open-ended questions that respondents can answer at length .
According to Ducker , “ the openended questions really get to the heart of why the Snapshot Survey was created : to help spas share ideas .” These open-ended questions have featured numerous topics over the years , but workforce-centric questions continue to generate the most interest from ISPA members . With more than 35,000 open positions in the industry , it ’ s clear that recruitment and retention of talent continues to be a hot topic .
Of course , this is almost the exact opposite situation that ISPA members found themselves in nearly 10 years ago , when 16 percent of Snapshot Survey respondents said they had laid off employees and an additional 29 percent had instituted a hiring freeze ( January 2009 Snapshot Survey ). In January of
2018 , just four percent of spas had recently instituted a hiring freeze and no respondents had laid off employees .
ISPA ’ s Snapshot Surveys are also completely confidential . “ It was extremely important both to us and our members that Snapshot Survey responses be anonymous ,” commented Ducker . To that end , every survey link sent out is unique and designed to protect the privacy of the respondent . Any media lead questions at the end of the survey are kept isolated from a participants ’ survey response .
Part of what made — and continues to make — the ISPA Snapshot Survey so unique is its quick turnaround . “ The entire goal was to get data to ISPA members as quickly as possible ,” noted Ducker . This makes Snapshot Surveys fundamentally different from the annual U . S . Spa Industry Survey , which is an exhaustive dive into thousands of data points and takes many months to analyze . Snapshot Surveys feature smaller sample sizes , allowing members to get a quick look — a snapshot — of what is happening in the industry at a macro level .
Over the past ten years , the Snapshot Survey has come a long way : it ’ s become bigger , more valuable and more insightful . We ’ re honored to have even picked up a few copycats , too . Yet , the ISPA Snapshot Survey ’ s signature mix of insightful data , creative open-ended responses and timely delivery has made it the industry ’ s most useful tool for getting up-to-the-minute insights on everything from marketing and environmentalism to human resources and menu design .
Here ’ s to another ten years of datadriven excellence . n
Behind the Scenes of the Snapshot Survey
Snapshot Surveys may seem simple , but they ’ re the product of a never-ending loop of creation , analysis and outreach . Here ’ s how a Snapshot
Survey goes from an idea to a data report in your inbox .
1 . TOPIC IDEAS : The ISPA Volunteer Committee offers suggestions for the Snapshot Surveys ’ monthly topics , which are set at the beginning of each year .
2 . QUESTION CREATION : ISPA Staff adapts questions from previous years and incorporates ideas from the ISPA Volunteer Committee to shape a Snapshot Survey ’ s questions
3 . PROGRAMMING : The digital survey is programmed , with a particular emphasis on ensuring that all data is completely anonymous and protected . ISPA never knows who submits which responses .
4 . SURVEY SENT : The Snapshot Survey is sent out on the third Friday of every month , excepting holidays , and is closed exactly one week later .
5 . DATA DIVE : The Monday after the survey closes , the data is analyzed and summarized .
6 . DESIGN : ISPA Snapshot Survey reports prove that data can be beautiful . Our final reports are fully designed just two days later .
7 . TIME TO SHARE : The final report is sent out to Snapshot Survey responds that Friday , just two weeks after the initial survey link was sent out .
36 PULSE ■ October 2018