I think there are many factors that make a survey site ideal. I have outlined several things that I look for in a paid survey panel and included examples of online survey sites that embody these qualities. I am certain that I have left a few things out, so feel free to add your comments and your favorite survey sites that you feel belong under these 19 categories.
• Frequent paid surveys: GlobalTestMarket – IPSOS I-SAY – OnlyCashSurveys – Opinion Outpost – Surveyhead – SurveySpot – Toluna Valued Opinions
• Fair compensation for the amount of time spent ($1-$10 for 10 to 45 minutes): American Consumer Opinion – GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – Opinion Outpost – Pinecone Research – Socratic Forum – SurveySpot – Valued Opinions
• Screeners that insure that you qualify for most of the surveys received (80-90%): GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – OnlyCashSurveys – Pinecone Research – Socratic Forum – Surveyhead – Valued Opinions
• Cash instead of points system: American Consumer Opinion – Mindfield Online – Pinecone Research – Socratic Forum – Surveyhead – Survey Savvy – Valued Opinions
• Offers Invoke Interactives for higher incentives: ($10-$150 for 45-120 minutes) 20/20 Research – American Consumer Opinion – SurveySpot
• Offers product testing: 20/20 Research – American Consumer Opinion – Global Opinion Panel/Synovate – IPSOS I-SAY – Mindfield – MySurvey – Pinecone Research – SurveySpot – Toluna – Valued Opinions
• Instant or quick confirmation of incentives: GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – Socratic Forum – Toluna
• Surveys that disqualify you quickly: GlobalTestMarket – Opinion Outpost – Surveyhead – SurveySpot
• Low Cash-out Threshold ($1 to $10): Epoll – HCD Research – IPSOS I-SAY – Mindfield Online – MySurvey – Opinion Outpost – Socratic Forum – SurveySavvy – SurveySpot
• Pays via PayPal in a timely manner (3-4 days): Epoll – Pinecone – Surveyhead – SurveySpot
• Good customer service by email, phone and snail mail: American Consumer Opinion – GlobalTestMarket – Opinion Outpost – SurveySpot – Valued Opinions
• Surveys that don’t ask repetitive questions or too many specific product traits: HCD Research – Socratic Forum
• Well-organized easy-to-navigate website with payment and survey history: GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – Mindfield Online – MySurvey – OnlyCashSurveys – Socratic Forum – Surveyhead – Valued Opinions
• Forum to air complaints with dedicated customer service representative: None really
• No sweepstakes, advertisements, spam or trial offers: GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – Opinion Outpost – Socratic Forum – Surveyhead – Survey Savvy – Valued Opinions
• Few or no survey glitches: GlobalTestMarket – HCD Research – Opinion Outpost – Socratic Forum – Surveyhead – SurveySpot – Toluna
• Surveys that have progress-tracking-bars (varies widely)
• Surveys that have Next and Previous buttons so you can go back (varies widely)
• Surveys that have answer-bars instead of small circles for your answers (varies widely)
So that is my idea of the perfect ingredients for a great survey panel! Share your thoughts below!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t ask for much
but an ideal survey site for me would be:
• Surveys that are actually geared towards my profiles.
• When they say 30 minutes they are actually 30 minutes not 45 to 60.
• Not spending 20-30 minutes answering questions and then be disqualified (that is a big waste of my time).
• surveys that are not pending for 2 months.
Thanks for this opportunity. Survey on!
The only thing I like less than spending 20-30 minutes before being disqualified is spending 30-45 minutes completing a survey only to be disqualified on the final page. They have told me that this happens when you fail to answer internal checks correctly like “Please mark Slightly Agree for all questions here to see if you are still with us”.
You’re right. It’s happened to me once and I have seen those “mark slightly agree” . They told me I didn’t answer one of the questions the way the sponsor wanted?? I didn’t give the right opinion maybe!