New Survey from the USTA

I got an e-mail this morning with a survey from the USTA and thought I'd post a few observations.

First, the e-mail says it is just a four question survey, but they commissioned a third-party research firm to conduct it.  Seems a bit overkill to use an external firm for such a short survey, but I guess the USTA doesn't have folks on staff to do it in-house.

Second, it positions the survey as providing "critical information to help the USTA understand what we're doing well and how we can improve".  Sounds very interesting, they can accomplish this in four questions?  Let's get on to the survey itself.

In the survey itself, there is boilerplate legalese that seems overkill given the nature of the questions (see below), but after that it quickly gets into the questions.

The first being why you are a member, the options being you are individually a member or parent of a child.

Next it asks my current engagement, including the type of player/parent/instructor I may be.

Next as the third question, it asks what section I play in most often.

Then, after three questions, it tells me the questions are starting?  I guess the first three were classification questions, but still it was billed as a four question survey.

The actual questions are:

• How satisfied are you with the USTA
• How likely is it that you'd recommend a friend
• How do you feel about tennis

After that, just three questions, or is it six, it says it is going to ask a few questions for classification purposes that include gender, age, working status, education, marital status, income, ethnicity, and whether there are children at home.  But the first three sorta felt like classification questions too.

This survey feels no different than earlier surveys the past few years, the questions may even be identical and frankly it is a little underwhelming if this is the "critical information" they need to see how they can improve.

The three (not four), or was it six (?), actual questions just indicate satisfaction (or not) and I'm not sure how it helps tell the USTA "how we can improve", but only tells them how they are doing.  Perhaps the research firm can somehow derive the how to improve from these three simple questions.  I hope so!

Did you get the survey?  What did you think?