As a business, there are a lot of reasons why you need to collect data. It not only supports information for yourself and your company but also provides solid evidence to your customers that you know what you’re talking about. It’s a way to accurately answer any questions that have been asked about a particular subject and to produce quality information by using information that has been professionally tested and proven. So, what are the best strategies for collecting data and how do you effectively go about doing it? Let’s take a look at our top five best data collection tools to help you effortlessly produce high-quality content.
What Are Data Collection Tools?
Data collection tools refer to both electronic and physical devices and instruments that assist in collecting and recording data. Data collection techniques vary depending on what type of data needs to be recorded and for what purpose but data collection software is possibly the most useful.
The purpose of collecting data is to collect quality evidence to support the information you’re putting out into the world. This assures your reader that you are providing accurate and credible answers to any questions being asked.
What Makes a Great Data Collection Tool?
When it comes to data collection software, a great data collection tool allows you to capture and analyze information from a variety of sources while addressing the complex issues that come with data collection.
Good data collection software goes above and beyond the simple storage of data. When choosing your software, look for unique, interactive features to automate your workflow – preferably without the need for a Wi-Fi signal.
Top 5 Best Data Collection Tools
There is an abundance of data collection software and tools to obtain the information that you need and keep it organized. Here is our list of the top five best data collection software tools.
1. Forms on Fire
When it comes to easy and effective ways of collecting data, there may be no better software for the job than Forms on Fire. Forms on Fire is entirely cloud-based and streamlines your workflow and data collection process.
Additional benefits of Forms on Fire include:
- Work online or offline, on a desktop, or on the downloadable app
- Easy to use drag-and-drop features
- Stunning form design
- Easily captures analytics and generates reports
- Over 750 advanced integrations that can send or receive data efficiently between systems such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Dropbox, and more
- Real-time notification
- User-defined workflows
2. GoSpotCheck
GoSpotCheck is great for businesses that depend on gathering field data. It’s one of the best data collection tools out there to collect information in real-time and make an instant analysis to complete tasks right then and there.
Additional benefits of GoSpotCheck include:
- Easy to use mobile data collection app
- Share information easily with your team with built-in content distribution
- Capture photos and provide ready analytics to your market
- Charts and graphs are automatically populated to provide the statistics you need fast
- API/Integration ready
- Keep up to date account information with field-first CRM
3. Repsly Mobile CRM
Repsly Mobile CRM is an all-in-one field management tool that is cloud-based and fits small to medium-sized businesses in a range of industries. It provides your team with everything that they need to collect data and perform optimally. Repsly makes data mining in the field easy and effortless.
Additional benefits of Repsly Mobile CRM include:
- Detailed and easy to access customer history
- Fully-customizable mobile forms
- Real-time visibility when it comes to order management
- Location, communication, and mileage tracking
- Advanced scheduling features
- Field data automatically gets turned into detailed reports
4. Fulcrum
If you’re looking for a mobile data collection tool, you can’t get much better than Fulcrum. Quickly design custom forms and conduct field data collection right on an Android or iOS app. Unfortunately, Fulcrum isn’t free but the subscription plans are definitely affordable.
Additional benefits of Fulcrum include:
- Extremely easy to use
- Requires little to no training
- Both the app and the web-based data collection versions allow you to collect real-time data in the office and on the job
- Collect and input data both online and offline
- Data can be accessed in real-time, allowing for faster decision making
- Collect signatures, and capture video, audio, photos, and barcodes
- Easily sync to the cloud
5. Zonka Feedback
Zonka Feedback is great for those whose businesses are based around customers and want to collect and analyze data in regards to customer satisfaction. This tool is specially designed for companies who want to collect and then analyze their data.
Additional benefits of Zonka Feedback include:
- Provides customizable customer satisfaction surveys and evaluation forms that are fully flexible to your brand
- Forms and surveys can be completed through desktop, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices
- Analysis happens immediately, providing interactive reports that you can use in real-time
- Choose from premade templates or customize your own
- Over 20 question types are available plus skip and question branching
- Feedback can be completed in person or through survey kiosks
- Multi-lingual forms
- Feedback can be captured without Wi-Fi
Data collection tools are incredibly helpful when it comes to keeping valuable information organized. These software tools not only automatically collect data for you, but can also create helpful graphs, charts, and figures that are populated in real-time. Whether your business is large or small, there’s a data collection tool to provide you with exactly what you’re looking for. Remember, recording data supports the information you are supplying to your customers with real-life backup. Making sure you record this data is essential.
