Frequently Asked Questions

General
Survey Templates
Reporting
Payment

General:

Why should I add SiteSurvey to my site?
There are 3 compelling reasons you should immediately put SiteSurvey on your site:

1. You get real time, valid user feedback, designed to let you monitor and improve your Web site.
2. It's easy to deploy and easy to use.
3. It's very low cost. In fact, SiteSurvey Basic is FREE to try!

Who is Alertus?
Alertus is an Application Service Provider (ASP) with off-site hosting of our proprietary application, Alertus SiteSurvey. Since we're an ASP, SiteSurvey can be up and running on your site in a matter of minutes. There is no need for software installation, and because SiteSurvey is Web-based, our real time reporting can be accessed from virtually anywhere.

Why is SiteSurvey more effective than other online survey tools and products?
It’s simple! The advantage to SiteSurvey lies in its simplicity and low burden execution. Because the surveys are so short (one page), response rates are much higher than multiple page surveys. Because SiteSurvey aggregates the data of multiple survey templates, you not only gather data quickly but also get a comprehensive view of your websites usability. With SiteSurvey Gold you are able to segment your data by user demographics and, with our Platinum package, trend your data against industry peers.

Survey Templates:

What is a survey template?
A survey template is an individual survey with questions related to a particular theme. For example, the Alertus design survey template asks three site design questions. A series of survey templates may be deployed to get a overall picture of your site’s performance.

Can I change the frequency that survey templates appear to my site’s visitors?
Yes, to change the frequency of the survey templates, log into your account administration center.

Can I add a survey to any page other than the home page?
Yes you can. However, if you plan to use our industry benchmarking service (available to Platinum members) your data will not be “apples to apples” with other companies in your industry because it was collected from an interior page of your Web site.

Can I change my custom or library question?
Yes, you can edit your question at any time in the administrative section. Your changes will be dynamically updated on your surveys in real-time.

How does Alertus determine how frequently surveys are presented to visitors?
Alertus determines the frequency during the sign up process using an algorithm based on your site’s estimated traffic, the number of survey templates you choose and how quickly you want to gather valid data. You may adjust this frequency in the admin section.

When does Alertus present surveys to visitors?
Alertus presents surveys after visitors leave the page you added our survey code to.

When don’t you serve surveys after visitors leave the site?
Through extensive user feedback we have determined that response rates are higher when surveys are presented after leaving the home page rather than upon exit. When visitors leave your site they are already finished with the purpose they came there for and less likely to participate in a survey. To ensure that participants are not interrupted from their main purpose of visiting your site we allow them to take the survey at a later time.

Do the visitors to my site continue to see the same survey questions (template) each time they visit?
No, we rotate survey templates randomly, so visitors to your site will see a different set of questions. Once they have seen the full series of survey templates, we will repeat the order of deployment. When your visitors answer a particular survey, they will not see a survey for a minimum of 30 days. If they do not respond to a survey, they will not be presented with another for a minimum of 15 days. Of course, they can always opt out from getting any future survey questions.

What percentage of my visitors will take the survey?
The percentage will vary from Web site to Web site, but typically range between 2 and 15%.

Can survey respondents elect to take the survey later if they are busy?
Yes, all survey templates allow respondents to take surveys later (1 or 5 minutes).

Do survey respondents get transferred to another Web site?
No, the survey template is a separate browser window and your site visitors can continue using your site immediately after taking the survey.

My site does not receive many hits. Does it still make sense to add SiteSurvey to it?
Absolutely, although it may take longer to get a valid sample of respondents. In this case, we suggest that you limit the amount of survey templates you deploy to one or two. This will help you gather a valid sample quicker.

What is a valid sample?
It is commonly believed that a sample size of 100 to 300 per element (or data point) constitutes a valid sample size. We believe you may still be able to gather valuable insights with much smaller sample sizes.

Reporting:

What kind of reporting will I get with the SiteSurvey Basic Plan?
With SiteSurvey Basic you will get an aggregate score for each survey template: Content, Design and Usability, and the ability to trend that data over time.

What are the benefits of SiteSurvey Gold?
SiteSurvey Gold has several benefits that will greatly increase your ability to assess your Web site usability.

• You can trend your data over time to see how changes to your site have improved or detracted from the usability.
• You can drill down to the specific causes of your site’s usability ratings to learn what changes to your website will provide the best bang for the buck.
• You can export your data so you have the ability to analyze it any way you like.
• You can sort your data by the demographic information your site’s respondents have provided.

How long do you keep my data?
Alertus will store your data for one year on a rolling basis. With SiteSurvey Gold and Platinum you can download your data and store it for as long as you like.

What is a CDU report?
CDU stands for Content, Design and Usability. Alertus provides a CDU score by taking the average of each of these individual indexes. In order to obtain a CDU score, you must deploy all three survey templates (Content, Design and Usability).

What is an ASI index report?
ASI stands for Alertus Satisfaction Index. Alertus provides the ASI score by taking the average of the Loyalty, Advocacy, and Satisfaction scores. This score is an effective way to gauge how satisfied customers are with the shopping experience of e-commerce websites.

What happens to my current data when I upgrade to SiteSurvey Gold?
With SiteSurvey Basic, although you do not have all of the reporting capabilities of SiteSurvey Gold, you do collect the same information. When you upgrade all of the historical information that you collected will be available to you.

Payment:

How does the subscription plan work?
Alertus SiteSurvey Basic, Gold and Platinum are subscription based plans, which means we bill your credit card on a monthly basis as long as your account is active.

What happens if I open an account in the middle of the month?
Subscription plans are billed monthly, in advance, on or around the day of the month you subscribed. For example, if you subscribed on February 25’th your billing cycle is the 25 of each month through the 24’th of March. You will continue to be billed on the first day of your monthly billing cycle until you cancel your subscription.

What is your cancellation policy?
SiteSurvey Basic, Gold and Platinum accounts are billed each month, in advance, typically on or around the first day of your billing period (the day of the month you subscribed). You may cancel your SiteSurvey account at any time, HOWEVER, if you cancel at any time during the month, you are still responsible for a full month's payment (so, if your billing period is May 15-June 14 and you've paid for that period and you decide to cancel your account on June 1, you will not receive a refund for the balance of the month of June). If you do want to cancel a month-to-month account, without incurring additional charges, you must do so by 5pm, PST, on the last weekday of your billing period. You will not receive a refund for the current billing period, but you will not be charged for the next billing cycle. You can notify us at anytime during the month and we can set your account to cancel automatically on the last day of the month.

When and how often do you bill my credit card?
Subscription plans are billed monthly, in advance, on or around the day of the month you subscribed. For example, if you subscribed on February 25’th your billing cycle is the 25 of each month through the 24’th of March. You will continue to be billed on the first day of your monthly billing cycle until you cancel your subscription.