expert market research - customised to suit your needs

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is e-inform?
A: We believe that e-inform is the perfect online toolkit for questionnaire development, data capture and providing clients with absolute flexibility to do whatever they want.

Q: What do I need?
A: To design a survey you will need access to e-inform using a internet connection and Internet Explorer 6 or above, FireFox, Netscape, Opera and Safari.

Q: How big can my survey be, and am I limited by the number of surveys I can run?
A: You can have as many questions as you want in your questionnaires, and you can run as many surveys as you like throughout the annual subscription period. We don’t mind if you want to consult with 1 person or 1,000,000. The only ultimate limitation is how many questions you think people will answer.

Q: Do I need training – I’m not a researcher!
A: Absolutely not! e-inform has been designed to be simple to use, with a highly effective on screen help desk. We have clients who have used the product out in the community with people who have very few computer skills and no knowledge of how to run surveys. It really is as easy as A,B,C.

Q: Do you have an email Helpdesk and telephone Helpdesk with guaranteed 12-hour response times?
A: Yes, Priority Research prides itself on its helpdesk, and we are happy to respond to enquiries using the most appropriate method for our clients.

Q: Can you add unlimited additional log-ins for colleagues, with customisable user privileges? All at no extra cost?
A: Absolutely, and at no additional costs.

Q: Can I include images?
A: Of course! e-inform lets you upload images from your computer so they can be included either as freestanding graphics (banner, welcome page, etc.) or as options in a single or multiple choice question.

Q: Can I customise my surveys?
A: Yes, you can customise the look and feel of each survey, choosing fonts, colours, spacing and background images if you wish. Most of our users build their surveys to look like their corporate or brand websites. If you want an extra fancy site, say with animation for young people, then we have a department that can provide you with the relevant art work at an additional cost.

Q: How do I make the survey available?
A: There are three main ways to give people access to your survey when you have designed it:

• You can use the URL we provide as a link on your website or in an email. When people click on the link they go straight to your survey
• You can produce paper based versions of the questionnaire at the click of a button. e-inform also has its own built in rapid data entry system for paper returns
• Or you can use a combination of the two!

Q: Is it a hosted solution, so you don't need to install any software or worry about corporate firewall and security issues?
A: Yes, e-inform is hosted by Priority Research on our servers.

Q: What about security?
A: We take the security of your data very seriously. The e-inform system is protected by secure passwords. Only you (or your colleagues if you have selected this option) can access your survey data. The URL which is used to display the survey itself is deliberately complex to make it almost impossible for anyone to have unauthorised access to your surveys. And, of course, our servers are password protected and located behind a number of security systems to stop intruders.

Q: Who owns the data?
A: You do! All of the data collected using your surveys is yours. e-inform will only access that data for the maintenance and development of its services with your permission.

Q: Are my surveys and their responses available to me long-term with no storage or access charge?
A: Yes they are, and we provide continual access to you, even if you have chosen not to subscribe one year, after all the data is yours.

Q: Can I transfer my survey response data into other programs?
A: As standard you can export the responses as a native MS Excel or MS Word document. For a one-off fee we can provide the facility for you to download your responses as a set of data and syntax files ready to import into SPSS. We can also add additional export functions to your account if you want to transfer data to your corporate databases or data warehouse.

Q: I'm just too busy - can you do it for me?
A: Yes, no problem! We can manage the whole survey process. We'll do as much or as little as you'd like, and our rates are extremely competitive.

Q: Is there a flat-rate fee for e-inform, with no hidden extras for size of survey OR number of responses?
A: Yes, e-inform is based upon a single annual subscription fee, not one that limits your usage or charges more when you go over a certain number of questions or returns.