Snap’s niche in the online survey market

Every software vendor likes to claim that their software platform is unique. If you will allow me to misuse (as so many people do) the word ‘unique’, I think it’s reasonable to say that Snap is more unique than any other online survey platforms (which are less unique!). There are six reasons to consider, so let me guide you through these reasons and, of course, I’ll discuss uniqueness as honestly as I can with each of the six topics. But, first, some general comments about the range of online survey platforms available.

The spectrum of online survey tools

Whether you are buying a car, a mobile phone, furniture or many other things, the price may range from relatively inexpensive to premium. Online survey software is the same. There are low-cost (and even free) products right through to high-end products which can do everything except make the coffee you may need after preparing your survey. What differentiates these low-cost and high-end products? I think it’s oversimplifying the difference by suggesting the low-cost ones only do basic things while the top-end ones can do anything you want. Of course, this oversimplification has an element of truth, but let’s dig a little deeper and consider that uniqueness factor.

So, let’s look at those six critical factors.

    1. Functionality

It’s not a major revelation to state that the lower-cost products will typically have far less functionality than the high-end products. But there’s more to it than that. If a low-cost product does what you want and, importantly, you only handle one or two surveys each year, why would you pay more for something good enough? And, there’s the first consideration. Typically, low-cost products will have limited functionality, whereas high-ticket products will more likely allow you to do anything you are likely to want. What about the mid-range products? They will generally have more than enough tools to prepare the questionnaires you need and manage your surveys efficiently. In addition, there will usually be more tools to handle complex or repetitive tasks more efficiently as you go up the price spectrum.

But…

The further you go up the price spectrum, the likelihood of the platform being complex to use will increase. At the top end, most will require users to use a complex scripting language, while the higher midrange may have numerous options to navigate. As you go down the scale, things get more straightforward but less flexible and more basic.

Where does Snap sit?

Snap sits in the upper midrange. It’s not too difficult to use, it doesn’t require programming skills, but requires some orientation to make good use of its powerful tools. Does that make Snap unique? Well, I said I would be honest, and on this scale Snap isn’t unique; there are several products in the midrange area, but there are five more topics to consider yet!

    2. More than a data collection platform

Many online data collection platforms are just that – they collect data and not much more. Others may provide tools for counts of responses to each question, maybe basic crosstabs or a basic chart. Some high-end products may falter on this or require you to purchase additional modules, which will not be as powerful as leading data analysis tools like MRDCL. Low-end products are likely to offer much more than basic counts, while many top-end products are more focused on relatively simple customer feedback surveys. This focus on customer feedback surveys can mean that although producing a basic dashboard is semi-automated, there will be sizeable gaps for those running more complex or more extensive surveys.

Where does Snap sit?

Snap has a comprehensive crosstabulation module within its standard platform, including commonly needed features like rim and target weighting, significance testing and many other analysis options. But there’s a lot more – charts, word clouds, plus tools for advanced automated reporting. Few products match Snap’s smart reporting features, which automate reports from tracking studies or where multiple reports are required. Does this make Snap unique? Well, not quite, but there are not many online platforms anywhere in the spectrum which offer so much more within the standard package (or even with add-ons).

    3. Imprisonment: trapped or not

This brings me to one of my biggest complaints about many software products. I hate, yes, I hate, software products that try to trap you within their software. I get even more irritated when I find that getting your survey data into a platform is easy, but getting out is impossible. This flaw is tantamount to holding customers hostage. It can apply to both low-end and high-end software products. Rant over!

Where does Snap sit?

You can guess what I am going to write here! Of course, Snap is strong in this area. It is outstanding for importing data and exporting data. You can connect to an external database to ingest data from a database or output data to an external database. There is a comprehensive set of imports and exports to almost every standard format, including SPSS, Triple-S, various spreadsheet-type formats and text outputs. You will not be trapped. Is this unique? No, but it’s important and weakness of many online platform

    4. Your staff: the users

I have already touched on this subject, but let’s consider the people using the software more fully. Generally, the further up the spectrum you go, the more skill is needed to drive the software. However, the biggest jump tends to be up to the highest-end products. In most cases, they need big teams, running multiple surveys concurrently to justify the staff training and investment. Of course, the low-end products tend to be easy to use because of the lack of options, although some low-cost options suffer from poor design and are ‘clunky’ to use.

Where does Snap sit?

Snap takes a little time to become oriented, but it’s a well-designed, logical system. In other words, the more you want from Snap, the more you will need to learn, but it’s not a steep learning curve. Users anecdotally tell us that after completing one or two surveys, they feel ultra-comfortable using Snap. Staff training costs are insignificant, whereas some top-end systems need multiple training days. Is Snap unique? Possibly not, but it scores highly in this area.

    5. Pricing

We had to get to this topic in the end. And here it is. How much does the software cost? Some free products are not free for long unless you run a small survey amongst a handful of club members, for example. The high-end products are often many times more expensive to use, added to which the cost per interview can be highly prohibitive.

Where does Snap sit?

We genuinely believe that nothing matches Snap for its price ticket. You can get more for your money than any other product in its class. Does this make Snap unique? I would say it does, but other products may make similar claims. I can only suggest you judge for yourself.

    6. Pricing again – the growth path

Finally, I come to the growth path. Many of our customers start small and find a year or two later they are collecting 50,000, 100,000 or more interviews annually. So why does this matter? It comes down to price again. Many platforms offer little or no discounts for larger volumes of interviews. This means it is easy to get locked into a platform that appears inexpensive when you start but is exorbitant when you grow due to the almost flat-line cost of each interview.

 

Where does Snap sit?

Snap is probably unmatched here. Unique? Probably. As you grow, even after a modest entry price, you are not charged exorbitant prices and can enjoy huge discounts. You will have made a good investment that isn’t going to cripple you financially in the future.

Summing up

Well, if I am honest, every software product can claim to be unique in some way, but Snap is more unique than any other online platform. It might not be the right tool for everyone, but it covers a broad user base seeking value for money. Ask us some questions and find out more. Let us show you our uniqueness!