Using Inc-Query for the First Time: One User’s Experience

Due diligence research projects are demanding, complex, and fast-paced – hardly the time you want to test out a new tool or technique. However, many professionals have switched from other survey platforms to Inc-Query with little disruption, discovering a more useful and effective way to design and program surveys. 

We recently asked a first-time user what he thought of the Inc-Query platform. As someone who is very familiar with the demands of working in professional services, and who has used other survey platforms in the past, he was curious to discover what set Inc-Query apart. 

What Was Your Previous Experience With Survey Platforms? 

I first used Qualtrics in a graduate course in marketing survey methodologies while pursuing my MBA. That was a good introduction to the platform because I was learning how to structure surveys and phrase questions at the same time – and it taught me all about conducting a survey on a tight deadline!  

I have also used SurveyMonkey for a nonprofit I’m involved with. It’s quite easy to use but doesn’t have a lot of the powerful logic features that you find with Inc-Query and Qualtrics. This really limited my ability to ask different audiences the right questions, which in turn made it much more difficult to draw conclusions from data post-fielding. 

What Surprised You the Most About Inc-Query? 

The collaboration! I had heard a lot about Inc-Query’s collaboration features, but seeing them in person blew me away. Your team creates the survey directly on the platform, and the two survey directors assigned to my project did the programming in real-time. 

The survey directors knew the best practices inside and out – they provided valuable feedback on how to structure and order the survey, and how to best word the questions. It’s clear they have a lot of experience working on surveys. The survey I was writing was a mock competitor insights analysis, so NPS (net promoter score) and KPC (key purchasing criteria) were critical questions to get right. The survey directors helped me optimize these questions to ensure accurate results.  

How Did Inc-Query Change Your Workflow? 

Putting together a survey in Inc-Query was efficient. All the surveys I’ve done in the past began as Word documents. You have to share the documents with different team members, which takes time. Then you have to incorporate everyone’s changes – and sometimes the changes are contradictory, so you must reach out for clarifications.  

I didn’t use a single Word document to put together my first Inc-Query survey. I just started entering questions. Everyone on my team had access to the survey and could make changes on the fly. For example, one of my early questions was to gauge awareness of competitors – one of those standard “which of these companies have you heard of” type of questions. Other people were able to flesh out the list. There was no need to send emails back and forth. There were a lot of instances like that. It just saves so much time! 

One more thing: When we did need to export the survey to show it to someone outside our immediate team, it took one click to get a perfectly formatted Word document. That feature is there if you need it. 

How Would You Describe the Support? 

Well, I’ve already said how valuable the survey directors are. They are always there when you need them. The platform also has an incredibly good help feature. The Knowledge Base has a lot of valuable information about survey design best practices and information on how to use the platform. The five-minute intro video was helpful. 

Any Last Thoughts? 

I keep calling Inc-Query a platform, but it’s more than that. It’s not just a survey design and programming tool that speeds up development, but it’s also access to top survey directors who provide vital experience and guidance.