Review of MCG Softcore’s SurveyCore
SurveyCore is a fairly simple web-based survey system that provides a range of basic features including multiple question types, multi-page surveys, and even some moderately advanced features such as piping and branching. Design capabilities are limited, and the fact that it does not provide an off-line editing module may be annoying to those who are not always connected to the Internet. The system does feature a built-in e-mail invitation/tracking module, and it offers an interesting reporting system that may prove useful especially for ongoing studies. While the system is not overly expensive compared to some advanced systems, it may be out of the price range for many who may be satisfied with the feature set.
SurveyCore supports the traditional assortment of question types including multiple choice single response, multiple response, simple rating matrixes (tables), text fields, "other" responses for multiple/single response questions, and standardized insertion of "Don’t know" responses. Questions may be divided up among multiple pages. The system also allows for basic validation of text fields based on numeric ranges or field length. It does not allow for the easy integration of multiple images, videos or Macromedia Flash files, which may limit your ability to conduct certain types of surveys. It also doesn’t offer more advanced question-types, such as ranking, and multiple question tables (where each line in the matrix can include multiple questions about each item). One especially useful feature is the ability to save the questions you develop in a "library" that makes it relatively easy to re-use those same questions later on in future surveys. This can be very important if you want to benchmark the results of multiple surveys against each other later on.
Survey development is fairly straightforward. The system uses a web-based editor that allows questions, text, images and other supported items to be added and edited without the need for specialized client software (which means surveys can be edited from any computer). Although the editing interface is not necessarily as sophisticated as some other web-based survey systems, all of the options are clearly laid out and accessible. Compared to some other survey systems the design capabilities of SurveyCore are limited. While the company does not provide any sample surveys on their web site, I was able to find a few and frankly they all looked pretty similar to one another…logos were changed at the top of each survey, but for the most part they looked pretty much the same. Now, to be perfectly fair, if you are not particularly "design oriented" and like to focus on function over form, this may be a positive for you since you won’t have to worry about laying out each question and making it look pretty. However, if you like to control the placement of each item on the page (which, incidentally, is more time consuming) you may want to consider a different package. SurveyCore does allow for the use of style templates which can be used to customize the overall look of each survey, and as noted it is possible to put your logo and other relevant artwork on each page. Furthermore, the SurveyCore allows for surveys to be in at least two languages — which may or may not be limited to English and Danish.
SurveyCore includes a few advanced features, such as branching and piping answers to fields on future pages. It also includes a simple e-mail invitation module that allows you to design a text-based e-mail message (using the built-in text editor), and then send them to respondents that you’ve entered/uploaded into the system. The system will then keep track of which respondents have taken the survey and even send you a message after a certain number have completed the process. The program does not offer access to a software development kit (SDK) that would allow you to integrate your own programming into the survey, nor does it offer a web services interface, or the ability to pre-populate answers. While the absence of these advanced features probably won’t impact users who are just trying to conduct basic surveys, it will not work for larger companies who intend to use the software in a more workhorse fashion.
The system includes a basic reporting module that allows you to string together charts, graphs and tables from multiple questions into reports that can be saved, reused and shared. The simplicity and thoughtfulness of this system is endearing and could be quite useful if you intend to run the same survey continuously and want a way to generate quick reports. On the downside, the export capabilities of the system are limited to CSV — no SPSS export, and no capability to access the data directly through the database. The system also offers an "advanced reporting module" which may resolve some of the limitations with the basic system. SurveyCore is published/operated by Denmark-based MCG Software, a company that primary produces network management tools. Clients of SurveyCore include the Danish Tourist Board, the International Healt Insurance Danmark, and e-Bok.
While it would appear that support is available to keep the software up and running, the company does not appear to offer research-related support or consulting services to set-up and monitor the surveys for you. More information about SurveyCore can be found at http://www.surveycore.com/. The web site is fairly limited — as noted earlier, it does not include sample surveys for you to look at, and it contains very little documentation (always a useful tool for evaluating any system). You are allowed to sign up for a free week-long trial (with up to 20 free responses) but the trial signup system is not automated and you have to wait until someone in the office sets you up. Self-service signup is not available — if you want to use the service you need to contact the company directly.
SurveyCore pricing is primarily based on volume and ranges from $850 for 1,000 surveys (85 cents each) to $3,250 for 50,000 surveys (7 cents per survey). There is also a per-user cost of $420 per person and the advanced reporting module can be added for a one time cost of $1,150. For those seeking a simple, pre-configured tool that can be used to evaluate web site satisfaction, the company does offer a specialized service called SiteScale which goes so far as to allow each page on your web site to be evaluated separately. More information on this service is available at http://www.sitescale.com/.
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