Seeing a single result is useful, but it rarely tells the whole story. If you collect feedback more than once, you usually want to know what changed over time. Time series (wave) reporting helps you follow trends, run before/after comparisons, and compare results across periods in a consistent way.
Time series (wave) reporting
Time series (wave) reporting is built around a period variable. In Survey Automator, a period variable is an automatic variable that allocates responses into time periods.
Those time slices can match how you run your measurement, for example Wave, Quarter, Month, or Week. What matters is that each response is consistently allocated to the right period.
In reporting, period variables are typically used as a breakdown or a filter variable. Once the period variable is selected, comparisons over time are straightforward.
● Choose the period variable
● Choose whether to use it as a filter and/or breakdown
● The report updates to show results by period, so you can compare periods (for example Wave 1 vs Wave 2)
Good use cases
● Tracking a KPI over time (waves, months, quarters)
● Checking before/after changes after an initiative
● Running an ongoing pulse survey and following movement period by period
● Evaluating campaigns by comparing results across campaign periods
How to use it
1. Find the Periods section in the report’s variable list and select the periodicity you want to use (for example Year, Quarter, Month, Week, or Day). The variable is created automatically and gets a Q-ID when selected.
2. Use the period variable as a breakdown and/or filter variable to show results by period and enable comparisons over time.
3. Edit the period variable settings to match your setup, like timezone, date range, period length, and which timestamps the periods are based on.
With time series (wave) reporting, you follow trends and compare periods inside one platform.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact us at Research Automators, and we’ll help you automate your business with modern technology.