Automation and Your Market Research

Be it autoresponders or cars, automation figures into our daily lives at an increasing rate. The world of market research is no different, and the approach increasingly streamlines projects. Essentially a way for researchers to bypass periphery tasks and processing, automation allows teams to better focus on the actual research at hand. Just as with other products or services, such a goal also requires changes or utilities specific to the research industry.

Sourcing Aggregation

Sourcing is a major first step that helps define a study. Often defined by booths and mailing lists, finding prospects traditionally requires weeks of time and logistics. Online databases, on the other hand, offer vast lists of active prospects that can quickly screen relevant qualifiers. Verification of respondents is also critical, and whatever team is using the recruitment software should also correlate respondent input with available data.       

Recruitment Optimization

As researchers well know, recruitment is crucial for any project. Manually combing through hundreds, if not thousands, of respondents requires weeks of follow through. Ditto for further screening respondents via interviews, correspondence, of follow-up questionnaires. Much like initial sourcing, recruitment automation further segments respondent pools via follow-up questions. Final screenings, meanwhile, ideally utilize online video calls to verify the respondent’s data and interest in the study.             

Smart Surveys

A research method and an important part of qualitative screening, surveys allow researchers to both compile data and segment by relevant qualifiers. Using a survey template also allows researchers to layer a series of screenings, gather initial data, and further build data sets. While there are certain research phases that almost always feature automation, such as sourcing and recruitment, inclusion of other elements typically depend on the study. Assembling a series of panels, for instance, would segment to a relevant a pool, solicit interest via email or other means, and lead to a follow-up survey for further screening.   

Agile Capability

Automation also applies to continual research projects, a growing necessity as markets are changing at perpetually faster rates. An iterative process that adjusts with input, Agile research also enables research to trace segment patterns while analyzing the cumulative data of the project’s lifetime. Automatic updates and alerts are a facet of automation, and researchers can ideally set benchmarks that factor study phase, respondent input, or a slew of other details.            

Interactivity  

Along with reducing time and cost requirements, automation further enables clients. Through specialized platforms they can stay quickly initiate projects, analyze findings, and receive updates. Capability is one thing, usability another. Intuitive controls and accessible layouts are hallmarks of such platforms: the purpose is to better include and inform client reps, not confuse or overwhelm them. Such a mentality is integral for Discuss.io’s own design, which features all the tools a qualitative researcher requires for fast, effective research: patented, HD video streams, automatic or professional transcription with keyword search, clip maker, and more. Learn about what Discuss.io can do for your research. Try our demo or contact us today.

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