Polling

What is polling?

Polling normally serves as a function of survey software as a way to conduct research or to gather data on feedback and opinions of those who are polled. It can help businesses collect data on employee opinions about certain training, the hiring process, company events, customer service, etc. This can also be used in the context of polling outside the business to gain insight into how participants feel about products, services, events, etc., that the business provides to the participants. 

Polling is distinct from surveys in that surveys may ask many questions in many different formats and can normally be lengthy. Polls instead are usually short and formatted as multiple choice with only a few questions. In business, software polling can take place in a few different ways. It normally is an element of survey software but can also be used individually as an extension in business instant messaging software, or be a featured element of enterprise feedback management software. Polling normally is the specific feature within these types of products and not a software on its own, as it is usually used in conjunction with many others.

Since polling does not usually exist as its own software, it must be integrated with other products to function. The type of products that polling would most likely be seen in is survey software, enterprise feedback management software, experience management software, employee engagement software, and online form builder software. Including polling in these types of products allow for easy data gathering for research within the business.

Polling can be used by CEOs, VPs, managers, IT teams, employees from any department, and outside participants to collect data on opinions and feedback about the specific topic being polled. It can be found in emails, business instant messaging, pop-ups, texts, etc. Any type of employee can create a poll, and any type of employee can respond to one. Normally polls are anonymous as well to create unbiased data for the topic of interest. 

Benefits of using polling

Businesses have realized the benefits of using polling software, thus cementing its prominence in the workplace for data tracking and research.

• Fast: Polls do not take long to make nor do they take long to participate in. They usually can be seen as a pop-up or be sent in a communicative method like email or text message. Normally there are only a few questions in a poll, if not just one, and they often take place in a multiple-choice format.
• Customizable: Depending on the needs for the poll, it can be made as long or as short as needed to collect the data. While polls are normally only a few questions, they can be tailored specifically to the needs of the survey being conducted for the business.
• Informal: Since polls can be created easily and are simple to make, they can also be sent informally as well. They can be sent via email, instant messaging platform, text message, web pop-up, etc. Given that polls are usually informal, they are almost always anonymous, which allows for disclosure and unbiased data for research purposes.
• Capable of data tracking: Most software that have polling capabilities should have the ability of data tracking to organize the data that is sourced from the polls. Depending on the specific type of software, such as survey software or employee engagement software, there would be specific metrics of how to regulate the data specific to the topic that is being researched. 

Basic elements of polling

Polling is a simple aspect of survey software. It normally involves the same elements which make up what a poll is. Generally, polls include:

• Questions in multiple-choice format
• Answers in multiple-choice format with a simple selection bubble
• Pop-up features like chatbots
• Email/text option for communicating to participants
• Ability to track the results of the questions and compile them for data analysis

Polling best practices

Polling is user friendly and simple to learn through a brief training module, depending on the software product. Specifically, best practices when using polling would include:

• Write short concise questions that are easy to understand for the participant
• Create polls with no more than three to five questions to engage the participant for the research being conducted
• Make sure there are capabilities to track the data that is sourced from the polls to turn it into adequate research material
• Polls can be made as often as needed for analytics but it’s also good practice to not overload participants with polls as they might bore and overstimulate them 
• Make sure there is no way to track sensitive personal information from the participants so that it can remain anonymous and unbiased for the sake of the research study