Volume 2, Issue 5

September/October 2004

Inside this Issue

Flattering Feedback on Hosted Survey and Hostedwire
My Back Button Won't Behave
Meeting Objectives with Online Testing
What's an Open-Link Survey?
Privacy Education Proves Important
Spanish and German editions of Hosted Survey

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Editor's Letter

Greetings!

In each issue of Hostedwire, we bring you resources, tips and techniques designed to help you maximize your survey and test results. In this issue, you'll learn how to cut costs and meet objectives with online testing.

Before we get started, I'd like to extend a very warm welcome to all of our newest subscribers--we're honored to have you join us.

Continuing your peek behind the Hostedware scenes, today you'll meet James Coffey. James coordinates the Project Team for Hostedware.

Introducing James Coffey

As Project Coordinator for the Project Team, James has the pleasure of "being involved in virtually all of the projects at Hostedware. I get to see each plan turn into a reality."

As coordinator of the process from the first project discussions all the way to the end, James says he especially enjoys when the project develops beyond even the customer's loftiest expectations.

"It's a very rewarding experience to tell customers that whatever they need is probably possible with our software and services."

Because he's involved with projects from start to finish, James has seen first hand the flexibility of the Hostedware system.

"If a customer has a need that requires additional features or enhancements, the team rises to accommodate them, even if it means extra work."

And it's that flexibility, James says, that lets him respond with a confident "Yes!" to nearly every question about Hostedware's capabilities.

"It's great," he says, "I get to look like the good guy because the programmers are always willing to expand the system."

An all-around good guy ;-), let James help you make your survey, test, or report reality.

Sincerely,
Dennis Frayne
dennis.frayne@hostedware.com

P.S. Need to present the data for a big presentation in a way your boss will understand? Let us help. We can use your survey data to create a PowerPoint presentation that'll wow your boss.

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Contact Hostedware

Hostedware Corporation | 16 Technology Drive, Suite 116 | Irvine, CA 92618

USA & Canada: 800-211-6967 | Local & Int'l: 949-585-1500 | UK: 0800-032-2342

customerservice@hostedware.com

www.hostedware.com | www.hostedsurvey.com | www.hostedtest.com

Testimonials

Reserve America's Satisfaction Surveys More than Satisfactory

Susan Parker worked with Hostedware to create internal and external surveys during her time with Reserve America. Here's what she had to say about working with Hostedware on the projects.

At Reserve America, we ran regular satisfaction surveys to see how people felt about our administrator partners' facilities. These surveys were both internal (getting feedback from administrator field managers, for instance), and external (soliciting input from visitors to the parks).

Because of the size of the organization, these were relatively large surveys. And, because we'd been working with a vendor already, I was concerned about the transition from our first vendor to Hostedware.

What impressed me the most about the process was how seamless it was--Hostedware stepped right in to design surveys, provide on-going administration, and create custom reports.

On-going satisfaction survey gets great results

The project that impressed me the most was an on-going Customer Satisfaction Survey Hostedware created for us.

Reserve America takes reservations online and by phone for facilities throughout North America. Hostedware created a system to contact each person within one week of their making their reservation. Each person receives a personalized email invitation to take the survey.

Because of Hostedware's impeccable follow up, approximately 30% of our customers fill out the survey. This has lead to reliable information about our reservation processes--information we can immediately apply to improve customer satisfaction levels.

The tools and services that Hosted Survey provides have been an invaluable resource for Reserve America. We are looking forward to another successful year!

From a Hostedwire Reader

Nice things you've said about Hostedwire

Hostedwire reader Joan Marie Mount writes:

"Congratulations on a great newsletter! Very informative, well-presented, and easy to hone in on one's most pressing questions."

Share your feedback on Hostedwire! Send us an email with your comments.

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It's Your Turn in the Spotlight

You've run some outstanding surveys or tests. It's time you shared your success (and the lessons you learned along the way) with Hostedwire readers.

Along with great exposure, you'll also be helping out a community of survey givers. So, go ahead, sign up for your turn in the spotlight. Just send an email to Dennis Frayne, Editor of Hostedwire, and tell him you'd like to be featured.

FAQ: Browser Back Button Behavior

Q: Users are reporting error messages when they use the "Back Button" in their browser. How can I fix this?

Survey and test takers occasionally report receiving error messages when clicking their browser Back button in an attempt to change answers and re-submit a page.

If your participants have reported errors, check to see if you're allowing reentry. Sometimes, survey designers or test administrators do not want participants to be able to go back and change answers.

To configure your reentry options, select Design Survey (or Design Test), Layout & Navigation, Navigation & Control from the menu. Scroll down on the page to the Reentry Options section. Make your configuration changes and click [Save].

Assuming the survey is set to allow re-entry, then this error is actually an issue with Microsoft Internet Explorer, not with Hostedware®. Your participants may find the following Microsoft instructions resolve the problem.

Symptoms of an Internet Explorer issue

When you click Back to return to a Web page, you may receive the following error message:

Warning: Page has Expired
The page you requested was created using information you submitted in a form. This page is no longer available. As a security precaution, Internet Explorer does not automatically resubmit your information for you.

To resubmit your information and view this Web page, click the Refresh button.

What causes the error message?

This problem can occur if you have the "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" option enabled in Internet Explorer Advanced Settings.

Resolution

Either disable the "Do not save encrypted pages to disk" option, or install the latest version of Internet Explorer. You can obtain the latest version of Internet Explorer from the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0 and 4.01 for Windows 95.

If this problem arises, please talk with your end-users or respondents and see if following the above recommendation fixes the problem.

If not, please contact Hostedware customer service at customerservice@hostedware.com for further assistance. Please be prepared to provide browser, operating system and network configuration information.

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Survey Novice?

You're lost and confused--there are so many survey options out there. Some of them are downright cheap, and some are super expensive. They don't all have the same features, and you'd just like to bury your head in the sand and decide not to decide.

Relax. Your choice is easier than you might think. You can experience Hostedware's fantastic customer service, top of the line technology, and dazzling experience for yourself at absolutely no cost.

Just fax us your draft questionnaire at (949) 585-0050 and you'll receive a demo of your first 11 questions to see for yourself that we offer the solutions you need.

Questions? We'll be happy to answer them. You can reach us at customerservice@hostedware.com, toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

Meeting Objectives with Online Testing

By Peggie Brown

Peggie Brown, experienced paralegal, is a freelance author and founder of
Katsuey's Legal Gateway.

Creative uses of online testing can help you save money while rising to the challenge of more competitive markets.

By turning to online tests, you can improve your hiring process, standardize your training procedures, and cut costs associated with training employees.

Use online tests to avoid costly hiring mistakes

Wondering if you'd have better luck with new hires if you drew straws instead of soliciting resumes and conducting interviews?

You're not alone. With "creative" resume strategies running rampant, many employers need help separating truly qualified candidates from ones who merely look qualified.

By setting up an online test for prospective employees, you'll be able to eliminate applicants who don't have necessary skills.

The cost of making a mistake by hiring the wrong person is far higher in time and resources than doing it right from the start.

With the right program, you can create testing modules, administer to applicants and receive immediate results. The computer will handle all the details--from timing each applicant to scoring the test.

Within seconds, you'll know whether or not the applicant has passed your test. And you'll save the time and effort of interviewing candidates who weren't qualified.

The computer can also help you to track trends over time. After hiring an employee, you can compare their on-the-job performance with their test results.

Training current employees is easier with standardized online testing

Equipping employees with the knowledge and skills they need to advance makes good business sense.

Whether you're teaching compliance with government-regulated issues (sexual harassment, safe working habits, etc) or job-related skills, online testing makes it easy to test employees' awareness and adherence to corporate policy.

Instead of reinventing the wheel every time you hire a new employee or when one of your employees needs to upgrade or update their skills, use online testing applications for consistent and constant skill building.

Because the test is hosted online in a secure environment, each employee studies and tests as needed according to the employee's schedule.

You can link your reading library, videos and other training materials with the tools provided by your online testing solutions provider.

This presents employees with a self-paced course and the ability for recording the course materials completed and those still left for completion.

Whether used to reinforce policy knowledge or to improve skills, online testing offers you a systematic way to ensure employees are up-to-speed and up-to-date.

Online testing equates to good time and financial management

With typical in-person training, companies endure travel costs and reduced productivity due to a smaller workforce. Even in training conducted on-site, creating a schedule that doesn't interfere with any employee's productivity can be tricky.

Not only are the travel costs eliminated with an online format, but training can be scheduled according to each individual employee's schedule.

This gives employees control over their own schedule, allowing them to select the time that's best for them to meet training objectives.

For live training, following up with an online test can reinforce what's been learned, easily doubling the training's effectiveness.

Whether used in tandem with live training, or independently, online testing can be an effective way to facilitate employee learning.

Companies large and small can use online testing to save time and money in exciting ways. Make your training and testing materials available wherever your employees are located and at their convenience; then watch productivity rise while avoiding the cost of travel, board and expensive seminar fees.  

Hostedware can help you set up tests to streamline your hiring or training processes. Find out more by emailing customerservice@hostedware.com or calling toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

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What if your data goes all haywire in your presentation?

Have you had this nightmare? You've put together all the data from your survey. You've formatted it into a pretty PowerPoint presentation. There are sound effects and great graphics.

And there you stand, in front of the board of an international Fortune 500. You flip to the first slide. And you realize: you've made a huge mistake with the data.

Stop tossing and turning. Hire Hostedware to handle all your data from collecting it straight through to compiling it.

Get started today. Email customerservice@hostedware.com or call toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

Privacy Education Proves Important

When Cape Cod Healthcare decided to do a comprehensive employee satisfaction survey two and a half years ago, they were completely overwhelmed.

"We did it in house," Dick Kropp, Executive Director of Human Resources at Cape Cod Healthcare, says. "And it became very problematic. We simply didn't have the tools to really put the information together."

The reports that were generated were utilitarian, but didn't make the research generated easier to implement.

That's why, when it came time to tackle the project a second time, Cape Cod Healthcare sought an outside vendor. Dick chose Hostedware because of the sophisticated reporting abilities. "The reports Hostedware generated for us have that 'Wow!' quality. You look at them and it's all so clear and easy to read, you just think, 'Wow!'"

The survey took Dick and his team three months from start to finish (including the final reports). About 33% of the 5,200 employees completed the survey.

"The big problem we ran into with the online format," Dick says, "is that people were uncomfortable with the potential privacy issues.

"Even though it's actually easier for us to figure out who filled out a paper-based survey than the online survey, people were still nervous."

In fact, although Dick was happy with the process overall ("especially the time we saved processing all the data"), for future surveys, he'll spend a lot more time educating participants about their privacy.

"They need to know we can't access any information about them, that the process makes them entirely anonymous."

He'd like to see more people fill in the online version because that reduces the work needed to process the results.

"Next time I'll spend more time explaining the hows, whys and whats of the survey," he says. "Our employees really wanted to know how we would use the information, why we were collecting it, that sort of thing. It's important that your employees really understand what will be done with the information they submit."

Aside from the concerns about privacy, Dick was pleasantly surprised with the results. "It turns out," he says, "our satisfaction levels were much higher than I'd expected when it comes to compensation and benefits."

In an industry where attaining that kind of satisfaction is often difficult, it's quite an accomplishment to have employees report happiness in those areas.

"Overall," Dick says, "the survey went really well. The team at Hosted Survey did a great job giving me the information I needed, but not dwelling on the stuff I already knew. So often with technology training, the information's either given out too fast or too slow, but the Hosted Survey team did a great job adapting to my needs."

And the reports that were generated from the survey? Dick has one word for them. "Wow."

Are your employees miserable and you don't even know it?

It's a fact of life--some employees are just unhappy. But, what about those employees who could be happy, but aren't? Wouldn't it be great to help them be happy?

Of course, you can't do that until you know what it is that would make them happy...

Let us help. We can help you design, program, offer and evaluate an employee survey that'll get to the very core of what your employees want.

And here's a hint: What they want and what you think they want are probably pretty different.

Uncover what your employees REALLY want. Email customerservice@hostedware.com or call toll-free at (800) 211-6967,
or (949) 585-1500.

FAQ: Open-Link

Q: What's an open-link survey and how do I create one?

With an "open-link" survey, anyone who has the URL of your survey can fill it out. (Your other option is to have respondents log in to your survey with a Respondent ID.)

If you're trying to engage a wider audience, you probably want to create your survey as an open-link to maximize access for participation.

Is open-link the right choice for you?

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, consider setting your survey up as an open-link format:

1. Are some (or all) of your participants unknown to you at this time?

If you don't have contact information for each survey participant, you won't be able to send email invitations or furnish them with Respondent ID's.

2. Are your participants especially concerned about their privacy?

If you use an open link, there is no way of knowing who your participants are (unless that information is willingly provided by the respondent in the survey).

3. Are you concerned your current list isn't large enough for the results you need?

If you are seeking more responses than you have respondents, you may want to ask participants to forward the survey link to others.

Note: In an open-link environment some functionality, such as response tracking, reentry options, and reminder invitations, will be unavailable.

How do you create an open-link survey?

When you create a new survey, it defaults to open-link; that is, no respondents are yet defined. The survey will remain an open-link survey until you define respondents or upload a list to that survey.

By defining respondents, you are configuring the survey to require permission to take it. That permission is granted by assigning each person a unique Respondent ID.

If you want your survey to remain open, do not add any respondents. Simply activate your survey and post or distribute the URL.

How do you post and distribute an open-link survey?

1. Configure your survey

From the Survey Home page, you can specify begin dates, end dates, and response quotas. If a participant tries to access your survey outside of the begin and end date range, or if you've reached your quota of responses, they will be denied access to your survey. If you do not want these restrictions, leave these fields blank. (See Figure 1)

2. Check for respondents

If you created responses or uploaded a list while designing and testing your survey, delete them. Make sure that you have no respondents on your Respondents page for this survey.

3. Activate your survey

When you activate your survey, you are giving your respondents the green light to take your survey. When you deactivate it, you are blocking all subsequent survey participation. You can activate and deactivate your survey from the Survey Home page. (See Figure 1)

4. Make your Survey URL available to participants

You can do this by first copying the survey URL from your Survey Home page. (See Figure 1) Highlight the URL and use your browser Copy command to copy it to your clipboard. This URL can be pasted into an email, added to your website, or printed on paper and distributed by mail or by hand.

Figure 1. Check all highlighted areas before launching. Make sure survey is active; begin date, end date, and quota are properly set or left blank.

Once you've created your open-link survey, you may want to use Hosted Survey's interface to send out email invitations. This is a helpful feature that will save you lots of time.

To find out how to send invites for an open-link survey, stay tuned... We'll share the step-by-step instructions in our next issue.

Excited to try out an open-link survey for yourself? Contact a Hostedware representative to get started today at customerservice@hostedware.com,
toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

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Webmasters, do you need a custom Hosted Survey™ solution for your clients?

If you're looking for an affordable, easy-to-use method of offering your clients brief surveys, you can license and host your own version of Hosted Survey Lite™.

For all the details, contact a Hostedware representative to get started today at customerservice@hostedware.com, toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

New! German and Spanish Editions of Hosted Survey

Customers who speak German or Spanish will be able to use the Hosted Survey application in their native language.

Currently, customers can create surveys in whatever language they choose (using an English user interface); thanks to this new improvement, customers will be able to use a German or Spanish interface to create their surveys.

This is great news for your colleagues who don't speak English, as it means they'll be able to use Hosted Survey to create the survey that's right for them.

You can also access support in either German or Spanish. So, if you have a technical question, you can email your question in Spanish, and you'll receive back a reply in Spanish.

You'll find the new Spanish language site at http://www.hostedsurvey.com.mx and the new German language site at http://www.hostedsurvey.de.

Your survey can also be translated on a custom basis

If you need your survey to be translated into another language, we can also take care of this translation for you.

For all the details, contact a Hostedware representative at customerservice@hostedware.com, toll-free at (800) 211-6967, or (949) 585-1500.

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