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Watch Chloe Richardson, VP Senior Corporate Relations, explains quantitative and qualitative data
What are quantitative and qualitative data?
As the name implies, quantitative data measures quantifiable and countable things.
Qualitative data, on the other hand, measures things that aren't so easily quantified. It adds the context and nuance required for action. For example, what did you think about this activity? How would you improve the event next time?
Quantitative data is valuable when delivering the What, but qualitative data is crucial for determining the Why.
Why not rely on the quantitative figures?
There are some metrics, like the Net Promoter Score - NPS, attempts to take data that is typically qualitative and quantify it, so that it's easier to track and follow. NPS measures advocacy, like the likelihood of recommending your event to someone else. And is therefore closely linked to both satisfaction and loyalty. However, NPS alone isn't enough to tell you what's driving that sentiment, which makes it hard to act on. That's where qualitative data comes in, to provide context and insight into engagement of what you see in your quantitative data.
The most common ways to collect qualitative data are through surveys or interviews, asking your attendees or stakeholders direct open-ended questions designed to answer the Why. An example of this is: What is the reason for the rating you gave? - a question often tacked on to the end of an NPS survey.
How to gather impactful feedback
Bear in mind your business objectives, and be specific in your question design. At Explori, we cross-reference customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics to assess the health of the event's relationship with its audience. It's important to design the question to lead to a wider analysis. Only ask for information that you clearly intend to use in your analysis, keep your survey questions to a minimum, and respect your respondents' time.
Design your questions with maximum integrity by choosing your words and question types carefully, and avoid questions with leading bias.
For example, the leading question is: How strongly do you agree with the following statement? To get a fair understanding of this would ask: How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Don't be afraid to use the standard questions predefined by your survey platform. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. At Explori, we recommend a set of predefined questions based on what we've seen speak to the most important metrics with a given event goal. We've got you covered!
Consider conducting in-depth interviews to get the most valuable insight from a select set of survey respondents, attendees, or other stakeholders. A fuller account of someone's first-hand experience can reveal factors and considerations you may never have imagined.