We all love data, but more isn't always better -- especially with PII. Reflect on the data you're collecting, where you're storing it, and how (if!) you're actually using it with this year-end clear-up review.

1. Year-End Clear-Up: Data Collection
Edition
“That’s the only thing you can do with a mess.
Start cleaning it up, a little at a time.”
- Lisa Wingate

2. If you’re not using data, why bother collecting it in
the first place?

3. Data Is the Best

4. • From improving customer experience
to enhancing employee engagement,
we all know that data is important.
• But data can do none of these things
if it spends its life in the data
junkyard.

5. As you wrap up the year, ask yourself a
few key questions about your data
collection practices...

6. • Who have you collected data from this
year?
• What percentage of that data actually
turned out to be useful?
• What percentage of that useful data was
actually used?
• Where did all of that data end up?

7. Keep Your Data Safe

8. • Where’s all that data? Is it in a
secure location?
• Spreadsheets stored in a Downloads
folder or on your desktop are easily
accessible, sure. Secure? Not so
much.

9. • A better solution:
• Store data is in a secure platform.
• Access data from a secure
location in the cloud.

10. • If you’re not sure where your data
ended up, start your clear-up with a
thorough search.

11. Review Your Data
Collection

12. Think about surveys (surprise!) and
consider two types of collected data:
Pre-populated demographic data and
actual participant responses.

13. • Pre-populationcan fill and hide
answers that you already know about
your participants, including:
• Contact information
• Gender
• Income
• Race
• Age
• Education
• … and more extremely sensitive
personal information

14. • Maybe you originally thought you’d
use items like gender and age to
segment your results.
• Maybe you actually did use all of
those items; maybe you didn’t.

15. • If not, what can you skip next time?
• If you’re not going to use the answer,
don’t ask the question.

16. • Further, including more PII with your
responses makes data security more
important.
• Who are you sharing those extra
details with and how are you sharing
them?

17. • Take this opportunity to strip down
your participant details to the bare
must-have minimum.
• Avoid potential risks by reducing the
amount of sensitive information
you’re including.

18. • Next, consider the actual participant
responses — they questions they saw
and answered.

19. • Did you consider responses to all of
those questions in your analysis and
decision-making?
• Which questions were most useful —
and which question types?

20. • Remember to keep questions to a
“need-to-know” basis and only ask
those questions that you will
actually use the answer to.

21. With your data cleaned up and your collection plan
streamlined, you’re on track for a new year of data
that’s more secure, more meaningful, and more
actionable.

22. Want more?
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https://www.sogosurvey.com/blog/year-
end-clear-up-data-collection-edition/

23. Email:
Reach us on:
support1@sogosurvey.com
+1 (800) 646-0520

24. Thank You!
www.sogosurvey.com