why the buzz around SurveyB ?
Its all happening in Africa – especially when it comes to app development as South Africans are producing applications that rival some of the best in the world. Clare Matthes spoke to Nicolas Meyer who has developed an exciting app which he hopes will be used by vendors and customers alike. Here is Mr Meyer’s story:
Meyer identified a gap in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and Small-Medium Enterprise (SME) industries – the lack of consumer data.
The traditional manner in which to obtain data would be to create a survey. Once created that survey is sent out to a database in the hopes that great, and more importantly, usable information is returned. In the end those conducting the survey have no idea whether the people taking part actually use the product, know of the product or if there’s even a need for it. “Surveys done in this manner aren’t really always relevant or even current,” says Meyer.
The idea of linking surveys to products and points of contacts sprouted. The app allows the user to scan in the product bar code with the scanning function, that links to the survey related to that product. The users would then complete the survey, submit and get an instant FreeB or reward . This reward allows the users to earn Honey Points from each survey taken which is the platfrom’s own reward system.
“SurveyB also allows for an option of geotag surveys,” says Meyer. “You can check out what surveys are happening nearby and whether any are active.”
A coffee shop in your area might be offering up a free coffee after a survey has been completed on SurveyB. “It’s a win-win – you get a cup of coffee and the foot traffic to the shop goes up. You don’t even necessarily have to have the app running. If you’re in the area – you’ll just get the push notification.”
Meyer promises however that this app will not become overwhelming and is hugely compliant with the laws pertaining to personal information. First and foremost, when a survey is completed, an opt-in/opt-out clause has been made available for the user to choose whether they want to share their information with the vendor or not. The results of the survey will be shared with the vendor but no personal details are shared, unless the user agrees to it.
“We use Microsoft Azure in the backend of the app. All the data is encrypted and to access our database you need and API key,” says Meyer. “Your info is safe.”
“On the push notification side, those are limited to once every three days,” says Meyer. The user will not be bombarded with messages and will not see a repeat of a notification. “You will not see the same message twice.
The hope in the long-run for Meyer is to get SurveyB on every phone and that big business recognises its value.
The SurveyB is available in the App store and Google Play store
About Clare Matthes:
Clare’s father swears she was born waving spirit fingers and singing tah dah in an oh-so-dahling-showbiz-esque manner. Nicknamed “Schnauze” because of her smart mouth and quick whit, Clare enjoys putting the world in words. This sarcastic eye roller extraordinaire has a passion for all things gadget, technology and social media. She sees the humour in everything and never shies away from a good old égoportrait (selfie)
