To do this, they need to gather information through surveys and interviews. This data allows them to make better decisions about the best time to launch a product, optimize certain services, design a good marketing campaign or improve certain areas of the company.
In this context, the survey agent is an essential figure that is increasingly in demand , both in companies dedicated to market research and opinion studies and in fantuan database organizations that have their own Marketing department.
Survey Agent: What is it and what are its functions?
The survey agent is a professional who carries out field work in charge of collecting the information that companies and organizations need . The main function of the surveyor is to conduct interviews or apply questionnaires to the population to find out their opinion and level of satisfaction or to detect trends on different topics, from commercial and social to cultural or political.
In addition to recording information, a surveyor's other duties include locating the people who need to answer the questions and arranging a time and place for the meeting. He or she must also deliver the information in the required format, so he or she will likely have to do minimal data processing.
The essential skills to be a survey agent
The survey agent is usually in direct contact with people, so he or she must have a series of skills and qualities that help him or her to do his or her job better:
Be a good communicator. Possessing good communication skills, such as being able to break the ice and put people at ease, will help the interviewer maintain open communication with respondents. Having “people skills” will help the session flow smoothly.
Be patient and kind. A survey agent must be able to deal with difficult situations that may arise in his field work. Therefore, he must be patient and kind with respondents, giving them the time they need to respond and displaying a polite attitude that breaks down any communication barriers.
Be methodical and organized. Survey agents work with a large amount of data, so in order to process it properly, it is essential that they adhere to the procedure and be able to collect information systematically and clearly.
Be objective and impartial. One of the duties of the interviewer is to collect reliable information, so he or she must be able to remain neutral when interacting with respondents. He or she must maintain an objective and impartial attitude, avoiding comments or gestures that “contaminate” the respondents’ answers and could invalidate the study.
What do you have to study to be a survey agent?
The survey agent usually works under the supervision of a supervisor , who is responsible for resolving any queries and ensuring that the data collection is being carried out correctly. Therefore, survey agents are usually only required to have completed secondary school, high school or equivalent studies, although mastery of a foreign language is often also required.
Of course, knowing the sector the survey is about or having marketing knowledge is a plus , both at the time of hiring and when carrying out the field work. Therefore, if you are interested in becoming a survey agent, you can take our Higher Technician in Marketing and Advertising course .
You can work as a survey agent for the Treasury or the INE, for banks such as BBVA or Bankia or for large companies such as KFC or Netflix. In addition, you can work as a market and public opinion research technician, data encoder or become a survey supervisor.
