Managing survey quotas

Quotas are controls that limit how many respondents in particular groups are allowed to take a survey. The IntelliSurvey platform provides sophisticated tools to create and monitor quotas, as well as alter quota targets at any time during fielding. Additionally, quota management access can be granted to a user for a specific survey with explicit rights and limitations to uphold high standards of data privacy.

This section provides an overview of the Quota Manager applet and shares helpful links to learn more about setting and managing quotas, as well as creating quotas with IntelliSurvey's SPL (Survey Programming Language) or IntelliBuilder.

Overview of Quota Manager

The Quota Manager can be found in the Field Management button group in the survey Navigation menu. Once opened, the user will see various controls in the top pane and quota tiles in the center which represent the quotas programmed for the particular study.

There is a blue menu bar across the top, which includes the Actions menu. Quotas can be exported, uploaded, and scheduled for email sends. Additionally, the user can toggle between Compact (default) or Full viewing options, or view activity Logs to review actions taken in this applet. Quota tiles can also be updated by clicking on the Refresh button.

At the top of the Quotas Manager applet, there is a slider labeled Progress Factor. The Progress Factor feature allows survey Managers to adjust the calculated number of "In Progress" records upwards or downwards.

Finally, the Quota Manager includes filters for viewing and searching. Users may keyword search for specific quotas via the Filter field, or apply filters based on survey chapter names to search for quotas.

Next steps for Project Managers

The IntelliSurvey interface allows users to review and set caps for quotas in multiple ways. The article on Reviewing and setting quotas covers how to review quotas with Quota tiles on the HOME page, Survey Dashboard, and Quota Manager applet, and how to set quotas in source code or the Quota Manager applet.

Quotas are normally set by counts (the total number of accepted respondents) as shown in the image above. IntelliSurvey also allows setting quotas by percentage and variance instead of setting an absolute number allowed. To learn how to define a quota by percentage and variance, read this article on Setting quotas by percentage and variance.

The Quota Manager applet not only allows users to set and review quota information, but also allows them to export and import quota information. To learn how to export, upload, and schedule emails of quota results through the Actions menu, read Exporting, uploading, and scheduling quota reports.

Next steps for Survey Programmers

For Survey Programmers (SPs) working with quotas, there are a few other topics you may wish to learn more about. First, if you are programming in IntelliBuilder, read more about creating quotas here. However, if you are/plan to be an advanced programmer and program directly in the source code using IntelliSurvey SPL, start learning the basics for creating quotas by reading Quota creation and Quota tags.

Although most quotas are based on completed respondents, a click balance quota (a.k.a., CBQ) is a quota that is based on all incoming traffic, instead of only completes like a typical quota. To learn more about programming this quota type, read Click balance quotas.

Finally, sometimes quotas require that they are constructed from responses to multiple questions instead of just one. This can be achieved by creating a crosslist quota, a quota that is defined by combining the options from two or more lists or questions. Learn how to program and set quotas of this type here.

In conclusion

While quotas are very powerful and reasonably easy to use with the Quota Manager, there are certain aspects of quotas that must be understood and aligned with all parties involved. Clients may express their needs with different terminology or may not know how to describe the technical aspects of setting up quotas to meet their needs. Let's be honest, sometimes the need is simply unclear and that is part of the investigation being done. For that reason, SPs and Project Consultants (PCs) should have a fluid conversation about the overall project strategy and the quotas needed to meet the client's goals. When possible, ensure the quotas are in place before launching the survey. Any issues or complications should be discussed early in the process to ensure smooth fielding, as misunderstandings can often be costly both in terms of time and money for everyone involved.