Fresh, bias-free and valid data collected using different survey modes is considered an essential requirement for smooth functioning and evolution of an organization. Surveys play a major role in making in-time and correct decisions and generating reports. The aim of this study is to compare and investigate state-of-the-art in different survey modes including print, email, online, mobile and SMS-based surveys. Results indicate that existing methods are neither complete nor sufficient to fulfill the overall requirements of an organization which primarily rely on surveys. It also shows that SMS is a dominant method for data collection due to its pervasiveness. However, existing SMS-based data collection has limitations like limited number of characters per SMS, single question per SMS and lake of multimedia support. Recent trends emphasis on smartphones applications for data collection. However, in developing countries low-end mobile devices are still extensively used which makes the data collection difficult from man in the street. The paper concludes that existing survey modes and methods need an improvement to get maximum responses quickly in the lowest possible cost. The study has contributed to the area of surveying and data collection by analysing different factors such as cost, time and response rate. The results of this study can help practitioners in creating new methods and tools for data collection that can be effectively used for low budget projects in developed as well as developing countries.