Sigmer have helped the Community Development Finance Association (CDFA) develop and execute a complex survey to gather financial and reporting data from their network of Community Development Finance Institutions throughout the UK. This was the CDFA's first on-line survey project and Sigmer were selected as the supplier based on their collaborative approach, experience of complex feedback surveys and their sophisticated survey tools.
The Business Requirement
The financial survey, which in previous years had been carried out using spreadsheet returns, gathered complex operational financial data, and organisational information, as part of the CDFA's annual reporting process. The use of spreadsheets had created a considerable management challenge and post-survey data analysis and consolidation required much manual effort. These challenges convinced the CDFA that an on-line survey was required and that the benefits of automated survey management, an on-line questionnaire workflow, and consistent data were overwhelming.
The Sigmer Solution
Sigmer worked with the CDFA from the outset of the survey project turning the existing large and detailed financial spreadsheet return into a coherent and logically structured on-line questionnaire. This involved constructing the questionnaire to gather over 550 individual items of data. Much of the questionnaire design process involved ensuring the ease of use (usability) of the questionnaire and the simplification of the process to be followed by the respondents.
In order that CDFA could monitor the progress of the survey, Sigmer provided an on-line reporting portal that allowed the CDFA Team to view reports and download the collected data on a 24 x 7 basis. In addition, individual completed surveys were automatically e-mailed to the Team by the survey system.
The Result
The new on-line annual survey was successfully executed during the Summer and the CDFA obtained a full set of completed questionnaires. The data was downloaded for further analysis and reporting.
Yinka Opaneye, HR Generalist, Jubilee Hall Clubs:
“Sigmer was friendly and highly efficient. Rather than constantly telling me what wasn't possible, there was real collaboration."
