Results Of The GDPR Readiness Survey

With 25 May and the General Data Protection Regulation getting ever-closer, we conducted a GDPR readiness survey to find out from our users if they were aware of some of the tools available from SmartSurvey to help them comply with the new data laws.

We carried out a short survey to gather feedback on some of the most important aspects about what GDPR will mean for different organisations, and the results are in!

We asked five questions about some of the most frequently discussed topics and the results below give an indication of what areas are of most concern. To help you on your compliance journey, we’ve created some free customisable GDPR Templates that SmartSurvey users can request for free.

Results of the GDPR readiness survey

Question 1: Will GDPR cause a major change to how your organisation collects and uses data?

61% of respondents felt that Yes, GDPR would cause major changes. However, don’t worry! There is lots of help that can be easily accessed online, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have drafted a comprehensive guide to the General Data Protection Regulation.

Question 2: Did you know that you can record and manage consent with online forms?

32% of respondents did not know that you can manage requests for consent with online forms. If used correctly, forms are an efficient method to collect explicit consent from individuals that you want to engage with. To help, we have created a GDPR consent guide that will show you how to use our piping and email tools to easily collect marketing consent from your users.

Question 3: Have you checked that your suppliers comply with GDPR?

54% of you are well prepared and have checked your suppliers are compliant. To help you facilitate this requirement, we have compiled an editable Supplier Compliance Form that you can adapt to suit your requirements. Read on to the end of this blog for instruction on how to request the free template.

Question 4: Has your organisation provided GDPR training to relevant staff?

42% of organisations that responded to the GDPR readiness survey still needed to assess how prepared their employees are for GDPR. SmartSurvey has designed an Employee Awareness Test that will take staff through a series of questions to ascertain where training is needed. The survey will automatically calculate each person’s total score and display the result at the end.

Question 5: Are there any areas relating to data collection and GDPR where you feel SmartSurvey could help?

We asked for your feedback via an open-ended question, here are the most frequently asked queries:

• How do I ensure that the surveys I send are GDPR compliant?

When creating a new survey, the first thing to consider is making it GDPR compliant. With one simple question at the start of the survey, you can ensure your respondents opt-in to completing your survey. Follow our step-by-step guide on creating GDPR compliant surveys.

• Does SmartSurvey offer the ability to record and store specific consent for different uses of data?

SmartSurvey, when used with piping and the email tool, can be used to quickly and easily collect improved marketing consent from your users. This guide on using SmartSurvey to collect GDPR consent will show you how to ask for specific consent.

• Can I inform survey participants how the data collected is used?

You can easily inform your survey participants about how you will use the data that you collect. When you start creating your survey, you can add your own specific wording in the question text box that will make it clear to your respondents how you plan to use the data. For example, you may wish to add something along the lines of this example;

‘The data collected in this survey will be used to improve the products and services offered to customers’

• Can I include standard text boxes that explain how to opt-in or opt-out?

Yes, it is easy to set up questions that will allow respondents to consent to a variety of further communications, simply follow the guide on collecting GDPR consent mentioned above. This will also allow you to set up questions to allow respondents to opt-out of receiving communications, such as promotional material or offers. If you have standard wording that you foresee using across several surveys or forms, you can add it to the Question library to save time in future.

• Can health and sports organisations record medical data?

SmartSurvey can be used to collect any type of sensitive or personal data and provides the reassurance that it is stored securely in the UK and is GDPR compliant. Read the NHS Solihull Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) case study that shows how they simplified their data collection system and reassured their governing body that the data was safeguarded and would not leave the UK.

• What security details about data bases and servers does SmartSurvey provide?

Security is our most important feature and we take it very seriously. Article 28 of the new legislation specifically says that you should only use a data processor that complies with GDPR, otherwise you are held responsible. Read our blog on 8 ways SmartSurvey can help you be GDPR compliant.

Many thanks to everybody who took part in our GDPR readiness survey, from the feedback we have identified the areas where we can offer support and tools to help you become GDPR compliant.

25 May will signify the start of the compliance journey and we will continue to feedback on any issues that arise. If you would like to opt-in to receiving emails from us containing tips, advice, offers, and product updates, then sign up for a Free Account and check the opt-in box. If you already have a SmartSurvey account, check your inbox for the email we sent recently giving you the option to continue to receive our emails, contact us if you would like us to resend the opt-in email to you.