It would be wise to remember that survey results could not be used in predicting the future because there are many deciding factors like the improvement in the economy, a competitor launching a new product, and so on.
Another important thing while planning a survey is to take sufficient time as well as effort while doing the same because useless information can hamper your efforts. More often, the information would be required all of a sudden, and so doing proper homework beforehand would ensure that you get relevant information. It is a good idea to involve the employees who would be using the survey information while planning a survey. This is because they would have better knowledge about the topic or the customers involved in the survey. They can be of great help in choosing the appropriate survey instrument, and also they can help in providing valuable details which could be used in deciding the scope of the respective survey.
Other important tips include focusing on a particular issue while preparing each question, designing questions which would help you to get data in ratios or intervals by which you can conduct statistical analysis, and so on. Also, preparing a questionnaire which contains the appropriate questions by paying due attention to font type, colour, and size would yield more results. Pre-testing the questionnaire with similar respondents is an excellent way to get a small feedback beforehand. Lastly, maintaining the confidentiality of the respondents is also quite important.
Niharika
Well-written post