Audience research
Choosing a social media training survey tool: Microsoft Forms, Jisc Online Surveys or SmartSurvey, with a five-step acceptance test
How to choose between Microsoft Forms, Jisc Online Surveys Single User and SmartSurvey Advanced for social media training research: what each includes, selection factors, how to cost each edition and a five-step acceptance test.
Three social media training survey tools cover most England training research projects: Microsoft Forms inside Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Jisc Online Surveys Single User and SmartSurvey Advanced. The grid below sets out what each named edition includes, the selection factors that separate them, and a five-step acceptance test to run before fieldwork.
What to take away
- Choose Microsoft Forms when your organisation already pays for Microsoft 365 Business Basic and the survey is short and internal. You buy no extra licence.
- Choose Jisc Online Surveys Single User for a funded training project that needs one large survey and an accessibility position you can cite.
- Choose SmartSurvey Advanced when data location and current-platform accessibility evidence must be shown to a client or funder.
- Run the acceptance test below before fieldwork. Treat any blocking unknown as a reason to keep a manual route open alongside the survey.
What each named edition includes
First-party plan, storage and accessibility pages were checked ahead of writing. The comparison unit is one named researcher running one prospective-learner survey for a social media training course across a 12-month evidence period.
| Edition | Stated inclusion | Data and accessibility record | Unknown before purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Forms in Microsoft 365 Business Basic (UK plan) | Forms included; exact survey limits sit in the licensed service record | European tenant data described as stored in Europe; screen-reader instructions published | Tenant configuration, controller terms, retention, transfer detail |
| Jisc Online Surveys Single User | One user, unlimited surveys, up to 20,000 responses per survey | Data in AWS Ireland; application described as partially WCAG 2.2 AA compliant | Contract fit, current defects, subprocessor impact |
| SmartSurvey Advanced (annual) | One user, 30,000 responses per year | Supplier states UK or EU servers; current-platform accessibility evidence | Hosting route, controller terms, retention, theme performance |
Supplier statements are attributed here, not independently verified. None of those pages proves that a particular tenant, questionnaire or export will meet a project's requirements.
Choosing between the three for a social media training survey
Choose by situation rather than by overall merit.
Choosing between the three
Reasonable default
- Existing Microsoft 365 Business Basic tenant, short questionnaire, a few hundred responses
- Microsoft Forms
- Funded adult-skills provider needing one large survey and a citable accessibility statement
- Jisc Online Surveys Single User
- Commercial provider that must show clients where data sits
- SmartSurvey Advanced
Evidence behind it
- Existing Microsoft 365 Business Basic tenant, short questionnaire, a few hundred responses
- No new contract and no added per-user cost
- Funded adult-skills provider needing one large survey and a citable accessibility statement
- 20,000 responses per survey, limits stated openly
- Commercial provider that must show clients where data sits
- 30,000 responses per year, stated UK or EU servers
The tie-breaker is how much risk you can close in writing before fieldwork. Fix your learner groups first, because the social media training audience research guide for England explains how merged groups distort a set of survey results.
What each supplier publishes, and what stays unproven
Microsoft's Forms service description lists Business Basic as a supported plan, and its account record explains where European-based tenant data sits.
Jisc's subscription page sets the Single User allowance. Its security record covers Irish hosting, encryption and backups, and its accessibility statement reports partial compliance with survey content placed with the customer.
For retention and deletion wording, hold every supplier against the ICO guide to UK GDPR, and use the learner data protection checks to settle roles and purposes.
How to cost each edition
This article does not quote prices, because they depend on the term, the VAT basis and the quote issued at the time. Get a written quote for the exact named edition, then compute one comparable annual figure.
- Microsoft Forms:the extra licence cost is nil if you already pay for Microsoft 365 Business Basic. If you do not, the cost is the per-user Business Basic price for the users who need it, and that price covers far more than surveys. Forms limits are set in the licensed service record, so check them for your tenant.
- Jisc Online Surveys Single User:ask Jisc for the annual subscription price, and whether your organisation is eligible and on what terms.
- SmartSurvey Advanced (annual):ask SmartSurvey for the annual price and the VAT basis.
Add the same three lines to each: licence for the 12-month evidence period, VAT if you cannot reclaim it, and the hours of staff time for set-up and the acceptance test. Divide the total by the number of responses you expect to see the cost per response.
Licence basis and procurement terms
Licensing differs by edition: Microsoft Forms comes with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, while Jisc and SmartSurvey license their editions directly. Check the term length and VAT basis on each supplier's own terms before you commit.
Set your budget units out first with the social media training budget template for England, which keeps each unit and its VAT treatment visible.
The acceptance test, with pass thresholds
The acceptance test
- Copy the live question types into a synthetic questionnaire, then submit one complete and one partial response.
- Export both to CSV and XLSX. Pass means every field lands in the expected column, long answers are not truncated, and both files open without a repair prompt.
- Complete the questionnaire with a screen reader and keyboard only, on desktop and on a phone. Pass means every question is announced, labelled and answerable.
- Delete one synthetic response and remove one test role. Pass means both are confirmed in writing within the contract period.
- Record the storage region, processor terms and deletion period for the exact edition you would buy.
A single fail on steps 2 or 3 stops the purchase. Re-run the test after any plan change.
Weighing an unknown against a known limitation
A known limitation can be designed around. Jisc reports partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance, so a supported route can be planned for respondents who need one. An unknown cannot be planned around, because you cannot size it.
Close every unknown you can in writing before fieldwork. Any unknown that survives becomes a reason to keep a manual route open, not a reason to guess.
Common questions
Which edition should a training provider in England default to?
If you already hold Microsoft 365 Business Basic and the sample is small, Microsoft Forms costs nothing extra. Move to Jisc or SmartSurvey for a large response allowance or evidence you can hand to a funder.
Does any of the three publish a price?
Microsoft Forms is included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, so there is no separate survey licence. Jisc and SmartSurvey license their editions directly, and their terms vary with term length and VAT basis.
What has to pass before fieldwork starts?
Export to CSV and XLSX without loss, screen-reader completion on desktop and mobile, and written confirmation of deletion and role removal within the contract period.
How much can I trust the supplier statements?
Less than the pages suggest. A supplier page describes the product in general, not your tenant, questionnaire or export, so test the exact configuration you will use.
