments for our clients. Can we license your software and use the applications with our clients as if they were our own systems?
	Both Hosted Survey™ and Hosted Test™ can be licensed and used with your clients to meet your research, survey, and assessment needs. Invisible Solution We can set up your application so that Hostedware® is essentially invisible. Your surveys or tests can be branded and private-labeled--whether you need a single test or survey or many. At every step of the way, your clients will see your brand, your name, and your logo--not Hostedware's. Whether your clients are logging in to take the surveys and tests, or to look over their account, the entire system will look like it's completely yours. Custom URLs Mask Hostedware's Involvement Hosted Test™ and Hosted Survey™ can be hosted on your own custom URL (either a "sub-domain" like surveys.abc.com, or a "top-level" domain name like abcsurvey.com). And, even better, both programs are completely customizable so you can add your own graphics, prompts, and information. Adaptable Language and Labels If your business uses unique language, like "panelist" instead of "respondent," you'll be able to make the changes. If you'd rather call the "Q&A Library" a "Master File," you can do that, too. All changes are handled through one configuration file which ensures consistency throughout your application. In short, we can build an application designed to meet your specific survey and testing needs--whatever they might be. We'll provide maximum flexibility for you in a format that'll be easy-to-use. Is this solution for you? If this sounds like the flexible, brandable solution you're looking for for your clients, contact a Hostedware representative today for more information at customerservice@hostedware.com.

Using Flash, Browne Brings Characters to Life

Hostedware has teamed with Los Angeles-based animator Mike Browne to add zest to surveys.

For a recent project, Browne's animated characters served as emcees guiding visitors through a series of survey questions.

"Backstage Bob," one of the emcees, "had attitude, a bass guitar and a soul patch," Browne explains. "He'd pop onto the screen, play a little guitar lick and talk with some 'tude about why you wanted to finish that particular section."

By keeping visitors entertained as they answered, Hostedware found visitors more likely to continue, wanting to see who'd appear next.

Hostedware is delighted to have Browne, whose credits include an animation in the Rob Reiner film "Alex & Emma," and the creation of "Let Me Holler @ Ya," on their team.

Dennis Frayne, founder and CEO of Hostedware, says of the partnership, "we are looking for opportunities to help our customers make both the surveys and the invitations more interactive, and for the right audience, maybe even a little fun."

Ready to experience Browne's animation for yourself? Visit http://www.hostedsurvey.com/Hostedware-Animation-Ad.html for a sample.

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