Market Research Participant Recruitment Agency
As an entirely home-working company already, we were poised to ensure our clients underwent a seamless transition from face to face research to online research, and the results have been a success. Some of our clients were swift to adapt and in the early days of lockdown we were swiftly re-booking face to face groups into online sessions. Other clients took a little longer to adapt, but since running online groups and IDIs have been really pleased with the outcomes. Not only in terms of handling the technology but also with the insights given in the sessions.
As Zoom quickly took off as the “go-to” platform, it also suffered at the hands of security issues, however many clients still opted to use it for its practicality and familiarity. Other platforms that have been successful with our clients are MS Teams, Lookback and Google Meet.
We spoke to a few of our current clients to get their input on how the situation has been for them: Maddy Morton, Director of Lucid People feels that:
“When in-person groups are possible, online groups can be seen as something of a poor imitation and consumers can feel less engaged/connected and more readily become impatient or bored – but in the current environment it’s all very different. People have often felt so starved of human connection for so long that they are much keener to take part, to engage, to contribute – and to enjoy it more. Plus, of course, it’s much easier to get online groups together when the target audience is geographically widely spread. Overall, we’ve been very happy with the process and the results, and can see online groups staying in the frame in the longer term.“
One thing we have found to be a huge advantage in recruitment terms is that we now have access to our nationwide database, without being limited to geographical locations. The advantages are twofold; firstly that our members who can’t attend in central city locations have been able to get involved in projects and secondly, our database spreads into the four corners of the UK so we have a wider variety of members to consult, which can make recruitment quicker and more efficient. Tom Turner, Research Manager at Green Light Research really felt the advantages of this saying:
“In the current climate, whilst doing 100% of our research online, we’ve really taken the opportunity to speak to consumers from every corner of the UK. With no travel limitations and the ability to host groups of people from different parts of the country, we’ve used this broader diversity to spark lively conversations.”
However, when it comes to the technology, he’s found there have been some challenges, he goes on to say:
“As I’m sure most people have experienced in either their professional or personal life, Zoom calls aren’t always seamless. Sometimes people lose connection or speak over one another and this can make conversation slightly less fluid. As a moderator, you need to set out more ground-rules at the start of the group, such as speaking one at a time. I find myself directing the flow of conversation, more so than when face-to-face with participants.”
As people have gained more familiarity with technology such as Zoom, and families who may never have used video chat before, are now accustomed to seeing each other on the screen, we have been finding that people are no less engaged when contributing to an online group. But is this a comfortable stop-gap or could it be something more and more researchers will want to continue to do in the future? Katherine Rhodes, Director of Qualitative Street comments:
“Switching from face-to-face research to (entirely) remote methods has been easier than I’d anticipated thanks to lots of people already knowing how to ‘zoom’ with friends and family. An unexpected upside has been the comfort participants have felt chatting from home… They’re in their ‘safe’ place, and you’re not physically intruding. It’s created a relaxed and intimate setting for great conversations. Of course, only having one way to interview is far from ideal. I can’t wait to get in a room (safely) with people and have the opportunity to read the room!”
There are clear advantages to both: Online groups or depths allow you to lift the geographical limitations, accessing a broader range of nationals across the country who, in the case of our membership database, are fully engaged and excited to finally be able to contribute to the market research projects they’d signed up for. You also reduce costs given that viewing facilities don’t have to be hired and you can easily live stream to your clients who may be in other countries. People who can’t travel into city centres for whatever reason are now able to participate, again offering a wider scope of opinion. And once everyone has mastered the technology, you can still gain valuable insight from participants willing to share their experiences in the comfort of their own homes without any sense of invasion.
Researchers who have seen the benefits of online research may well be more inclined to continue to run some sessions online, perhaps now knowing first-hand that much the same insights can be achieved. But as Kath Rhodes mentions, there is nothing quite like being able to read the room and feel the atmosphere among a group of people in each other’s company.
From a recruitment point of view, it is a joy to be able to offer faster recruitment with briefs that become quicker and easier to fulfill now that we are able to work with a much larger part of our database. We’ve been turning sizeable projects round within 48 hours in some cases. But should our clients’ research needs return to “normal” (albeit “new normal”) face to face sessions, then we will of course continue to successfully recruit those where required.
As we move slowly toward being able to offer some face to face research (only with all the correct safety factors in place) perhaps having the choice is the ultimate answer.
