As a market research company, quantitative data collection is a huge part of what we do. We have always had a strong commitment to data quality and eliminating fraud, but as fraudsters get more innovative, we have to adapt as well. We want to take you through some of the ways that Qlarity Access has always protected your data, as well as what we're doing different now.
What We've Always Done
We have always had a thorough set of data quality checks that allow us to remove participants that appear fraudulent or to just not be taking our research seriously. These checks include looking for:
- ReCAPTCHA verification
- Bad IP/Domains, including ones we’ve previously determined to be high risk
- Fake personal information
- VoIP phone numbers
- Contradicting answers or answers that don't make sense - for example, growing a crop where that crop cannot be grown
- Gibberish or off topic open end responses
- Straightlining - answering the same response for every question on a scale
- Speeding - moving through the survey too quickly
- Operation location and pay to locations that don’t match - someone says they farm in California, but they want their check sent to Florida
- One person/IP filling out the same survey under multiple different names
Whenever a respondent is flagged for one of these, our team conducts a thorough investigation to determine if the respondent is truly fraudulent and warrants removal.
What We're Adding
While we have always been committed to data quality and reducing fraud, there is always more we can be doing, and that’s why we decided to pursue ISO 27000 Certification.
ISO 27000 Certification
Qlarity Access has strong business practices, personal accountability, and technical security. We have obtained ISO 27000:2022 Certification, which is a global certification related to information security when collecting personal information, to formally validate our commitment. Every member of the Qlarity Access team has participating in extensive training over the course of two years, and will continue to do so moving forward. The company also participated in an external review and audit of our systems prior to final approval and registration. Following the completion of the certification, Qlarity Access will continue to be audited each year to maintain compliance and prove our continued diligence.
What This Means for Our Clients
Our efforts are already helping. Community members from Ag Access and Vet Access go through a profiler survey to join, and our data quality practices are helping weed out fraudsters before they even get into the community, meaning that they never even touch live surveys. Because we stop these people from getting into our community in the first place, we have a lower rate of fraud on individual surveys - only about 1% of respondents on average.
We are a small business built on the relationships we have with our clients and customers, but by utilizing our internal resources and technological advancements, we can still protect data like the big companies. When we discussed our new system with one client, they said "That sounds like a pretty sophisticated system - I like it. The scammers are getting too smart and are using technology, and we’re having to scramble to keep up with them. So, I appreciate a good system like this!"
So What's Next?
Data quality is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to quality and actionable market research, but not the only piece. Well designed research is critical to its success as well. Download our Survey Design Best Practices and Screening Question Template to learn more about the best way to construct your online surveys and an example screener you can start from.
