Joel Friedman, chief executive officer for SurveyWriter, noted that the offering is "very inexpensive. We don't charge for opening an account or creating a survey-there is no upfront cost. What we do charge is a small fee for completed surveys, starting at $1.25 each."

Users create their own questionnaires by logging onto the company's Web site and uploading a list of e-mail addresses of their potential respondents. The system then automatically sends out online invitations to participate. Surveys, once ready, can be linked to clients' own Web sites.

"Surveys are actually hosted on our site because we provide the backend tools, but they are seamlessly connected to our clients' Web sites.

"No one ever knows that they are not hosting the surveys. The results can then be downloaded onto spreadsheets or tabulated with presentation-ready charts. They can also be integrated into corporate databases, and users can also track the progress in real-time as data gets collected," Mr. Friedman said.

Online surveys, the company said, can help insurance companies get instant feedback from customers who have filed claims.

Mr. Friedman said, "Insurers can ask customers how happy they are with their products. Surveys can also be used to measure attitudes of a market segment to individual companies or agents. Insurance companies can ask brokers whether the product mix is good, and what products are selling and not selling. The result is a powerful marketing and data collection tool."