The wait and see fallacy

The online survey business is fine.

Okay, surveys are dying but I need them until something else comes along.

I'm too busy with surveys to develop new methods. I'll wait for someone else to develop it then I'll buy it.

No sign of a solution on the horizon. I better do something to show my clients I'm innovative.

I should have started innovating a long time ago, but now it's too late so I'll stick with surveys and BS my clients into believing I have a plan for the future.

The mistake we make is thinking we are dealing with a technology problem; we are not. At its core this is a people problem. The people in our organizations don't understand the people they want to study on the Web. Even if someone handed us online research in a box, technology requires people to operate it ... and the people who could not engage Web users with surveys will make the same mistakes with any new technology they are given.

Using the right technology is important, but putting it in the hands of people who know what to do with it is the key. Start by putting the right people in place. Find people who know how to improve the survey user experience. Those people can fix your current problems, contribute to identifying or developing solutions for the future, and form the nucleus of a Web-compatible culture.