The benefits of conducting surveys via SMS are many. It is easy and fast to send out. It is easy for the respondent to answer and it is easy to compile results. With iP.1, you get the advantage of not being locked into a standard solution but can get a tailored solution based on need. This was one of the reasons why the Police and the University of Skövde chose iP.1 as a supplier of SMS surveys in the research project www.his.se/elisa.

How do you get about 400 police officers to answer a survey a couple of times a year that should form the basis for assessing, among other things, the work situation?

Joeri van Laere, Associate Professor of Information Technology at the University of Skövde, with many years of experience in crisis management, was involved in the work on designing the work on a scientific basis as a project manager. The task included the whole chain from collecting information, compiling results to the analysis work.

  • Part of the work when we came to the actual surveys was how they would look like and how the surveys should be distributed to get a high response rate. Especially since it was a recurring survey that would be conducted a couple of times a year, says Joeri. It was a matter of streamlining and improving the surveys in order to achieve the goal.

Here, iP.1 was connected, which Joeri has previously been in contact with, in connection with SMS surveys being used in a project. It was about finding out what was essential and not essential to maximize the effect of using SMS surveys.

  • In that part, iP.1's CEO Leif Alvarsson participated with his expertise. For example, it is not possible to ask 25 questions, the focus should be on boiling down to five, a maximum of eight questions. In addition, the questions should be formulated simply and straightforwardly, says Joeri.

  • We experienced iP.1 as flexible and interested in developing with us, also how the outcome would be reported in order to be able to be analyzed in a smooth way. In this case, it is about recurring questions to also be able to compare over time. I feel that our input has helped develop and strengthen the tool.

  • This is how we work, says Leif Alvarsson, CEO of iP.1. If we do not have a solution directly to the customer's needs, we will work out a solution. It is part of working side by side with the customer to develop a customized solution.

A completely new feature that has been added to iP.1's tool for SMS surveys is a connection to maps. Joeri van Laere says that this has its origins in crime prevention work where the research project also collaborates with the company www.embrace-safety.se. By being able to link security surveys and reporting of geographical data in an SMS survey, hotspots can, for example, be identified where security-creating measures are implemented.

  • Yes, the fact that we can now offer a map function linked to our SMS tool gives our customers new opportunities to make surveys that also include geographical data, says Leif Alvarsson. This is another example of our customer adaptation, which can now benefit more people and which we hope will make even more people realize the strength of conducting surveys via SMS.