Ever wished you were the one to design products? Would you do things differently? Perhaps you'd tweak your favorite cookie with an extra ingredient or change the fragrance of your shampoo? If you want to be able to weigh in on a new product or service or even an old one and have your voice be heard by the "powers that be," there are ways to make it happen. An opinion survey is a great place to start.

Many companies offering all kinds of goods and services conduct opinion surveys to find out what customers and clients think of products, services and potential product ideas. A well-conducted opinion survey can really help a company make major decisions. And, it's a great way for a person to have their voice heard and their opinion count.

There are many ways opinion surveys are delivered into customer and/or client hands. Let's take a look at some of those ways:

Online opinion survey

This is fast becoming the method of choice for companies that handle everything from creating skin-care products to automotive repairs. An online survey is a quick way to glean information from customers on a mailing list or on a special sign up list, and it's great for customers, too. The benefits of this kind of opinion survey for both companies and consumers include the ease involved in filling out a form and the speed in which the answers can be delivered.

Telephone surveys

Many companies still conduct their opinion surveys over the phone. With a national do not call list in place and lots of hang ups to handle, however, this method is being slowly phased out. A telephone survey is favored by some for a few reasons, though. The fact is if a caller accepts the invitation to do a survey, the answers are instant, there are no issues with reading forms and tallies can be made right away. Plus, there's an ability to solicit more in-depth answers during a direct conversation.

Mailed surveys

Some companies send out opinion survey forms to customers or would-be customers via the postal service. This can be a very effective method for both the company and the customer, but it does take a lot more time to complete since mailing will be involved and then manual tallying of the results.

Whether they come in the mail, over the Internet or telephone, an opinion survey that's answered honestly by customers and clients can give a company very good information about how they're doing and what they could or should do better. For these reasons and many others, opinion surveys are considered very valuable in the field of market research. The more people get involved, the more likely changes or positive results will take place as a result of the surveys.

For the consumer, an opinion survey can be a great way to make a voice count. When companies request information, they truly want to hear honest answers. If you don't like something, want to see a product improved or don't want to see any changes made at all, an opinion survey is a great way to make sure your voice is heard.